The religious right has made “judicial activism” (code word for the proper interpretation of the law that happens to be anti-theocratic) a centerpiece of its movement’s motivation to get out and vote. Its high time liberals begin understanding the importance of the court to our core beliefs about the country. For instance, the 86 year old John Paul Stevens is the only thing on Thursday that stood between an imperial George Bush and the presidency.
As the right is fond of repeating: elections matter.
Its already precarious enough that we must all pray for Justice Stevens to hold on and not pass on or retire in the next two years, for he is the only one really left before the court becomes the playpen of people like Scalia and Alito. For all the other important issues that surround a presidential election, it is vital that a Democratic president appoints sound members to the highest court. It already has a rightward tilt, any further and it will be past oblivion.
In the calculus of 2008, we must remember that vacancies on the court can’t be laughed off like they were in 2000. There is a movement that thinks that the likes of Harriet Miers was qualified to sit on the bench, and they’ll be highly motivated to continue to pack the court.
“There is a movement that thinks that the likes of Harriet Miers was qualified to sit on the bench, and they ll be highly motivated to continue to pack the court. ”
Yeah- Harry Reid and Chuck Shumer. I think that’s one of many reasons why conservatives balked on her.
Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer nominated her? Did someone rewrite the constitution?
Yes, Oliver, the left has to learn how to use the courts…
Riiiight