Category: Supreme Court

A Culmination of The Supreme Court in One Semester

I came into this semester wanting to study the U.S. Supreme Court for my public sphere for a plethora of reasons. Most pertinent was that I am a Public Policy and Law student with aspirations to attend law school.

Growing up, and up until this point, I had an idealized vision of the Supreme Court – the same one every student is taught. In immersing myself in current events and news about the Supreme Court, my view was altered throughout the course of the semester.

This was the first time I remained up to date about the happenings of the Supreme Court. It seemed to reveal more turmoil than I imagined. Of course I knew there were controversial opinions and beliefs, but the sheer amount of scandals and distress shocked me.

No wonder the American public is so critical of the judicial body that is the final arbiter of legal issues. Such a little portion of the public that watches the same news I do and sees the same controversies has any faith remaining in the court.

Choosing this as my public sphere acted as a revelation and only bolstered what I want to do in the future. It made me want to be the change in the legal system that people so desperately plead for. I know I can be that change, and I am excited for what is to come and remaining immersed and apprised of my public sphere.

Supreme Court Ethics in the Spotlight

Of course by now, we have all seen the headlines of Clarence Thomas’s gifts. More ‘scandals’ coming to light in the Supreme Court is causing a steady decline in the American people’s trust of the court and justices.

Only 25% of Americans currently have faith in the Supreme Court, according to this NY Times article. That is unsettlingly low for the highest court in the land that is supposed to be an unbiased final judge.

There is a lot of controversy over Justice Thomas’s acceptance of gifts from a wealthy Republican donor and failure to disclose them.

It will be fascinating to see if the Supreme Court can improve the public’s opinion of them, though they have no political or employment repercussions for acting in controversial manners.

Supreme Court Hears Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College & UNC

One of the most important cases presented before the Supreme Court in the 2022-2023 session was the Oct. 31st hearing in which the non-profit organization are accusing both prestigious Colleges benefit black applicants at the expense of Asian-American students in their race-conscious admissions programs. This has been an issue being flagged in colleges and universities across the country in the last few years. I believe catering to a specific race versus evaluating students on their own intellectual merits hinders the college application process and many students. It is a violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin by any educational program that receives money from the federal government. Decisions made concerning admissions should be unbiased and return to the caliber of student let in. Due to quotas that many colleges have now, Asian-American students who deserve to get into certain colleges and universities are being unjustly rejected. It is an affront to the college application system, which at one point, used to be fair and unbiased.