When Justice O'Connor Thought a Bush Was "Vital for the Court"
An old letter suggests she too once saw the Supreme Court as a political body
Thirteen years, two wars, and an economic disaster later, retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor told the Chicago Tribune editorial board this week that maybe the Supreme Court had made a mistake in its Bush v. Gore decision, which effectively gave George W. Bush the White House in 2000. O’Connor was, of course, one of the majority votes in that 5-4 decision. READ MORE >>
A Delay on Gay Marriage Isn't a Defeat
Equality activists shouldn't worry if the Supreme Court punts the issue
So Gay, Inc. wins again. The establishment institutions of the gay legal movement, like Mary Bonauto’s Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and Evan Wolfson’s Freedom to Marry, long ago decided that the first gay marriage case to go to the Supreme Court should be a narrow challenge. They chose to attack the worst provisions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which strip same sex couples like the plaintiff Edie Windsor legally married in their states, of all federal benefits. READ MORE >>
Roe v. Wade Is More Popular Than Ever—A Fact the Supreme Court Is Unlikely to Ignore
On this fortieth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in the abortion case, Roe v. Wade, a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found 70 percent of U.S. adults support the decision, compared to 58 percent in 1989. That marks an all-time high. 2012 saw a huge number of abortion restrictions passed through state legislatures (though significantly less than 2011). But the feminist movement’s main victories last year came on the national stage: not just the defeats of Senate wannabes Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, but also the election of President Obama himself. Fifty-five percent of women voted for Obama, making him the first president in history unambiguously elected by women when men wanted the other guy. (Bill Clinton won women in 1996, but his loss among men was within the margin of error of exit polls.)The surge of support for Roe in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll reveals that the core groups in the liberal coalition that elected Obama have a surplus to offer others. The pollsters found the new support for abortion rights, long seen as the effete preoccupation of middle class white women, was concentrated among African Americans, Latinos and women without college degrees. These highly religious groups tasted political power as the Obama campaign scrambled for re-election. Now the polls show them supporting a new cause: women’s right to abortion. And so a virtuous cycle begins. READ MORE >>
Gay Rights Gets a Brown v. Board—If It Doesn't Backfire
The Supreme Court has announced it will look at two gay marriage cases. Chris Matthews feels a thrill running up his leg. READ MORE >>
