Brett Kavanaugh has been selected as the newest Supreme Court Justice, and with that comes ramifications that will affect the United States that could play out for decades.
While his joining the Supreme Court isn’t the end of civilization as some on the left heralded it, Kavanaugh becoming one of the most powerful lawmakers in this country is going to affect the laws in ways we rarely see.
The first thing to remember is that being a Supreme Court Justice is a life-long appointment. Once on that panel of judges, a justice doesn’t have to stop working until they chose or their heart gives out. This is why Ruth Bater Ginsburg is still rocking that gavel at 85.
Kavanaugh is 53 years old. If he makes it as long as Ginsburg, then conservatives will have a reliable voice in the Supreme Court for the next three decades.
As it currently stands, with the addition of Kavanaugh, conservatives now hold a one-person majority in the Supreme Court. With Ginsburg in her last years, her seat will most likely be open fairly soon in the grand scheme of Supreme Court appointments.
If she leaves in the next two years, then that will put conservatives in the lead by two votes when President Trump appoints another justice.
With control of the Supreme Court now in the hands of the conservatives for a prolonged future, the U.S. is probably going to see some major policy changes that have stood for years.
One such policy that will most like be put in consideration for the chopping block is Roe v. Wade. Passed in 1973 by the Burger Court, Roe v. Wade was a rare occurrence when a predominately conservative Supreme Court approved of a liberal policy by a vote of 7 to 2.
Nearly 45 years later, this law still remains a hot-button issue. The difference is now that all three branches of the federal government will soon be under conservative control. Arguments could be made that a blue wave is coming with the November elections, but after the media fiasco that was Kavanaugh’s nomination process, Democrats aren’t exactly looking like winners right now.
Another important issue that is likely to be affected by Kavanaugh is gun rights.
Before dodging questions on how much beer it takes to become a pervert, Kavanaugh used to rub elbows with President Bush back in the early 2000s. A staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, Bush appointed Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2003. If Kavanaugh is anything like his former employer from Texas, then it would be fair to say gun owners are definitely going to be able to sleep with whatever weapon they want to under their pillow in the coming years.
Ultimately, the biggest impact from Kavanaugh’s confirmation won’t be in the laws he changes. The most important fallout of Kavanaugh becoming a Supreme Court Justice is that another barrier between the people and the government has eroded.
While it isn’t technically written in the rule book, Justices are meant to represent the best of a lawful society. They are supposed to be intelligent, courteous and above all dispassionate in how they dispense their rulings. The fact that a man accused by three women of sexual assault who couldn’t keep his cool on the stand is now one of those Justices is profoundly disconcerting.
The only remedy for getting through the next few years is to remain hopeful and diligent. Society often forgets that people like Kavanaugh work for the people of the United States. If he, or any official, does something in their tenure as a government employee that the people don’t agree with, we can fight them on it tooth and nail.
Hunter Diehl can be reached at [email protected]