Supreme Court’s Challenge With Public Confidence | Eastern NC Now

Jeremy Bearman of the Washington Examiner highlights public perception of the U.S. Supreme Court.

ENCNow
Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the John Locke Foundation. The author of this post is Mitch Kokai.

    Jeremy Bearman of the Washington Examiner highlights public perception of the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • The Supreme Court is well aware of its weight. Its opinions and dissents and the public appearances of its justices are filled with demonstrations of self-awareness about its power and influence and the perceived quandary of the court's existence.
  • In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2011, Justice Stephen Breyer posed this question about the Supreme Court: "We live in a democracy, and we do decide matters that will affect you, so why should nine people who are not elected have that authority?" It turns out, he offered a very compelling answer over the hearing's course, one that was very protective of his institution as a necessity and very insistent on its independence.
  • Perhaps his view has changed, but at least in 2011, Breyer rejected the implications of a cynicism like that recently expressed by Politico's John Harris. In a recent column, Harris quotes Chief Justice John Roberts, who, in 2018, said in response to none other than President Trump, "We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them." Harris's response is, "Very nice words. But what planet is Roberts on?"
  • These are the current conditions. This is the current sentiment, shared among Democrats and others in the Democratic-aligned activist class — the high court is a court of political actors. Harris doesn't resolutely call the court, or the process of confirming Amy Coney Barrett, "illegitimate," as so many others have done, but his words are still foreboding: "The Supreme Court is begging for a legitimacy crisis." The court has responded to that charge, or at least the threat of it, many times before.

Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published )
Enter Your Comment ( text only please )




Supreme Court’s Potential Role in Post-Election Lawsuits John Locke Foundation Guest Editorial, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics Marc Elias Has His Electoral Moment


HbAD0

Latest Op-Ed & Politics


HbAD1

"Your faith will go quiet when you need it loud. Tend to your faith, not just when you’re broken, but when you’re whole."
illegal alien "asylum seeker" migrants are a crime wave on both sides of the Atlantic
A new poll data points to continuing trend among the next generation of the left.
Libertarian rabble rouser Massie defeated in Kentucky

HbAD2

Trump administration policies are bringing the country back from the brink of an uncontrolled influx of illegal immigrants.
Sen. Tillis Urges Senate to Cancel ICE, Border Patrol Vote to Boost Cornyn’s Reelection Bid

HbAD3

 
 
Back to Top