Tipping the Scales of Justice
By James Donahue
October 16, 2017
Amidst all the destruction Mr. Trump is bringing to the framework of the United States, his judicial appointments may top the list. Despite his tardiness in filling many key government job positions since taking office, he has been extra busy filling federal judicial vacancies.
An analysis by Allan Smith for Business Insider reveals that Trump has been concentrating on “shaping the federal bench” since coming to power. He has to date nominated 56 judicial appointments compared to Obama’s 22 nominations by this same time in office. The Judiciary Committee has only confirmed three, however. They include Trump’s appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the U. S. Supreme Court.
Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, recently noted that “Trump has easily surpassed Obama, Bush and Clinton at this point in their first year of their presidencies in terms of the sheer number nominated.”
Trump has inherited 108 court vacancies, largely because the Republicans actively denied votes to President Obama’s court appointments. Their strategy has obviously been to keep those seats empty for a GOP president to fill. And with Trump and a majority of his Republican legislators clearly leaning politically to extreme conservatism, it is easy to calculate just how the courts will be ruling in the years to come.
It is shockingly clear that the long-held belief that the courts offer an impartial balance of justice by judges pledged to stick strictly to interpreting the law is no longer valid. The late Justice Antonin Scalia proved this in his consistent voting record, marking him as the “conservative voice” on the high court.
After GOP President George W. Bush successfully named John G. Roberts Jr. to serve as Chief Justice, and Samuel Alito, Jr, to fill an associate justice post, the high court has been clearly split in 5-4 decisions that are clearly impacting the way the nation does its business. It already seems clear that Justice Gorsuch has been but a replacement for Scalia’s conservative position.
When Justice Scalia was still alive and involved in the court decision making, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in the Citizens United case that declared corporations “people” and opened the floodgates for heavy spending in U.S. political campaigns. The decision has had a profound impact on politics and helped put Trump and his minions in power.
Scalia also was involved in the majority opinion that struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Republican controlled states are actively utilizing their freedom to demand proof of residency and citizenship to control everyone that attempts to vote at the polls. Many critics believe the door has been opened now for massive election fraud.
While the media appears to be overlooking the Trump judicial appointments, Senator Chris Coons, (D-Delaware), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Business Insider that he believes they will become “the single most important legacy of the Trump Administration.” Because the newly appointed judges are established conservatives, Coons warns that they will “have a significant impact on the shape and trajectory of American law for decades.”
Thus many of Trump’s radical presidential orders, from restricting Mexican and Moslem people from entering the United States, the decision to decline participation on the international movements to destroy nuclear armaments, restrict carbon emissions and tear down the assistance programs for the poor and elderly, may eventually become law if carefully worded cases come before the federal courts. Trump also appears to be pouring more money into national defense with an eye on world domination.
If this happens, the Trump decisions cannot be easily reversed by a succeeding president.
By James Donahue
October 16, 2017
Amidst all the destruction Mr. Trump is bringing to the framework of the United States, his judicial appointments may top the list. Despite his tardiness in filling many key government job positions since taking office, he has been extra busy filling federal judicial vacancies.
An analysis by Allan Smith for Business Insider reveals that Trump has been concentrating on “shaping the federal bench” since coming to power. He has to date nominated 56 judicial appointments compared to Obama’s 22 nominations by this same time in office. The Judiciary Committee has only confirmed three, however. They include Trump’s appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the U. S. Supreme Court.
Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, recently noted that “Trump has easily surpassed Obama, Bush and Clinton at this point in their first year of their presidencies in terms of the sheer number nominated.”
Trump has inherited 108 court vacancies, largely because the Republicans actively denied votes to President Obama’s court appointments. Their strategy has obviously been to keep those seats empty for a GOP president to fill. And with Trump and a majority of his Republican legislators clearly leaning politically to extreme conservatism, it is easy to calculate just how the courts will be ruling in the years to come.
It is shockingly clear that the long-held belief that the courts offer an impartial balance of justice by judges pledged to stick strictly to interpreting the law is no longer valid. The late Justice Antonin Scalia proved this in his consistent voting record, marking him as the “conservative voice” on the high court.
After GOP President George W. Bush successfully named John G. Roberts Jr. to serve as Chief Justice, and Samuel Alito, Jr, to fill an associate justice post, the high court has been clearly split in 5-4 decisions that are clearly impacting the way the nation does its business. It already seems clear that Justice Gorsuch has been but a replacement for Scalia’s conservative position.
When Justice Scalia was still alive and involved in the court decision making, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in the Citizens United case that declared corporations “people” and opened the floodgates for heavy spending in U.S. political campaigns. The decision has had a profound impact on politics and helped put Trump and his minions in power.
Scalia also was involved in the majority opinion that struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Republican controlled states are actively utilizing their freedom to demand proof of residency and citizenship to control everyone that attempts to vote at the polls. Many critics believe the door has been opened now for massive election fraud.
While the media appears to be overlooking the Trump judicial appointments, Senator Chris Coons, (D-Delaware), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Business Insider that he believes they will become “the single most important legacy of the Trump Administration.” Because the newly appointed judges are established conservatives, Coons warns that they will “have a significant impact on the shape and trajectory of American law for decades.”
Thus many of Trump’s radical presidential orders, from restricting Mexican and Moslem people from entering the United States, the decision to decline participation on the international movements to destroy nuclear armaments, restrict carbon emissions and tear down the assistance programs for the poor and elderly, may eventually become law if carefully worded cases come before the federal courts. Trump also appears to be pouring more money into national defense with an eye on world domination.
If this happens, the Trump decisions cannot be easily reversed by a succeeding president.