Peter Irons’ Brennan vs. Rehnquist discusses the philosophical differences between Supreme Court Justices William Brennan and William Rehnquist, but on a deeper level, the importance of having a balance of ideas within the Judiciary Branch. Brennan’s ideology, as a lawyer and judge, tended to be more progressive by focusing on the dignity of all people. However, Rehnquist had conservative proclivity and believed that whoever held the majority should subject their own morals upon those in the minority, which is directly at odds with the beliefs of his more liberal counterpart. The author also states that the members of the Supreme Court are selected by publicly elected officials, meaning that the general population of voters hold an important
Assignment 5: Anita Hill VS Clarence Thomas Introduction In 1991, Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the nation’s highest court retired. However, before Thurgood Marshall could retire, someone would have to take his place. In 1991, President George H. W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court where he would eventually be sworn in on October 23, 1991 (EEOC); But before Clarence Thomas was sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court, a scandal involving a college law professor arose.
Oliphant analyzes the delicate balance of choosing political sides as compared to strictly upholding the law. Moreover, intertwined throughout the article, Oliphant records predications for the future of the court. For example, he outlines the potential implications if Romney were to have been elected in the 2012 November presidential race. Oliphant appeals to the reputation of Chief Justice Roberts ' historical appointment, voting history, forecasted impact on the bench, and implied influences by political parties and media, in order to establish Roberts ' credibility, despite a reputation inconsistent with his judiciary colleagues. Oliphants sinuous article, "Tipping the Scales" institutes that readers will arrive at one of two conclusions: Chief Justice Roberts 's decisions are unreliable or his actions are justified based on his
Justice Stephens wrote the majority opinion stating that the power to vote for legislative members should be directly chosen by the people, not by the States. Powell v. McCormack established that the Qualification Clause for Congress listed in the Constitution are exclusive and the “fundamental principle of our representative democracy.” Adding such limitations to candidates takes away the direct vote from the people and destroys the “uniform national system” that the Constitution wanted for Congress. The Framers recognized that electing the legislature was a new idea that stemming from the Constitution, thus, not a right of the “original powers” of the states. The court also concluded that Framers divested the states of any power to add qualifications, because there was no right before the ratification of the Constitution.
Edwin Meese III held quite a different view as compared to that of William Brennan. Meese held the opinion of strictly following exactly what is stated in the Constitution of the United States, otherwise known as fidelity. In his essay he focuses on fidelity often. Edwin Meese portrays his belief in his essay as he quoted Justice Joseph Story, “The First and fundamental rule in the interpretation of all instruments is, to construe them according to the sense of the terms, and the intention of the parties.” (Meese).
In William Brennan’s view on the American Constitution he focused on human dignity to determine his interpretation. As he states in his essay, “But we are an aspiring people, a people with faith in progress. Our amended Constitution is the lodestar for our aspirations. Like every text worth reading, it is not crystalline.” (Brennan).
As the United States of America takes shape through the molding of our nations leaders such as George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, many controversies arise and these men are the first to set precedent for the nation. Many of these controversies occur during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, although these men were both of the same political party, the way they responded to the call of presidency happened to be very different. As Jefferson and Madison lead the people of the American nation, both held power for the party of Jeffersonian Democrats, yet Madison’s strict interpretation of the constitution tended to contradict the loosely interpreted decisions of his predecessor Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson can be called many things but during his presidency Jefferson can most accurately be described as a
The Brennans were a fairly well like family in Mumbilli. That was up until Daniel, the eldest son, crashed his car under the influence of alcohol that killed two of his friends and rendered his cousin Fin a quadriplegic. The Story of Tom Brennan follows the lives of Daniel’s family after the incident and the amount of pain and suffering they went through. The story has a heavy focus on Daniel’s younger brother and year eleven student Tom and his life with all of the torment and pain. “Everything we do in life affects others.”
