Supreme Court 2020s: on Principles & Values
Ketanji Brown Jackson:
OpEd: does affirmative action apply to qualified nominees?
Because Biden specified the race and gender of the person he would nominate as a Justice, Republicans have been up in arms about an age-old question of Affirmative Action. Some argued that the president is only trying to superficially diversify the
courtroom by intentionally seeking out an underrepresented member of a marginalized group.Conservative news pundit Tucker Carlson has recently been criticized for his racist remarks about the legitimacy of Jackson's experience and expertise.
Carlson demanded to see Jackson's LSAT scores, attempting to build an aura of mystery around the affair as if Biden was scrambling to hide Jackson's law school application.
There have been many unsubstantiated rumors about how
Jackson got into Harvard or about how much knowledge she really possesses about the legal system. These events commonly play out when minorities enter positions of power.
Source: The Signal of TCNJ on 2022 SCOTUS Confirmation Hearings
Mar 1, 2022
Ketanji Brown Jackson:
I do not have a judicial philosophy per se
When answering a question during her last confirmation hearing about her judicial philosophy, Jackson said: "I do not have a judicial philosophy per se, other than to apply the same method of thorough analysis to every case, regardless of the parties."
She added, "Given the very different functions of a trial court judge and a Supreme Court justice, I am not able to draw an analogy between any particular justice's judicial philosophy and the approach that I have employed."
Source: The 19th e-zine on 2022 SCOTUS Confirmation Hearings
Feb 25, 2022
Amy Coney Barrett:
Neutral laws may impact religious groups
Barrett's opinion, which Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined, is slightly to the left of Gorsuch's view. Though Barrett agrees with Gorsuch that "if a chorister can sing in a Hollywood studio but not in her church, California's regulations cannot be viewed
as neutral," she concedes that the "record is uncertain" regarding what rules apply to film studios. Significantly, Barrett's opinion also suggests that she does not want to tear down completely the
distinction between cases involving religious discrimination and cases involving universally applicable laws. "It remains unclear whether the singing ban applies across the board
(and thus constitutes a neutral and generally applicable law) or else favors certain sectors (and thus triggers more searching review)," Barrett writes.
Source: Vox.com on 2021 SCOTUS "First opinion"
Feb 6, 2021
Brett Kavanaugh:
Neutral laws may impact religious groups
Barrett's opinion, which Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined, is slightly to the left of Gorsuch's view. Though Barrett agrees with Gorsuch that "if a chorister can sing in a Hollywood studio but not in her church, California's regulations cannot be viewed
as neutral," she concedes that the "record is uncertain" regarding what rules apply to film studios. Significantly, Barrett's opinion also suggests that she does not want to tear down completely the
distinction between cases involving religious discrimination and cases involving universally applicable laws. "It remains unclear whether the singing ban applies across the board
(and thus constitutes a neutral and generally applicable law) or else favors certain sectors (and thus triggers more searching review)," Barrett writes.
Source: Vox.com on 2021 SCOTUS "First opinion"
Feb 6, 2021
Amy Coney Barrett:
Member of the conservative People of Praise faith community
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's affiliation with the Christian community People of Praise is drawing scrutiny because of what former members and observers describe as its ultraconservative views on women.
The AP has documented extensive ties Barrett and her family have to the community,
including that an old directory listed her as being one of the organization's "handmaids," now called a "woman leader." She was a trustee of the group's
Trinity Schools, and as a young law student, lived in a house owned by one of its co-founders.
Source: Associated Press on 2022 SCOTUS Confirmation Hearing
Oct 11, 2020
Page last updated: Mar 21, 2022