Impact of appointments on the
balance of the U.S. Supreme Court

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Overview:

The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are deeply divided in their rulings on religious, cultural, and moral cases. Many, perhaps most, decisions in these areas are by a split vote of 5 to 4. The division in the court mirrors the gulf seen in the rest of American culture, religion, and government. Any change in the delicate ratio of conservative to liberal justices would have a profound effect on the decisions of the Supreme Court, and on the future of the U.S. law and culture.

This concern became widespread when Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a moderate conservative and a swing voter, decided in mid-2005 to retire from the Court. In 2005-SEP, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, a conservative and strict constructionist, died.

Two conservative strict constructionists -- John G. Roberts, and Samuel Alito -- replaced Justice O'Connor and Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, thus shifting the court slightly to the right.

During 2009-APR, Justice David Souter, one of the four liberal judges on the court,  announced his intention to retire. President Obama has nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his replacement.

President Obama is expected to nominate one or two additional Justices during his current term.

Topics covered in this section:

	Court changes, 2005 to 2009
	Judicial philosophies on the interpretation of constitutions & laws More comments Implications of strict constructionist interpretations   The concept of personal privacy The concept of separation of church and state
	President Bush's nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court Response to the nomination of Judge John Roberts Response to the nomination of Harriet Miers Response to the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito
	President Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, hearings, court diversity Support, opposition, confirmation

Amazon.com lists the following books about the Supreme Court

Reference used:

1. "Harriet Miers," Wikipedia, 2005-OCT-03, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Copyright © 2003-2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2009-JUL-16
Author: B.A. Robinson

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