The United States Supreme Court was created by our Founders without many enumerated powers. Through legislation and precedent, the Supreme Court’s duties became apparent to the people and the other governing bodies. From judicial review to understanding unstated fundamental rights, the Supreme Court has furthered the American people’s understanding of our founding document, the Constitution. However, when it comes to the social climate of the United States can the Court dramatically change the people’s social views? There are two ways that the courts have been seen in allowing or impeding social change to be decided by the Courts.
As far as the Supreme Court goes, Article III of the U.S. Constitution never spoke of the definite roles or powers that the Court has the right to obtain, saying, “the Congress should from time to time establish” (Document A). The government was calling for a loose construction, which John Marshall, being a federalist, agreed with. This relaxed form of government gives the judicial branch more power, increasing its privilege. Next, during John Adams presidency, John Adams had proposed that John Jay, an ex-Chief Justice, be given a place on the Supreme Court. Jay rejected the offer, stating how the Court did not possess, “energy, weight, and dignity” (1801)
Madison wrote in Federalist No. 10 that democracies “have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.” This belief led the Constitutional Convention to drastically limit popular participation in government action. Even the president is not voted in by popular vote, and is rather selected by electorates, who were themselves originally selected by state legislatures. So essentially, the public would vote for the legislator, who would vote for the electorate, who would finally vote for the president. The justices of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, are selected by the president and confirmed by congress rather than voted on.
Justice William Brennan and Attorney General Edwin Meese held different views on the interpretation of the Constitution when it came to ruling in a case. Brennan held the view that judicial review should be done constitutionally, but to keep human dignity in mind when ruling in a case. Brennan makes his opinion on the matter known saying, “The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights solemnly committed the United States to be a country where the dignity and rights of all persons were equal before all authority.” (Brennan). Unlike Brennan, Meese believed in sticking strictly to what the constitution stated for most matters.
When people think of how government works, unless they’ve taken a government class, they usually think of Congress making laws and the President doing pretty much everything else. No one pays much attention to the Supreme Court unless there is a landmark case or something else to grab the news — like the recent death of Justice Antonin Scalia. But the Supreme Court does much more than you’d think regarding keeping the political machine running like a well-oiled … machine. Through not only interpretation of the law, but also judicial activism, the Supreme Court shows it can have as much influence over the laws of the land as either of the other branches of the federal government. In this paper, I will analyze the decision-making methods of the Court using the cases of Gideon v. Wainwright and Betts v. Brady.
Not Suckered Afterall The purpose of this paper is to refute an argument made by Magness and Brennan’s from their paper Gen Eds: Sucker U. In Magness and Brennan’s paper they argue through a variety of means that colleges requiring students to take general education classes are immoral; the means that they use are empirical data and deductive reasoning. In this essay I will initially lay out Magness and Brennan’s argument to my own understanding from their paper; after which I will consider some consequences if the argument is sound then following that the last half of the paper will be my objections to Magness and Brennan’s argument along with some concluding thoughts. Before I get to deep into things one must understand that in this paper
This is because while Washington’s relationship with the court system was positive, Lincoln experienced friction and a lack of support. Since Washington was the first president, he was responsible for developing the entire Supreme Court. With that, he methodically chose justices to represent the people, and he wanted them to protect and represent the Court’s federal authority. Washington’s Court was productive and honorable, but that changed by the time of Lincoln’s presidency. When Lincoln entered office, the majority of the Court’s justices were Southerners who were opposed to his Republican stances.
American Constitution Introduction History shows that pluralism is linked to democracy which is a system characterized by checks and balances of autonomy or power. Such autonomy is the one in play in forging an agreement of the general interest that dictates administrative strategy or policy framework. On the other hand elitism notion regarding the administration states that a chosen few of the most affluent and influential people or groups direct and influence public policy that works in their favor and satisfies their own interests. Various scholarly standpoints reveal that a more contemporary notion of American administration and partisan matters incorporate the two worldviews of partisan behavior.