As the U.S. Supreme Court begins its 2011-2012 term, Americans' approval of the institution is now 46%, a drop of 5 percentage points in the last year and 15 points in the last two years. Since 2000, Gallup has recorded only one approval rating of the high court that is lower than today's: 42% in June 2005.
The other question being asked by Gallup is whether the Supremes are too liberal or too conservative. Most now view the court as too liberal. There is a tenuous connection between the two opinions but it’s entirely possible to disapprove of the Supreme Court even as you believe that the court sides more with you than your ideological opposition. The reason: the Supreme Court was established to be politically neutral. Its role was to be the top court, not another political body. We should not want a court system that makes decisions based on ideology and justifies them by picking and choosing among the laws. We should not want a court that treats every session as a nine member Constitutional Convention, shaping, molding and redefining our rights and our laws based on each justice’s political persuasion. Yet that is what the Court has become and it’s the reason why the appointment to the Supreme Court is now so controversial. It’s why presidential elections have become ever more partisan: who is going to nominate the next lifetime member of this unelected and seemingly all-powerful body?
No one who respects this nation and its institutions should be happy with this situation. We do not need a “wise Latina” with her view of the good and the just on the court or – for that matter – a wise white guy. The wisdom of people, Latina, black, white, male or female is vastly over-rated especially by those who hold themselves up as wise. It has been said that the easiest person to fool is yourself. We need people who know the Constitution and the law and will act as the founders intended, the court of last appeal. They overstep their role and have for many years. A little Latina humility is in order.
No comments:
Post a Comment