RBG & Implications of a Conservative Court
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made the headlines when she was hospitalized after falling and fracturing three ribs on November 8. Nearly a month later, she was in the hospital again, undergoing surgery for cancerous cells in her left lung. She missed oral arguments for the first time in over two decades this week. At 85 years old, Ginsburg is now the longest serving Supreme Court Justice, having been appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993 to fill former Justice Byron White’s seat. As the second female justice in American history, Ginsburg has long since been a champion of women’s rights. However, the protection of these rights could now be attacked by the Trump administration.
The news of Justice Ginsburg's hospitalization has spread worry about her health and ability to continue her position. Ginsburg is one of four liberal justices in a now majority conservative Supreme Court. If Justice Ginsburg were to pass away or step down during Trump’s presidential term, it would give Trump the ability to make a third appointment, after already appointing Judge Neil Gorsuch and Judge Brett Kavanaugh, thereby causing the court to become even more conservative.
A conservative Supreme Court threaten women’s rights, voting rights, and increases the potential for gerrymandering. The court could overturn Roe v. Wade, a court case from the 70s supporting women’s reproductive health by making the argument that abortion should be a guaranteed right under the constitution. In 2016, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks, directly threatening the case by attempting to ban abortions before fetal viability, which the Roe v. Wade had established as 28 weeks.
The Court could also overturn Griswold v. Connecticut, a court case decided in the 60s that legalized contraceptives. Both were landmark cases, which, if overturned, would put women’s rights to reproductive health at risk. Many of the conservative judges believe that gerrymandering is not illegal, because the Constitution does not explicitly “prohibit” it, meaning its legality is up to the states. Gerrymandering is manipulation of boundaries to benefit or favor a certain political party. It’s critical determinant in politics, as it has been abused in order to skew the impact of votes in favor of a particular political party. In the midterms, although Democrats earned nearly half the vote in North Carolina, they only carried three out of the thirteen seats in the House. A more conservative court means voting rights could be jeopardized, as the Civil Rights Voting Act is already being repressed by certain Supreme Court Justices, who claim that racism is no longer “an issue” in the South. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is essential to maintaining women and civil rights.
by CAROLINE BARRY