Is the U.S Supreme Court too heavily influenced by Politics?

It is impossible to separate politics from the judicial completely. Politics do shape the Supreme Court in a way. We elect the president and our Senators, whom in turn nominate and confirm justices, thus politics has influence over the Court.

But, they are also shielded from politics, at least once they get on the bench. They are appointed for life and it is hard to impeach a SCOTUS justice. Thus they can rule on cases without fear of political backlash.

But if you are referring to the ideological divide on the court (i.e. 4 conservatives, 4 liberals, and 1 moderate), this is nothing new. There have always been divisions in the court. Some are more originalist/strict interpretation justices, others are activist justices that find new meanings in the Constitution according to their ideology. Some justices are more liberal, others more conservative. Some are more for states having more power (i.e. federalists), others have no problem granting the federal government more powers.

I believe it is. The job of the supreme court judges is to interpret the law not make law. And in many decisions it made law. Example: Dred V. Scott.

I would say not. Maybe being chosen by a political leader would make some one say yes, but they are guaranteed the position for life. Therefore, there is no need for them to please the voters for the election cycle. This leads them to make more deliberative decisions. Compare a life term to those of the House of Representatives, which are two years. You see massive shifts of power and constant politicking.

Dudeman is correct. You don't get somewhere without your own opinion. A GREAT person would be able to rise above themselves (and their own opinions) to get to the heart of a matter (however, we have few great people on the Supreme Court). Justices like Thomas (whose wife is a very conservative group representative and Scalia who is publically vocal about his "conservative values," are shameful. They make a mockery out of their positions, not because they're conservatives (that IS their right), but because on a bench of Jurists that are supposed to be "above the fray," they get down and nasty in their personal views and public opinions. Just kind of sad, their opinions should be known only by their votes, not their words.