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SanAndreasX on 01 November 2016
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vivster said:
SanAndreasX said:
Things to consider:

The next President is likely to have the first opportunity for a single President to shape the Supreme Court since Nixon transformed the liberal Warren Court into the conservative Burger Court by appointing four justices. Scalia's seat remains unfilled, and several other justices are in their 80s and could die or retire at any time. Most estimates say at least 3 seats (including Scalia's) will be up for grabs in the next Presidential term.

In my eyes right now, Congress is the enemy, especially the House. Personally, I want a President and a Supreme Court that will work together to contain Congress until they get their shit together and get all the idiots and religious ideologues out of both the Senate and the House, and until they can get some Congressional reform together that eliminates gerrymandering. The President's role in this is to veto bad laws sent to his or her desk by Congress and to appoint Supreme Court Justices that will overturn unconstitutional legislation.

I think if it is so easily possible to split the supreme court by party lines something is very wrong with the justice system.

Gerrymandering and filibustering are just more inherently undemocratic atrocities that need to be abolished.

I'm not going to argue that point, but I believe in voting within the limits of the political system I have, not the politic system I wish I had. :)

Our judicial system is supposed to be above politics as practiced in the executive and legislative branches. That's why the lifetime appointments (justices don't have to worry about appeasing voters at reelection time, and it's unheard of to impeach them though Congress may do so). Justices are also supposed to vote impartially based on their interpretation of the Constitution. However, justices are appointed by presidents who have their political beliefs and confirmed or denied by senators who likewise have their own beliefs. A justice who is pro choice is going to be anathema to a pro life president or a majority pro life senate. Unless you want all cases decided by a computer it's going to be impossible to keep bias out of the system. 

I would like to see both gerrymandering and filibusters die. In the case of filibusters, the speech should be limited to the issue being debated at the moment, with no ten hour readings of Green Eggs and Ham or other such nonsense. Gerrymandering is a political tactic with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I would like to see it abolished by Constitutional amendment.