The U.S. Supreme Court is under the spotlight following the controversy around the right to abortion. The Supreme Court is the most powerful court of law in the U.S. Their rulings are often rarely overturned, profoundly shaping the course of public policy in America for years to come. But some experts find such immense judicial power deeply problematic. Is the Supreme Court truly in need of reform and what solutions can the U.S. consider? Watch the video to find out.The answer to the first part of the final question is definitely yes, the Supreme Court needs more accountability and transparency. I'm less clear about which reforms Congress can and should implement. The bills for a greater transparency and compliance with ethics rules would certainly be a good start. I also support increasing the size of the Supreme Court so that there is a Justice for every federal appellate circuit, but President Biden is not in favor of this idea and Republicans would filibuster it. Limited, staggered terms resembles a lot of state supreme courts, like Michigan's, but that would definitely require a constitutional amendment. I think that might eventually be more likely than reforming the Senate or the Electoral College, which John Oliver mentioned in his examination of the Supreme Court. I think those are good ideas that are, unfortunately, non-starters.
For a more scathing critique of the Supreme Court, I suggest reading The case against the Supreme Court of the United States at Vox. That looks at deeper causes for the anti-democratic and illiberal outcomes that have come from the nation's highest court over its more than two centuries of existence.
Stay tuned for International Asteroid Day, the younger but more established version of Apophis Day, tomorrow to close out June's blogging.
No comments:
Post a Comment