The new Supreme Court term that begins on Monday (Oct. 5th) marks the start of the second decade with John G. Roberts Jr. as Chief Justice. The last term was filled with liberal victories and bruised relations between the conservative and liberal justices, although it's yet to be revealed if the swing towards liberal victories is merely an anomaly, or meant to be lasting. The court is in a precarious state, because it'll be tackling cases on politically charged issues, such as the fate in public unions, affirmative action in higher education, the death penalty, and it's first major abortion case since 2007. Even the passing of the right to same-sex marriage created barbed tension in the Court last term, with Justice Scalia calling Justice Kennedy's "majority opinion pretentious, egotistic, and incoherent". However, Chief Justice Roberts hopes that for this term, he can "guide his court toward modest and unanimous rulings", though he faced several attacks during the summer from Republican presidential candidates, unhappy with his sustaining of the Affordable Care Act for the second time. It's a critical time for the Court, because most of it's major decisions in large cases will be decided in June, as the 2016 presidential campaign enters it's final stretch.
It's really important to have moderation, rather than have a Supreme Court be radically liberal, or radically conservative. However, with the presidential campaign composed of front runners that aren't even politicians, it shows that Americans are ready for a different type of leader. Change needs to happen, and even if Obama has implemented minor changes during his term, the American public are looking for a more drastic change. What's incredibly important to keep in mind however, is that human rights cannot be waived, just because a politician or Supreme Court Justice wishes to stay in power for one more term. In my own views, pro-life people just don't grasp that it's a much crueler thing to birth a child that you can't take care of, rather than making your own choice to abort a fetus. There are laws in place already that a fetus must be aborted by a certain time, and taking away a woman's choice over her own body is the real violation of the constitution. As for gun control and the other politically charged issues, I believe that it's time for the Court to swing a more liberal view, in order to preserve the nation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/05/us/politics/supreme-court-prepares-to-take-on-politically-charged-cases.html?ref=politics
I think the court has been fairly liberal with its decisions as we can see with the passing of same- sex marriage as it went against the ideals of the conservative party. Then again, there is the saying where too much of a good thing can be harmful. Despite the celebration across the nation that same sex marriage is now legal, the amount of backlash it received came back two fold. There should definitely be a moderation between conservative and liberal decisions however the effects of the decisions should be weighed as how favorable its outcomes will be for the citizens and the society of the country. For example, taking the liberal stance on gun control may benefit the nation more in than supporting the conservative stance in that the liberal view is willing to admit that gun control needs more regulation in order to protect innocent lives.
ReplyDeleteI think the court has made some good decisions in the past and that it would keep making these good choices. But it also needs a balance in deciding what is best for the nation. Regardless of of it is taking a conservative or liberal stance the voice of the people should be taken into account on each issue.
ReplyDeleteThe Supreme Court has been very liberal with their rulings because Justice Kennedy has tended to vote for liberal views rather than follow his conservative background. I believe that as long as the Supreme Court is upholding the Constitution, citizens shouldn't be upset with the rulings. I think that the Supreme Court will continue to make liberal decisions during the next term. I just wonder what will happen when some of the Justices have to be replaced. Will the Court lean toward left or right wing rulings?
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