If Supreme Court Justices are in fact political appointees, what did we think was going to happen? It looks more likely than not that “Roe vs. Wade” will be overturned, or at least dismantled to the point that it becomes ineffectual. The reality is that the Supreme Court is indeed a political institution and always has been. Ideally, we hoped we could have the highest court in the United States be a body that is objective, free of self-interest and have a perspective that is based on the needs of the majority of American citizens. Unfortunately, this is clearly not the case. In a very broad way, this body has made itself irrelevant through the personal biases and political interests of the individual justices that comprise it. If the Supreme Court is to have any real value, or at the very least become an institution more aligned with its intended purpose, big changes need to be implemented here as well. This is a very serious matter that warrants our most careful attention, as decisions made at this level affect us all. Let’s consider the following.
The Makeup of the Court
It is obvious that the Supreme Court as it stands today is extremely conservative. The fact that at least two of these justices were appointed through the lying, cheating, and stealing of Senate Republicans has some serious implications. Personally, I could not assume such a high-level position of responsibility under these circumstances. The reality of course is that even Supreme Court Justices are human, and they do therefore have their own rights and choices. Do these individuals have the integrity that should be required for this level of authority? I would certainly hope so. It could not be clearer, however, that some of these justices intend to make their own personal belief system be the reality of every American person. From a higher perspective, this is a misuse of power. This may appear to be a judgment on my part, but is in actuality an assessment. In order for us to create any real changes in our society, we must be willing to be honest about what is. In the meantime, the Democratic Party would do well to appoint additional justices in order to create at least the appearance of balance and fairness. I find it interesting that the Republican Party has always been about individual rights and personal freedoms, which smaller governments might theoretically provide. The reality, however, is that their actions and behavior indicate their intent to remove these rights and freedoms by having a final say over the lives of even their own constituents. All we can really do to offset this unfortunate reality is to educate to the best of our ability, make our voices heard, and by all means, vote.
Appointed or Elected?
The intent of a Democracy is for its people to choose who makes the decisions for all of us. Yes, that means us. This is especially important at the highest levels of the U.S. government. The problem with having Supreme Court Justices be appointed by the current political party in power is that the decisions these justices make will in many cases be based on the whims and desires of that political party. This has never been truer than it is today. I personally believe the seats of this body should be elected positions. Although these elected positions may still have a tendency to be in alignment with whichever party was elected at the presidential level, at least we get to have a say. This is the most important consideration here. If these justices were part of the electoral process, the positions would quite naturally have to include term limits. The fact that positions on our highest court are lifetime appointments is not practical or ideal. There is unfortunately the chance that these individuals would not be in alignment with current society or the needs of the majority of Americans. This can and is having devastating results for all of us. This we are painfully aware of as I write these words.
Legislation
What is really happening at the level of the Supreme Court, is they are being forced to “legislate” from the bench. This is not how the United States Constitution was originally designed. Legislating is of course the job of our elected officials in Congress. The chaos and paralysis found in this body are responsible for the actions of the Supreme Court today. Their unwillingness to work together through compromise is not, therefore, providing for the American people. Not only has Congress become ineffectual, but they are unable to perform their essential function at all. Because of their own inability, they have delegated their responsibilities to the Supreme Court. This court has now been given the power that Congress should and must have. The unfortunate reality now, then, is that the conservative members of this court are provided with, and given the power to, serve their own self-interest. By the way, the idea these particular justices have given us that they are objective and impartial is nothing but deception and manipulation. This is a disaster for our country if appropriate and necessary action isn’t taken today.
The Role of the Supreme Court and its Intended Purpose
In a nutshell, the role of the Supreme Court is to uphold the laws created and set forth by the United States Congress and the U.S. Constitution that they are required to support. Because Congress is unwilling and therefore unable to do its job, our highest court is now given the opportunity to “interpret” the Constitution. Interpretation is very relative, of course! Unfortunately, some of these justices will interpret the Constitution to serve their own selfish interests. It needs to be made clear also that the Constitution itself was never meant to be “written in stone”. Ideally, it too must be adaptable and changeable in order to better serve our current times. Will Congress make any relevant adjustments or modifications, so we can move forward? It doesn’t appear this will be the case immediately, through simple observation. We all need to be aware that some risk needs to happen in order to improve the condition of humanity. I personally don’t have any solid answers to resolve these important issues, but I do believe we can find a way together.
Unfortunately, the reality of American life today, and the entire world quite frankly, is one of apathy. In order to “care” we must become “aware”. The truth is that the average human being has very little understanding of what freedom really means. The average American voter has a limited understanding of what a Democracy actually is, or what our Constitution is intended to provide for us. For those of us who are fortunate enough to “know” more have a great responsibility to educate, educate and educate. Patience and time, commitment, and compassion are required. We must acknowledge the efforts of the Republican Party, as well as the wealthy among us, to subvert the establishment of Democracy and the equality it most definitely is intended to create. The childish antics of the Republican Party are a mere distraction to the activities of gerrymandering, redistricting, and overall voter suppression. Lies, deception, and manipulation are the core values of the Republican Party as they present themselves today. Greed, power, and autocracy are their primary motivations. The Democratic Party must present these facts to the American people at every opportunity. The Democrats in Congress must also understand that there will be no cooperation or compromise from the Republicans whatsoever. It is time to eliminate the filibuster. I understand their fear and apprehension in taking this action, for if and/or when the Republicans gain control again, they will have the opportunity to do whatever they want to do, no matter the damage to our country. The reality however is that they are already doing so.
All my love and support, stay safe and be well