EDITORIAL: Kennedy’s Supreme Court retirement puts abortion rights back in play
President
Other justices' decisions were largely predictable based on their known political leanings. Kennedy, nominated by President
His 1992 flip vote solidified the court's affirmation of women's right to choose on abortions. "At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life," he stated.
Polls consistently indicate that the vast majority of Americans adhere to middling political tendencies, and the balance of the court should reflect that.
Senate Minority Leader
In other words, he wants the same unfair process to occur now that occurred in 2016 when
The stakes are exceedingly high. Sen.
But the president, a former abortion-rights supporter, promised religious conservatives during the campaign that he would seek to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. It's because of this specific issue that religious conservatives have consistently excused Trump's other foibles and sins, such as his serial lying and allegedly adulterous affair with a porn star. As long as Trump never veered on abortion, they backed him.
Now comes the test. Even before confirmation hearings begin on Trump's nominee, we should expect hardline conservative state legislatures to start passing harsh anti-abortion laws -- perhaps even an outright ban -- in hopes of prompting a challenge that will wind up at the
In so many ways, the consequences of the 2016 presidential election have reverberated across the land. But on Wednesday, those reverberations registered as an 8.0 political earthquake.
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After failing to pass abortion restrictions, Joe Gruters sees hope in Anthony Kennedy’s retirement
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