The Supreme Court makes decisions that affect our most fundamental rights. When they ruled on Roe v. Wade in 1973 and then overturned that ruling in 2022, they determined our ability to access reproductive care. In 2015, their ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges gave same-sex couples the right to marry the person they love. And just last year, they ruled that Trump has absolute immunity for “official acts” he commits as President.
It’s concerning enough to think that they’re ruling along political lines, since there are currently six Justices appointed by Republican presidents and only three appointed by Democrats. But the Supreme Court also has no official standards of ethics. Just think — the highest court in the land, making these important decisions with nothing to stop them from ruling based on extreme ideology or greed.
Justice Clarence Thomas, for instance, has accepted millions of dollars of gifts from Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow. And his wife Ginni is a far-right extremist who pushed to overturn the results of the 2020 election. How could we possibly trust Thomas to rule fairly on a case like Trump v. The United States?
“I worry that the next few decades could be like the Hunger Games for liberal constitutional democracy. So after abortion, I think they’re likely to come after contraception. I think they’re likely to come after what remains of the Voting Rights Act. And I think that they are in a position to really undo what's foundational and important about our constitutional democracy.” (legal expert Dr. Leah Litman)
In this week’s Okay, But Why, we examine the history of the Supreme Court, why people like
are worried about it, and some of the cases from the past year that you should know about.Congress has the power to change the way that the Supreme Court works — from rules about ethics, to how many Justices there are, to whether they should have lifetime appointments. So talk to the people in your life about the Supreme Court. We deserve to know if these decisions are being inspired by a deep understanding of the Constitution… or a million-dollar vacation to Bali.
Share this post