Op-Ed: Next Supreme Court Justice

By Art Da Rosa • February 2, 2022

The following Op-Ed was submitted by Art Da Rosa. Note: Op-Eds do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.

With the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer, President Biden has announced that he will nominate a Black woman to the US Supreme Court.

Justices are interpreters of the law. They are to be wise individuals who possess a sound understanding of the law and of the Constitution. They also need to be morally sound individuals and supporters of the republican form of government. In my in-depth study of the Constitution and the Federalist Papers for over a decade, nowhere to be found in these documents is the idea that the merit and qualifications of a Supreme Court Justice are to be based on gender or race.

Alexander Hamilton told us that the person vested with the power of appointment, the President of the United States, was expected to make wise and careful nominations. The Founding Fathers debated this issue at length. The vesting of the power of appointment came with the presumption that the President would possess the moral integrity to appoint a candidate who would not serve the interest of one narrow faction of the nation.

Basing the selection on gender and race indicates that President Biden has no interest in serving the general welfare of our nation, but only the progressive agenda. That is contrary to the founding principles of our nation. It is my opinion that President Biden, if he continues on this path, will have failed in his duty to make a proper nomination to the Supreme Court.

The appointment process to the Supreme Court requires the concurrence of the Senate. I urge the Republicans to stand together and stand strong in opposing a nomination based on flawed criteria.