The topic of the Supreme Court has indubitably become a nationwide contentious issue, inspiring arguments and further divisiveness. Similar to the other branches, the judicial branch has swerved drastically away from the Framer’s vision and intent for it. What once was supposed to be a neutral court with the least power out of all branches has undoubtedly become biased, politically centered, and has grown to a practically unstoppable institution whose actions impact every American citizen.
The federal government is an experiment and relies on the people to give power to it. However, the Supreme Court’s legitimacy is faltering, negatively affecting the quality of women’s lives which heavily depend on the Court. Legitimacy lies within the Court’s wisdom and ability to make proper decisions by interpreting the Constitution, utilizing judicial review, and remaining politically insulated. Yet in recent years, the Supreme Court has been tactically transformed into a group of political agenda following figureheads, intertwining political views with justice.
Between 2004 and 2019, the Supreme Court justices took a grand total of 1,309 complimentary trips. Supreme Court Justices have also been contradicting themselves, relinquishing long-standing grudges on certain topics to focus solely on a political agenda. This is shown in the case Allen v. Milligan where the Court did not take any action, leaving the precedent of the safeguards against racial gerrymandering alone. This was against Chief Justice Roberts’ deep desire to eliminate the results test in the Voting Rights Act which was part of that case. Instead, there were no actions made and the Justices’ decisions seem to be based on a checklist made by their political party.
In response to the recent ethical questioning and corrupt decisions made by the Supreme Court Justices, President Biden back in the summer of 2024 had a proposal for court reform. He pushed for an 18 year term limit for Justices and a binding code of conduct since the “tenure subject to good behavior” is vague and not very strict. He wants ethics rules to disclose gifts and for the Justices to isolate themselves from politics.
Although nothing has been ratified or done yet, the public’s dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court will hopefully spark some beneficial change. If the Justices continue with following a political based plan and political way of making decisions, women’s equality, reproductive rights, and overall rights are in danger of being violated and/or taken away.
The past few years has brought the on-going debate about abortion rights to center stage. Donald Trump’s views on abortion may lead to a nation-wide ban, leaving women defenseless as the majority Court will only agree with their political and religious views, evident by the reasoning of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. With Donald Trump’s presidency approaching, women will be further oppressed, silenced, and discouraged. Despite this, Justice Ketanji Brown and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, two women of color, will make wise and educated decisions, representing and protecting women nationwide with their opinions and decision-making for as long as they serve.
Source
The White House. "FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Bold Plan to Reform the
Supreme Court and Ensure No President Is above the Law." The White House,
29 July 2024, www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/07/
29/ fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-bold-plan-to-reform-the-supreme-court-and-en sure-no-president-is-above-the-law/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
Schladen, Marty. "U.S. Supreme Court Justices Take Lavish Gifts — Then Raise the Bar for Bribery Prosecutions." Ohio Capital Journal, Creative Commons, 26 Apr. 2023, ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/04/26/ u-s-supreme-court-justices-take-lavish-gifts-then-raise-the-bar-for-bribery-prose cutions/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
Millhiser, Ian. "The Importance of Staying Angry at the Supreme Court." Vox, Vox Media, 8 July 2023, www.vox.com/scotus/2023/7/8/23784320/ supreme-court-2022-term-affirmative-action-religion-voting-rights-abortion. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.