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| 2019 Supreme Court Justices |
Monday October 7th is the start date for the Supreme Court's new term. The Supreme Court is made up of 9 individuals with Trump's pick, Brett M. Kavanaugh, as the newest member. Ruth Bader Ginsburg starts her 13th year as a justice after announcing that she is being treated for cancer.
The court will take on many major cases with ruling that may divide the nation. Some things they will be discussing include: discrimination based on sexual orientation, immigration, abortion, religion, gun control, and "Dreamers." Things like, Roe v. Wade, the Second Amendment, DACA, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are just some of the few topics that are going to be reviewed and possibly revised. Many of these topics are partisan issues, and if rulings change, they will change the way individuals are treated in this country.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think that the supreme court discussing these major issues will cause for more public engagement in politics?
2. Which issue do you think will cause the most discussion amongst the public?
3. Do you think that it is important to review old cases and revise them?
In response to your third question, I do believe that it is important to review old cases and revise them. Just because something is legal doesn't mean it is right, which is why I think the Supreme Court is necessary in order to determine what is legal is also morally right. I don't think there is one issue that will cause the most discussion amongst the public. Instead, I believe that all these issues will cause a lot of discussion amongst the public being that these issues have caused controversy in the past.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe that the issue that will garner the most national attention will be about abortion as it is a topic that the public has expressed extreme opinions about and will affect millions of women nationwide. Since the Supreme court is now more right-leaning, it will attract even more attention. Naturally, whatever ruling that the Supreme court passes, there will be opposition, which will stir up more political actions such as protests as well as more legislation and political participation on the state level. In response to the third question, I do think it is important to reevaluate old cases and revise them because many of the previous rulings were influenced by the opinions of the public at that time which would have changed in modern-day.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the Supreme Court revisiting these important cases will necessarily increase public engagement in politics. Many of these issues have been hot topics for years, so I wouldn't expect a Supreme Court decision to change much. Even if it delivers a truly shocking opinion, any increase in interest would likely only be temporary. As for your second question, I predict that the most contentious topics are going to be abortion and gun control because they are the most partisan issues today and many people have strong opinions about both of them. Even if the Supreme Court tried to minimize the negative reactions to their decision, either way people are going to angry.
ReplyDeleteI believe that bringing these controversial issues to the Supreme Court will cause more people to pay attention to politics. These hot topics are what interests people because they have their own personal opinions on the matter, while many remain neutral in other politic issues. Public engagement in politics is likely to increase as the media follows the Supreme Court and the rulings. I believe cases about discrimination based on sexual orientation will cause the most discussion among the public because I believe that this is a relatively new concept being introduced into our society, and many people dislike change, especially if it is recent. I do believe it is important to revisit old cases because society is changing and we may realize that old standards are not politically correct.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if it will have a tremendous effect on the voter situation but I do think some of the ruling need to be looked at again. Roe V Wade passed in 1973 needs to be flat out reveresed. The law prohibits states from practicing what they believe in and being forced into laws by the federal government. The founders intended for the federal government to be as small as possible and them being involved in these minor issues is very anti-America.
ReplyDelete1. I don't think this will have a significant effect on public engagement. The topics listed are all ones that already attract popular interest, and while there are bound to be protesters on both sides, this probably won't change much.
ReplyDelete2. If I had to guess, general civil rights issues (LGBT, religious, racial) will have the most public discussion simply because of historical trends. Especially if these decisions will go against general public sentiment, there will be some outcry. Additionally, anything targeting Roe v. Wade will surely be talked about in public.
3. I think when there is exigence, for instance something like police brutality leading to more discussion about racial biases, and when people actively demand changes, yes; otherwise, unless there is clearly something wrong/outdated/irrelevant with an old ruling, waiting until it is necessary to pass something on the national level that must go through the Supreme Court there is no reason. Change can happen without long cases like this.
