I've always found the Supreme Court the paramount of fascination in American politics. They are without a doubt the most important body in our country and looking at their history and their decisions is like watching a sociology experiment. It's all steeped in so much social nuance; every choice they make it based on the culture of the country at the time, the political atmosphere, what's considered moral at the time, what they project the future will be like, et cetera, et cetera. If you want to really learn about American culture, it's the best place to look. It also says a great deal about us as a country from the point of how often they were so very, very wrong. They try their best to apply or not apply morality as they see appropriate per the situation, but they're absolutely incorrect so often, and they absolutely have to make decisions that occasionally conflict with their own beliefs, trying to achieve something better for the country, only to see it absolutely backfire. It must be incredibly painful to have that happen. I can't help but think of Doubt, where Father Flynn and Sister Beauvier are speaking early on of her accusations, he says, "you haven't the slightest proof of anything!" to which she retorts, "But I have my certainty! And armed with that, I will go to your last parish, and the one before that if necessary. I'll find a parent.", and this of course is the complement to the penultimate scene at the end of, between her and Sister James, where she cries out, "I have doubts! I have such doubts!" It's never clarified, intentionally, where her doubts are. In herself? In the system? In Father Flynn? In God? Where are the justices doubts lie? Their country, their choices, their morals?
Completely true, great point (and entertainingly well-expressed). For instance, here:I've always found the Supreme Court the paramount of fascination in American politics. They are without a doubt the most important body in our country and looking at their history and their decisions is like watching a sociology experiment. It's all steeped in so much social nuance; every choice they make it based on the culture of the country at the time, the political atmosphere, what's considered moral at the time, what they project the future will be like, et cetera, et cetera. If you want to really learn about American culture, it's the best place to look.
It’s possible to see her as a kind of Everywoman, whose fitful ideological journey during more than three decades in the national spotlight mirrors the country’s journey during that period as well — at least the journey of those once-comfortably centrist Republicans who have watched with dismay as their party abandoned them (Justice David H. Souter was another one), or those personally sheltered from having to give much thought to sexual identity, or crisis pregnancy, or race, but who after grappling with those issues have found themselves arriving at unexpected destinations.
The reaction by a country caught up in wartime patriotic fervor appalled the justices. Taking the Supreme Court’s decision as proof that Jehovah’s Witnesses were not good citizens, mobs attacked and burned the Witnesses’ places of worship. Members of the faith were fired from their jobs and some 2,000 Jehovah’s Witness children were expelled from school. Reprehensible as this is, I can't help but yearn for a time when the public at least reacted to Supreme Court decisions and showed basic political awareness. The Supreme Court is largely bypassed during high school (as are the other branches, to be fair), though it's extraordinarily vital.In 1940, the court ruled in Minersville School District v. Gobitis that the First Amendment did not prevent public school districts from expelling the Jehovah’s Witness children. The vote was 8 to 1, with only Chief Justice Harlan F. Stone dissenting.
"Back when Sandra Day O’Connor was still on the Supreme Court, busy saving affirmative action and the right to abortion, liberals who wanted a reason to forgive her vote in Bush v. Gore often asked me — begged me — to assure them that Justice O’Connor was sorry." I had to stop reading - that made me throw up in my mouth a little. Was there any non-doctrinaire completely predictable NYT east-side liberal "nobody I know voted for him" stuff in that article? Bleh, I am gonna go eat a bite to eastern NC que to get this taste out of my mouth. Hey, it's pig, and it's for breakfast.... _XC