What You Need To Know About Susan Collins Choosing a New Judge and the Future of Roe v. Wade
What You need to Know about Kennedy and his Retirement
News of Anthony Kennedy’s retirement on June 27th unleashed a firestorm questions about the future of the nation. Kennedy was first appointed by Reagan as the former president’s third choice. He was thought to have been a solidly conservative but came to disappoint some conservatives with his more liberal rulings over the years.
Kennedy often made up a decisive swing vote in the highest court throughout his tenure as Supreme Court Justice. He was an advocate for gay rights over the years, ruling in favor of gay rights multiple times over the course of twenty years and writing the majority opinion in the landmark June 2015 case which legalized Gay Marriage.
While Kennedy was often called a swing vote, he resented that term. He resisted the notion of having a judicial philosophy and deliberated each case as it was presented to him. As a senior and respected judge, his remarks and rulings were often deferred to in court. There is still speculation as to the cause of his retirement. He is currently 81 years old, only four years younger than Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the oldest current member of the Supreme Court as well as the most left leaning.
What You need to Know about Susan Collins
Susan Collins is the most moderate Republican senator in Congress, representing Maine. She is so moderate she has been considered independent, starkly contrasting the hard partisan politics we frequently see in Congress these days. She has been compared to Kennedy himself, because of their similar voting history and disinterest in partisan party ties. She has been one of the most closely tracked senators in throughout the Supreme Court Nominee process because of her outspoken and independent
tendencies.
She and Lisa Markowski, another moderate and woman senator from Alaska, both had a joint meeting with Trump to discuss who the next appointee will be. Because of the close majority republicans have in Congress, Trump will most likely need all of the Republicans on his side in order to get his nominee elected. The final decision will come down to about 6 senators, two Republican and two Democrat. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins are both such traditionally independent voters it’s widely expected that the final decision might hinge on their vote.
How a Justice is Confirmed and What’s at Stake
The President must elect a nominee whom the Senate must agree on with a simple majority. Since Justice Gorsuch’s nomination to the Court early last year, a Senator cannot filibuster the nomination of a Supreme Court Judge. The Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment and the next Supreme Court Justice can influence American life for the next 30 years or more. He or she will have the power to rollback or advance progressive laws in America for a very very long time.
Susan Collins has frequently stated on news-media platforms that she will not be taking a nominee’s personal opinions about abortion into account when considering her vote. She has said however that she will not rule in favor of a nominee who has been “hostile” towards Roe v. Wade in the past. Collins herself is pro-choice and does not hope or think that Supreme Court nominee will overturn Roe v. Wade out of respect for precedent. This is not enough for some abortion rights activists, who have been sending wire hangers to Collins’ office to remind her what’s at stake in her decision. Wire hangers are a stark reminder of the methods women used in the past when safe abortion was illegal.
Trump promised that Roe v. Wade will be overturned on the campaign trail two years ago, once he got to power and elected a few conservative justices.
Susan Collins, and her Republican colleague Lisa Murkowski have been under a microscope since the announcement of Kennedy’s retirement. The Senate currently has 51 Republicans, all it takes for Trump’s nominee to be elected.
