Remember the judges, part II
We all know that Justice Stevens will be the next to retire, and there’s been a lot of speculation about when that might be, and whether President Bush will be able to name another Supreme Court Justice.
There’s new speculation afoot.
Speculation that a pro-abortion member of the Supreme Court may be planning to step down soon is providing a last-minute shake up in a hotly contested Congressional election that is expected to go down to the wire. The head of a judicial watchdog group says political observers believe Justice John Paul Stevens may retire.
Stevens, an 86 year-old judge appointed in 1975, has been battling health problems and several reports have appeared in recent days that his health has taken a turn for the worse.
Stevens is a member of the five justice bloc of judges on the high court who back legalized abortion and his retirement could potentially pave the way for the confirmation of a justice who could be the deciding vote in overturning Roe v. Wade.
However, should Democrats capture control of the Senate, President Bush would likely have a tough time securing the nomination of a justice would strictly interpret the Constitution and not read a so-called right to abortion into it.
That’s a critical factor in this election that I haven’t heard mentioned much. It is now, but how many voters today are making that connection?
Sean Rushton, the executive director of the Committee for Justice, writes about the Stevens retirement possibility in a national editorial yesterday…
“It would be a cruel twist indeed for conservatives to ‘teach Republicans a lesson’ Tuesday, only to be taught a lesson themselves within months when new Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) leads a Democratic majority against the most important Supreme Court nominee in
decades,” he said.
If that applies to you, take note. This is a vital point.
“President Bush was able to appoint two new constitutionalist Justices since 2004 because pro-lifers were the majority in Congress,” Susan B. Anthony List director Marjorie Dannenfelser wrote pro-life advocates Monday.
“Just as in 2004, the Supreme Court is at stake again. The control of the Senate up for grabs again,” she wrote.
And it will be determined today.
Whether Stevens is headed for a retirement soon or not, Rushton said pro-life voters should keep it in mind because it’s always a possibility and there are two years before voters can undo the losses that might occur Tuesday.
If you haven’t voted yet, do. And keep this in the front of your mind.
