Do You Agree with the Latest Supreme Court Rulings?

Some historic decisions have been handed down by the Supreme Court of the United States in recent days.

No matter the ruling, there’s always a mob for and a mob opposed protesting on the Supreme Court steps.

The nine justices of the Supreme Court are Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Interpreting The Law

Courts of law assess the rule of law to legal arguments. One attorney argues for a position, and another argues for the opposite.

Judges do not rule based on right or wrong, good or bad, black or white, but on how the rule of law applies to the arguments presented.

Most of us would find it very hard to leave our personal beliefs at the door and objectively rule on litigation.

The rule of law removes that burden of personal beliefs off the shoulders of the justices as they deliberate toward a ruling.

Liberal vs. Conservative

Very few decisions are 9-0, although there have been a few over the years.

Most of the time, the court is split, which leads the populous to believe that some emotion or conservative vs. liberal viewpoints must enter these rulings.

The justices most often described as conservative are Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Samuel A. Alito, Jr.

On the liberal side are Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

From that standpoint, the court is divided for those who believe justices bring some political bias to the bench.

The last two justices appointed by President Obama, Sotomayor and Kagan were considered liberal in most circles and replaced other liberal-leaning judges, so the court was unchanged.

The last three appointed by President Trump, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, are considered conservative.

The swing, or “wild cat” vote, often falls on Chief Justice John Roberts, who has a history of voting with conservatives on some issues and liberals on others.

These latest appointments would make the court 5-3 conservative, with Chief Justice Roberts as the deal breaker.

Do Presidential Appointments Matter?

Of course, they do.

The next president will probably replace at least one justice and possibly two.

Clarence Thomas is the court’s oldest member and may decide to step down at some future date.

Are justices appointed by presidents expected to vote with that president’s views and beliefs?

Bush appointed Roberts, and his decisions preserved Obamacare three times. I guess the answer would be no.

Some Final Thoughts on the Nine Supreme Court Justices

Do Supreme Court Justices leave their personal beliefs at the chamber door?

It’s hard to decern the difference between law and justice.

Gay Marriage, Roe vs. Wade, EPA, Obamacare, and Citizens United are all very emotional rulings by the high court.

Did the courts follow the rule of law in each of these decisions? Opinions vary greatly.

In 1857 a Supreme Court ruled that black people could not be given citizenship and could be considered property in the Dred Scott decision.

The Dred Scott decision started the Republican Party.

It was the law of the land. But no longer, thanks to the 13th Amendment.

The Supreme Court sent Roe V Wade back to the individual states to decide how and if they will allow abortions.

I’ve believed Supreme Court nominees should require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate.

These people are appointed for life by either a liberal or conservative senate.

I believe a senate forced to compromise would produce better justices and a wider interpretation of the laws and Constitution.

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