Clinton Stresses Election’s Importance for Supreme Court
Abortion and affirmative action are just two of many progressive issues that could be debated by the US Supreme Court in the next four to eight years. Yesterday, President Clinton campaigned for Vice President Al Gore, reminding voters that the next president will have the power to appoint three to four Justices to the Supreme Court, therefore influencing national policy beyond the years of his own presidency. Recent Supreme Court decisions on abortion, women’s rights, and gay rights were decided on a razor-thin 5-4 margin, and at least three Justices could retire within the next presidency, including ultra-conservative William Rehnquist, liberal John Stevens, and swing vote Sandra Day O’Connor. President Clinton warned voters of a possible ultra-conservative trend in the court, citing Justices Scalia and Thomas as examples. Republican candidate George W. Bush has said that he would model his appointments after Scalia and Thomas, and that he would appoint “strict constructionists” of the Constitution, a term most legal scholars agree indicates a Justice who would overturn the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
Media Resources: Washington Post - October 25, 2000
5/22/2013 Immigration Reform Bill Advances In Senate - Last night, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a sweeping immigration reform bill in a bipartisan vote of 13 to 5. . . .
5/22/2013 Afghan Women Arrested for 'Moral Crimes' Increases 50% - A new report by the Human Rights Watch shows that in the past 18 months the number of women in Afghanistan incarcerated for 'moral crimes' has increased from 400 to 600, a 50% growth.
Many of the women imprisoned for moral crimes were arrested running away from forced or abusive marriages and families, even though there is no law against leaving. . . .
5/22/2013 Army Commander Suspended for Adultery Amid Wave of Sexual Assaults - On Tuesday, Brigadier General Bryan T Roberts was suspended from his position as commander of the Fort Jackson, South Carolina training camp which trains approximately 60% of incoming female recruits pending an investigation into allegations of adultery.
Roberts was suspended following allegations of "adultery and a physical altercation." Colonel Christian Kubik, an Army spokesperson for the Training and Doctrine Command, told reporters "We don't have any evidence of any sexual assault. . . .
