(IntegrityMag.com) – Under the system of checks and balances the Founding Fathers used to build our nation, they designed the judiciary as the non-political government wing. But, the US Supreme Court, which is the top institution in the judicial branch, has recently come under intense criticism for the perception it’s breaching this principle. Republican presidents selected six of the nine Justices currently on the bench, and Liberals complain this dynamic pushes the Court’s judgments into Conservative territory.
The judges themselves, though, have been quick to push back against this criticism. Justice Samuel Alito has become the latest to make his voice heard on the issue.
Alito Criticizes The Atlantic
On Tuesday, September 28, The Atlantic published an article entitled “The Lie About the Supreme Court Everyone Pretends to Believe.” The supposed lie the post refers to is the idea the court is impartial.
Alito first took issue with the article’s claim the Supreme Court had moved to strike down Roe vs. Wade, the seminal case which guaranteed abortion rights for women across the country. The writer based the article on the recent ruling allowing a Texas law banning abortions after detecting a fetal heartbeat, a point at which many women are unaware of their pregnancy. Alito insisted the SCOTUS judgment on the matter did not overrule Roe v. Wade, and the author’s claim to the contrary was “false and inflammatory.”
The judge also slammed the piece for suggesting the Court should have heard oral arguments before coming to its decision. Because the Court had not judged the constitutionality of Texas’ new abortion law, Alito stated, the judges were under no obligation to hear oral arguments. The article’s criticism was, therefore, “ridiculous,” he contended.
Here is Justice Alito condemning @AdamSerwer’s Atlantic article about the Texas abortion order as “false,” “inflammatory,” and “ridiculous.” https://t.co/daAwrZwzmI pic.twitter.com/lK4OoxYbbT
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) September 30, 2021
Is Judicial Partisanship a Conservative Problem?
Critics of the Court’s alleged partiality have pointed to Conservatives rather than Liberals as being the problem. Liberals have waded into partisan territory of late as well, though. Recently Justice Stephen Breyer, age 83, was called on to resign so that President Joe Biden might replace him with a longer-lasting liberal Justice while the Senate still leans Democratic. Breyer has refused to entertain the idea, reaffirming his commitment to his job for the foreseeable future.
So, do we really have a problem with bias on the highest judicial bench in the land? The judges serving on it apparently think not.
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