Week In Review 6-19-2020
Submitted by holliswein on Fri, 06/19/2020 - 12:00am
This week the nation's highest court handed down two critical rulings that will impact millions of peoples lives. They did their job, absence of politics.
Earlier in the week, the Supreme Court ruled that LGTBQ people cannot be discriminated in the workplace. Yesterday, the Court blocked Trump's attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This was an Obama-era program that protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.
The Court plays an essential role in ensuring that each branch of government recognizes the limits of its own power. It protects civil rights and liberties by striking down laws that violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court holds our democracy together.
When we vote for a president, we are voting for our Supreme Court justices. The president nominates a Supreme Court judge and the Senate confirms that judge for a life time term.
We hope that these judges will hear cases with unbiased views and evaluate the cases based on law. But President Trump has nominated judges solely on their right-wing political leaning. These judges, Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, are outside the judicial mainstream and are closely associated with the conservative Federalist Society. More often than not, judicial neutrality cannot be achieved.
But this week Trump's judges ruled contrary to him. We will celebrate our victories when we can because we know that the battles over abortion rights and gun safety may not come down in our favor.
Today, on June 19th, our country commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States. Sadly racism and bigotry still exist in our country. But nevertheless, we still continue our quest for a more perfect union. We count on all of our courts now more than ever to guarantee life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as prescribed in the Constitution to all - African Americans, LGTBQ, children of immigrants and everyone else living in our country.
Courts matter.
