|
|
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s latest health scare gave liberals renewed cause to worry and conservatives a chance to envision that President Donald Trump might eventually make a third nomination to an already conservative U.S. Supreme Court.
The 85-year-old jurist underwent lung surgery Friday to remove two cancerous growths. Although doctors found no evidence of any remaining disease, the episode was a reminder of how quickly a health issue can change the court’s composition.
Liberals are already bracing for the impact of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who on Friday joined three conservative colleagues in voting unsuccessfully to let Trump start barring asylum bids by people who enter the country illegally from Mexico. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s four Democratic appointees to keep the policy from taking effect.
A departure by Ginsburg -- or 80-year-old Justice Stephen Breyer -- could shift the court even further, potentially putting five justices to the right of the Republican-appointed Roberts. That could be a crucial change on such issues as abortion, gay rights, gun control and Obamacare.
"The prospect of shifting the median vote away from the chief should be extremely concerning, particularly given the ongoing high stakes litigation that will eventually make its way to the court," said Leah Litman, a constitutional law professor at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law.
Bloomberg - Are you a robot? |
|
Author: Pacifico
26-11-2019 01:26:49
Author