The Voice
A few weeks ago, we decided that The Beat question of the week should revolve around then Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee John Roberts. When we assigned this task to our photographer, we thought we would get some informed, thought-provoking answers from our very knowledgeable student body. Instead, our photographer came back to us empty-handed. Not one student knew who John Roberts was, much less had an informed opinion.
The more we thought about this, the more it disturbed us. When Roberts was confirmed this past week, it marked what could possibly be the most important political appointment of our generation. Yet, perhaps students do not seem to care, thinking that what happens in politics will not affect them.
Those who think this are wrong.
When a judge is appointed to the Supreme Court, the appointment is for life. At age 50, Roberts stands to influence the way our laws and constitution are interpreted for years to come. His predecessor, William Rehnquist, was appointed to the Supreme Court as an associate justice in 1972. He did not relinquish his seat until his death in 2005. For 33 years, Rehnquist helped to shape this country.
To provide a better perspective, in those 33 years, seven presidents held the land’s highest office. During those years, abortion was legalized and affirmative action was upheld. Under Rehnquist, a president was almost impeached and years later, the court finalized another.
As important and influential as Rehnquist was, Roberts has the potential to be even more so. Of the 33 years Rehnquist served on the court, only 19 years saw him as the Chief Justice. Roberts holds this position from day one.
Over the next 30 years, Roberts will face decisions that will affect every single citizen of our great country. Just over the next year, the Supreme Court is expected to hear cases concerning assisted suicide, military recruiting on college campuses and the pledge of allegiance in public schools. Commentators are already beginning to speculate that the legality of abortion will again be brought before the court in the coming years. All of these issues will have an impact on the lives of students and their families. Over the next three decades, many more unexpected issues will be raised.
By writing this, we are not advocating any political agenda or opinion. We are simply advocating that students should have an informed opinion. Whither students agree with Roberts’ political views or not, decisions that he makes will affect all of our lives at some point. It is our job as Americans to realize this.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Oct 7 2005. Filed under Our Voice.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
