The Supreme Court: The Final Frontier

Although most is the election is over with two senatorial races still remaining, one aspect of the American Political System remains overlooked. This aspect is the Supreme Court. While thinking about which party to vote for, one had to consider what that would mean for the Supreme Court later down the line. With an increasingly aging court, there will be vacancies that will need to be filled by the Obama administration. Justice John Paul Stevens is currently 88 and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is currently 75. There are also three other Justices in their seventies. This past election was pivotal to the Supreme Court as the future nominated Justices would either mean a conservative or a liberal court.

Justice Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito are considered to be the conservatives of the court whereas Justices Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer are thought to be the liberals of the court with Justice Kennedy viewed as a "swing voter". If McCain had been elected president, that would mean that his nominations would most likely be conservatives and would therefore have more conservative rulings. Roe v. Wade would most likely be overturned and abortion would no longer be protected.

With an Obama presidency however, his picks will most likely be more liberal and will therefore have more liberal rulings. If more Justices retire, or are no longer healthy enough to serve, Obama may be able to secure a liberal majority in the court, which could mean a liberal court for over 25 years or until more Justices retire. I'm sure we will know in the near future.