The Supreme Court

Richard A. Sokerka

With Election Day around the corner, one of the looming issues in the presidential campaign has been the future selection of Supreme Court justices.

Given the fact that many of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions (before the death of Justice Antonin Scalia) were closely divided with 5-4 decisions, it points to the fact that even one justice can make a pivotal difference in swinging a decision one way or the other.

Advocates of both major presidential candidates say the next president’s nomination of a justice will be one of the most important reasons to vote in the coming presidential election. Not only is one seat open, other justices on the bench could retire soon, giving the next president the opportunity to nominate several hand-picked choices to the Court and place their imprint on the Supreme Court for many years to come.

Voters need to think about the consequences. During the final presidential debate, when asked what kind of Supreme Court justices they would appoint, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were at opposite extremes with their answers.

According to Clinton, “We need a Supreme Court that will stand up on behalf of women’s rights, on behalf of the rights of the LGBT community,” saying that “it is important that we not reverse marriage equality, that we not reverse Roe v. Wade.”

Trump’s answer was: “I am pro-life and I will be appointing pro-life justices,” along with justices that “will be protecting the Second Amendment.”

With divergent opinions among the candidates, the stakes are high when it comes to Supreme Court appointees.

The Catholic vote is vitally important since new justices could render swing votes on decisions on the constitutionality of state abortion bans, Roe v. Wade, same-sex marriage, and religious freedom cases, to name just a few.