Peter Slevin describes in the Washington Post what qualities President Obama will be looking for as he appoints a new Justice to the Supreme Court. According to Slevin, the quality that Obama is chiefly concerned about is “empathy.” In other words, Obama is not so much looking for a Justice who will interpret the Constitution according to the framers’s intent. Rather, he is looking for a Justice who can go beyond the letter of the law and stand for justice when no one else will. Slevin’s article reveals (perhaps unconsciously) why Obama’s approach to appointing Justices is not sound. Ever since Marbury v. Madison, the Court’s most significant power is…
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Obama Engaged on Gay “Marriage”?
The New York Times has an interesting piece on President Obama’s engagement on “gay issues.” In short, gay activists think that Obama is not doing enough, and they are pressing him to advocate publicly for their causes. Here’s an excerpt: ‘WASHINGTON — President Obama was noticeably silent last month when the Iowa Supreme Court overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. ‘But now Mr. Obama — who has said he opposes same-sex marriage as a Christian but describes himself as a “fierce advocate of equality” for gay men and lesbians — is under pressure to engage on a variety of gay issues that are coming to the fore amid a…
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Justice David Souter Will Retire
NPR is reporting that Justice David Souter will retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the current court term. This means that President Obama will be able to make his first appointment to the Supreme Court. Even though Souter was appointed to the Court by George H. W. Bush, he has turned out to be a big disappointment on many important issues. His retirement will not change the balance of the Court’s opinion on Roe v. Wade. Nevertheless, Obama may very well appoint a replacement that is younger and more liberal than Souter. That will not be good. UPDATE: The Associated Press reports, “Justice David Souter has told…
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The Difference between Christianity and Politics
Adam Nagourney reports for the New York Times that the same-sex “marriage” issue has become a hindrance to the Republican Party. More and more voters are simply disinterested in fighting over this issue. Nagourney writes: “In the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, released on Monday, 31 percent of respondents over the age of 40 said they supported gay marriage. By contrast, 57 percent under age 40 said they supported it, a 26-point difference. Among the older respondents, 35 percent said they opposed any legal recognition of same-sex couples, be it marriage or civil unions. Among the younger crowd, just 19 percent held that view. “Steve Schmidt, who was the…
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Another Outrage from Planned Parenthood
Lila Rose is a 20-year old college student at UCLA. She has the voice of a 14-year old, but she has an ingenious plan to expose Planned Parenthood’s serial abuse of vulnerable young girls who are pregnant. Rose produces undercover videos in which she poses as an underage teen seeking an abortion from Planned Parenthood. Recently, she was featured in a front-page story in the LA Times. Watch the video, and read the article. Unbelievable.
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A Clarification about Plan B
The FDA announced this week that it will allow “Plan B” contraceptive pills to be sold without a prescription to girls as young as 17 years old. You can read the announcement here. Earlier this morning I read the New York Times‘s editorial about the decision and was miffed that the editors implied that there were no human life concerns when it comes to the use of the Plan B pills. The editors say that Plan B merely “blocks” or “prevents” pregnancies. Such language might appear to some to be saying that human life is not endangered by the use of this drug. But nothing could be further from the…
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Tim Keller on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
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Vermont Legalizes Same-Sex “Marriage”
Vermont has just become the fourth state to legalize same-sex “marriage” (read here). This is significant not just because the state has redefined “marriage,” but also because of how it was done. The other three states that have legalized these unions (Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa) have done so through the courts. And in each of those cases, same-sex “marriage” opponents can argue that judicial activism rather than democracy produced the result. This is not the case in Vermont. The elected representatives of the people of Vermont overwhelmingly voted to override the governor’s veto to make this happen. It’s also important to note this. Not only are we seeing marriage redefined,…
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Iowa Court Legalizes Gay ‘Marriage’
From the Associated Press: The Iowa Supreme Court says the state’s same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples, making it the third state where gay marriage is legal. . . During oral arguments before the Supreme Court in December, Des Moines lawyer Dennis Johnson argued the ban violated his clients’ due process and equal protection rights. “We are suggesting that everybody be able to participate equally in an institution that has existed since the beginning of this state,” Johnson said during arguments.’ The problem with this logic is clear. The “institution” of marriage in Iowa has been recognized as the union of one male and…
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The times, they are a-changing . . .
One of the big stories this weekend was that the chairman and CEO of General Motors is resigning his position. What is even bigger news is that he is doing so at the behest of the Obama administration. What is even bigger news than that is that General Motors says the Obama administration is working to “restructure” the auto industry. You read that correctly. The government is going to restructure an entire industry. This does indeed signal a “tectonic” change in the way that business relates to government (see Politico.com story). Here’s how the New York Times is reporting it: “The White House on Sunday pushed out the chairman of…