Topics on The Table Issue 1

It's been one full court session since the confirmation of the new Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito.  In your opinion, what has been the impact of their ascension to the high Court?

Questions to Consider:
What impact do you think these Justices will have on the future evolution of the Court?

Have Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito remained consistent with the images that they presented during their confirmations?

What Do You Think? >>

Responses:

Student: Rachel, Sophomore
Campus: Georgetown University

Since the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito, the Supreme Court has been descending into an invasive pit of conservatism, one I fear will only get worse.  There have been many troubling views expressed by the two casually after their confirmation.  For example, Chief Justice Roberts' complete disregard for any notion of right to privacy.  Or possibly more worrisome is Associate Justice Alito's attempt to support and defend the Bush Administration's offensive treatment of detainees.  As a woman, I find most threatening the fact that both judges have recently made it quite clear that they have no intention of defending a woman's right to choose, even when one of the choices involves her own life.  With these two at the healm, and especially with Roberts' in recent interviews expressing a desire for a stronger influence for the Chief Justice coupled with a high emphasis on unanimity, I fear all liberal or open-minded debate or opinions may be lost with this court. 

Student: Erin-Kate, Junior
Campus: University San Francisco

Wow, I can not believe it has only been one court session! With the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices Roberts and Alito there seems like so little hope for a progressive court system.  These judges have not kept the same rhetoric which they used to be appointed to their seats.   There was kicking and screaming among the liberals to do all that we could to make sure that these two men were not appointed but it seemed like a process that could not be skewed.  I am no expert on the court system but from what I do know, there is no question that this Supreme Court will continue on that ultra conservative path with out much opposition.  I know that many of the rights I may take for granted now, may not stick around for generations to come and that is not something I want to just sit around to see happen.  I know that the law reciprocates what the people think almost as much as how people reciprocate what laws set into motion.  It is hard for me to view this court in that way because I do not think that a the people of the United States do stand for the loss of freedom, civil liberties, speech, and choice.  Even if these Judges claim to not be activist judges, they are not sticking to the original intent of fore-fathers of this country either.  The future of this court is frightening and I think one of the most important forms of activism that can be taken to show ones opposition, is education.  Not enough people know or understand this part of the U.S. system of government. If people understood that there would be more concern for the future of this country and ones inalienable rights.

Student: Jonathon, Junior
Campus: Hamilton College

In all honesty, my knowledge of Justices Roberts and Alito is rather limited. Nevertheless, I have learned enough about their pasts to formulate a rough opinion regarding the impact they have made through their ascension to the high court. The Quiet Revolution DVD provided a good look into the voting records of the two Justices during their time in the lower courts. It appears that both have brought a fairly consistent and predictable voting record to the Supreme Court, as evidenced by the positions they have taken in recent cases involving the environment, civil liberties for detainees, and reproductive rights. To echo the argument from Quiet Revolution, I am convinced that, much like Justices Scalia and Thomas, Justices Roberts and Alito have a narrow view of individual freedoms and will routinely interpret the Constitution in a way that restricts these freedoms. In this sense, by seeking to limit the breadth of certain liberties, they are very much activist. I feel their votes and the future decisions of the Supreme Court could set a dangerous precedent for many of the important rights the Constitution establishes and protects.

Student: Eugene, Sophomore
Campus:Universtiy of Virginia

The ascension of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito has had a profound impact on the ideological direction of the court in the past year. With the court having 4 solidly conservative Justices as opposed to 3 during the years of the O'Connor Court, the decisions that the current court has made especially on keeping in place the Partial Birth Abortion Ban of 2005 indicate the Court has turned solidly to the right. This can be seen as one of the few victories for the Bush Administration in their quest for packing the federal courts with those who fit their conservative political agenda. The long-term impact remains to be seen as Justice Kennedy is the new swing vote replacing the moderate Sandra Day O'Connor as the pivotal member on the court that could swing decisions either way. This revelation has already been seen with many of the court's decisions in the past year being 5-4 decisions with Kennedy casting the majority vote. The decision on Partial Birth Abortion, in my opinion, indicates a dangerous direction for the court. Many conservative pundits have agreed that the next goal of the conservative movement is to replace an aging Stevens with another conservative justice bringing the conservatives to a solid 5 majority on the court which prospectively could lead to overturning of Roe v. Wade. Therefore the impact of Roberts and Alito as new members of the Court remains to be seen though the short term indicates that this is far from a progressive court. Although I am inclined to believe Roberts when he stated during his nomination process that he would not overturn any pre-existing legal precedent, the threat of years of social and economic progress being rolled back remains as a very possible consequence of the ascension of Roberts and Alito onto the Supreme Court.

Student: Sarah, Junior
Campus: Georgetown University

With conservative Bush appointed Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts behind the bench, the Supreme Court looks to be leaning more and more to the right. I, along with many other Americans, are concerned about the effects on the Roe v. Wade decision, particularly following the recent Court opinion to allow for partial birth abortion bans despite the lack of a "health of the mother" exception. Furthermore, Justice Roberts has said he prefers to limit the number of concurring opinions for any single case. I find this slightly troubling as often it is the concurrences that give future justices additional guidance and direction on a particular issue. With their first Supreme Court session under their belts, Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts both have certainly helped in taking the Court further down a more narrow conservative road.