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Why
Should I Care Who is Appointed to the Supreme Court? |
Posted:
01.11.06
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Ben Johnson, an 18-year-old senior from Cresskill New Jersey,
first published this editorial in his school's newspaper - The
Communique.
If you'd like to respond to Ben's editorial, e-mail
us
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 In
the midst of Katrina, the war, and all the other news of the day,
one continuing issue has had much of the nation captivated for
months. Before this past summer, the last vacancy on the Supreme
Court was filled when former president Bill Clinton appointed
Stephen Breyer in 1994.
More than a decade passed without a single new justice. That
all changed abruptly with the unexpected resignation of Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor on July 1, 2005, followed by the death of
Chief Justice William Rehnquist on September 3.
Suddenly, President Bush had the opportunity to nominate two
new members to the High Court, and the country has been in an
uproar ever since.
Why, you ask, does the nation care so much? And, more importantly,
why should I care?
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Bush nominees
to replace key members of the court |
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By coincidence (or conspiracy, if you're excitable like that),
Justice O'Connor and Justice Rehnquist were arguably the most
important members of the Court.
With four decidedly liberal and four equally determined conservatives
on the bench, O'Connor, the infamous "swing vote," was
often the decisive factor on controversial issues, including abortion,
education, and affirmative action, just to name a few.
Although O'Connor tended to lean left on social issues, much
to the chagrin of conservatives, her unpredictable nature kept
either side from gaining a firm hold on the Court.
If Bush is able to appoint a staunch conservative to fill her
place, the balance of the court would move firmly to the right.
Rehnquist, on the other hand, had been a leader of the conservative
legal movement for his entire career. He helped the other conservative
members of the Court, and much of the rest of the government,
to remain steady in the face of tremendous opposition from the
legal community, press, and political action groups.
If his successor lacks his drive and convictions, the conservative
movement will lose a strong ballast and might begin to bend under
pressure.
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Supreme Court
decisions affect teens |
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Fascinating, you say, really, but still, why should I care? Well,
despite the fact that it seems dry and boring, like more political
bureaucratic nonsense, in reality, the nominations of these two
justices could affect your life - yes, every one of you - as much,
and probably a lot more, than the next presidential election,
let alone the next Oscar nominations.
You may or may not realize, but many of the most significant
social decisions of the last several decades were made by the
Supreme Court. Many of these decisions were made in favor of the
liberal perspective. Roe v. Wade is a great example of this.
For those poor souls who do not know, the Court ruled in Roe
v. Wade that a woman has the right to have an abortion. A solidly
conservative court could reverse that ruling.
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Supreme Court
could reverse past decision |
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Many times in the past, the Court has changed its rulings on
key issues, like slavery and segregation. Many other decisions
on social issues that most of us assume to be, like Roe v. Wade,
fait accompli, decided issues, could potentially be reversed in
the coming years.
We will all, for example, be affected in one way or another by
affirmative action as we apply to colleges and jobs. We are all
of the age at which decisions on the military and the draft mean
something.
Many key issues are currently being brought to the Court. It
may not be necessary to know who might personally be affected
by a decision on gay marriage, but it is an issue that will have
a major impact on our society.
Decisions on vouchers and school choice, whether the government
should offset the costs of people going to private schools, as
well as private schools, will affect many of us in the years to
come.
As many of you know, there is currently a lawsuit about the legality
of having God in the Pledge of Allegiance, and the question of
the word "God" on money is soon to come. All of these
issues will be decided in large part by the individuals Bush places
on the Court now.
Because there is so much riding on the choice of justices, both
sides have thrown all of their political weight into making sure
the people approved share their ideology.
This is why there was an outcry on the Right when Harriet Miers,
an individual with questionable conservative credentials, was
nominated to replace Justice O'Connor. It is also why the Left
has been attacking John Roberts and Samuel Alito, both men with
clear and outspoken conservative ideals.
Both sides have invested years of work and billions of dollars
to get their people on the bench, and neither is willing to give
up now.
--
Ben Johnson, Cresskill Junior/Senior High.
Something to say on this topic? e-mail
us
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This [teen] is an immigrant from Mexico, and he works long hours at a local farm milking dairy cows, five hours per milking, twice a day.
