SCOTUS Isn’t The Only Court We Should Be Worried About In Trump’s America
Trump-Pence will be appointing federal justices who shape the course of our future.
Well, here we are: facing down the inauguration of hate incarnate. And while it’s hard to pick one single, overriding fear when an incoming administration has explicitly expressed a desire to reduce the rights and safety of all marginalized people living in this country, I find myself thinking most often about the judiciary. Our court system, after all, sets laws that shape the lives of millions.
When it comes to the judiciary and the power it wields, America tends to focus its attention on the Supreme Court — and understandably so. SCOTUS justices have been the backstop, the last resort for litigation, since Marbury v. Madison in 1803, when the justices granted themselves the right to strike down laws. So, for 200 years, we have relied on them to protect us and enforce the rights ensconced in the Constitution.
If it falls under a social justice heading, federal judiciary folks can rule on it.
But those nine men and women are not the only ones in robes ruling on our rights. Excluding SCOTUS, there are a total of 1,760 federal justices who hear cases…
