Right-wing SCOTUS could become more extreme with second Trump term

May 30, 2024

Jordan Reid Author; Founding Editor, Ramshackle Glam

By Straight Arrow News

With former President Donald Trump and President Biden virtually tied in polls, many are speculating about what a second term under Trump’s presidency would look like. The Supreme Court, already contentious due to several conservative appointments he made during his first term, is a particular area of intense debate among both liberals and conservatives.

Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan Reid argues that a second Trump term could spell disaster for the future of America’s highest court — and, by extension, its democracy.

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The following in an excerpt from the above video:

See, Trump was not a good president but he did achieve one thing: He put three right-wing judges, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, onto the Supreme Court. And guess what? The two oldest justices right now, Clarence Thomas, who is 75 years young, and Samuel Alito, who is 73, are both conservative. If Trump wins office, these two will be under tremendous pressure to vacate their seats and allow Trump to install new, younger justices. And remember, please, that Supreme Court appointments are for life.

By selecting a young roster of conservative judges, Trump will have the power to shape federal policy for decades. We will lose abortion rights to an even greater degree than we already have. We will lose hard-earned LGBTQ rights. It will be the end of affirmative action in higher education institutions. We will likely face even looser gun restrictions and see regulatory agencies kneecapped to the benefit of the rich and the powerful, even more so than we do today.

There is a lot of panic amongst members of the Democratic Party at the mere thought of a second Trump term. I’m sure you can think of all the usual reasons why but here’s a new one for you. Arguably the most significant and dangerous act that Trump will take if he even a second term is one that will last far, far, far beyond the man himself. See, Trump was not a good president. But he did achieve one thing. He put three right wing judges Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, onto the Supreme Court. And guess what? The two oldest justices right now Clarence Thomas, who is 75 years young, and Samuel Alito, who is 73 are both conservative. If Trump wins office, these two will be under tremendous pressure to vacate their seats and allow Trump to install new younger justices. And remember, please, that Supreme Court appointments are for life. By selecting a young roster of conservative judges, Trump will have the power to shape federal policy for decades, we might we will lose abortion rights to an even greater degree than we already have. We will lose hard earned LGBTQ rights. It will be the end to affirmative action in higher education institutions, we will likely face even looser gun restrictions and see regulatory agencies kneecap to the benefit of the rich and the powerful, even more so than we do today. And we see it a lot today. Another problem is that this issue that the specter of long term conservative domination of the Supreme Court, it does not go away if Biden is reelected. Because if that’s the case, I have a hard time believing that Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito would step down voluntarily. Maybe Sonia Sotomayor, who is 70 Would stepped down from her position to open up the opportunity for a younger justice to be appointed, but that the benefits there are limited. And finally there’s this if Trump wins a second term, I don’t think he’ll be putting forward Neil Gorsuch is and Amy Coney Barrett’s I think he’ll be putting forward absolute hardcore loyalists who won’t dare breathe a word against Trump’s wishes, even if and when those wishes fly in the face of the Constitution that they are sworn to protect