I also thot Smokin's reluctance to hear a presidential petition and instead deferring it to a lower court automatically disqualifies him for the CJ's position. I am disappointed he does not understand that the reason the petition is taken directly to the supreme court is to expedite the judgement and avoid time wasting through unnecessary appeals.
He also needs to understand that the work of the supreme court is not to determine who the next president is but rather to confirm the decision already made by the electorate.
His explanation about hurting the feelings of 50% of the people is plain cowardice and shows a total lack of judgement that should even disqualify him from the judiciary, let alone the position he currently holds.
"The purpose of bureaucracy is to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline." James Collins