I don't think that the major issues that the Supreme Court rules will cause for more public engagement. However, I do believe that if the Supreme Court rules a case that is controversial, then I think that there will be more public engagement in politics. It really just depends on the topic and ruling of each case. I do think that civil rights for all people including the LGBTQ community, and even abortion will be issues that will commonly be discussed amongst the public, especially if they come up in a Supreme Court Case. I do think that it is important to review old cases and revise them because like cases previously overturned in the past. For example, Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 ruled that it was legal for segregation. Later it was overturned when the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was not allowed in schools from the Brown v. Board of Education Topeka Kansas court case. As previously seen throughout history, it is important that Supreme Court cases are looked at and revised if necessary due to the occurring changes in America.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Supreme Court discussing these controversial topics will garner more attention. Issues like abortion and gun control are heavily debated, so the possibility of changing laws on these topics will spark public interest. In regards to the second question, I think that abortion and gun control will be discussed a lot as they seem to be some of the more controversial issues. Mass shootings have garnered more protests for gun control, and abortion is always debated as it has to do with human life. Reviewing old cases is important as it allows for laws to change with the changing mindsets of the people.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the nation is already divided over issues involving immigration, abortion, gun control, and so much more. I think that the more conservative Supreme Court discussing these controversial topics will cause more public engagement especially to the liberal people who have polar opposite opinions; however, I don’t think there would be a drastic effect because many controversial topics are already discussed popularly. I do think that gun control and abortion would be discussed heavily since it is extremely relevant and controversial for our society currently, as well as achieving equality for everyone. I definitely think it is important to review old cases and revise them if necessary since people’s mindsets and beliefs evolve through generations.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the topic that will cause the most discussion amongst the public is sexual orientation because it's already a topic that Americans discuss normally in politics and because the Supreme Court Justice lineup this year is more conservative than the last one, so it makes sense for the public to be somehow uncertain about the future of equality/rights of the LGBTQ+. These types of cases I don't think should be revised, but others definitely should, a Second Amendment case would be an example of this. It is pretty clear that the Second Amendment doesn't work in today's society, so, some sort of change would be beneficial to the nation when it comes to the Amendment.
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ReplyDeleteI think these five major issues are all something that will engage the public, especially based on the direction our societal views have been changing, I think it is necessary to revisit them. Topics like discrimination notably affect american citizens, which is why some legislations may need to be strengthened or reinforced like the civil rights act of 1964 and DACA. Situations are extremely different from when the second amendment was created and guns are now possessing a completely different issue with rising mental illness. Based on different groups of people these topics may all hold a deep value.
I believe that the supreme court discussing these major issues will cause more public engagement in the form of protests. I partially agree with what other people have said about these already being hot topics so there won't be a significant increase in public engagement. However, I feel like since its the supreme court discussing it, it will have to get more attention especially in the media and ultimately there will be an increase in public engagement, at least for a short amount of time. I definitely think that it is important to review old cases and revise them. If we were restricted by the same laws, the country would never change to fit our new beliefs and understandings.
ReplyDeleteIf the Supreme Court justices, as a collective, engage in major altering of current legislation, I would imagine that this would gain quite a bit of traction in the media thus stirring controversy within the public. Likewise, this would most certainly bring up more debate amongst the people, if major alterations were to arise. In terms of which political issue being the most hotly debated amongst the public, it would most likely boil down to which issue the justices approach and whether or not the decision is narrowly close. In terms of your final inquiry, I believe that it is quite fundamental to a functioning society that legislation should be monitored over time. If there is a significant enough concern that a piece of legislation needs to be altered, then it should be due to the changes that modern society brings.
ReplyDeleteIt seems likely that Roe v. Wade will be overturned if this case is brought to court with our current justices, so the main goal for liberals now is to prevent it from ever reaching the supreme court. This could increase political participation-- Liberals need to get involved to stop abortion from reaching the supreme court. As probably one of the largest debates in the US today, the pro-Choice v. pro-Life debate will generate a large amount of public discourse. It could bring liberals and conservatives alike to life in politics.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that these major issues will cause for more public engagement since all of these topics have been and stayed relevant for a long time. Although, I think maybe one of the more controversial topics that apply to most people may cause a slight increase in public engagement. Issues like gun control and abortion will probably cause the most division possibly due to the polar opinions on each of those topics. It is important to review old cases because it allows for laws to change as the mindsets of the people change overtime.
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