GOP candidates used to talk a great deal about the importance of nominating judges who would exercise judicial restraint. You don’t hear that anymore. Why?
For two reasons. First, the GOP is now under the effective control of the Reactionary faction, which wants to roll back the clock, not preserve the status quo. Judicial activism in the form of overturning precedents is necessary to achieve that goal. Second, the GOP has more or less given up any attempt to win the support of a majority of Americans, and now prefers to suppress votes to remain in power. Why would Republicans support a judicial philosophy that calls for deference to the popular will, as expressed through legislation, if they think the country is run by an immoral majority?