Maybe increasing. Gorsuch appears to have hired a tenured Notre Dame prof for next term, continuing his practice of hiring exceptionally experienced clerks. Conversely, Kerrel Murray took leave from Columbia to clerk for KBJ in her first term.

Not sure telling people what they want to hear counts as influence.

State supreme courts are elected fwiw.

What if I am mostly concerned with my sense of moral superiority?

Status: professionally comfortable!

Unless you are talking about reworking LegReg syllabi, I don't even understand that reaction.

Indeed. Wiser not faster (that's a thing, right?).

Attending aggressively to physical limits served me well in my 30s, hoping for the same in my 40s.

Honestly, this is taking the accusation far too seriously.

Here's hoping!