Written by: Jerry Yan, PO ‘18 Every term, the Supreme Court’s docket contains cases that have the potential to redefine the American political landscape. Oftentimes, these cases are resolved by a Court split 5-4: four conservative justices on one side, four liberal justices on one side, and Justice Kennedy in the middle. However, Scalia’s passing would likely leave the Court deadlocked at 4-4...
Written by: Calla Cameron, CMC ’17 “A Constitution is not meant to facilitate change. It is meant to impede change, to make it difficult to change.” This quotation by Justice Antonin Scalia encapsulates his self-perceived role on the bench of the US Supreme Court, and his actions as a Justice. President Obama will likely try to fill the vacancy with a more liberal justice in the coming...
Written by Nico Banks, CMC ’17 On Monday, May 19, 2014 the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon held that Oregon’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The ruling was issued in response to a 2004 Oregon ballot initiative that amended the state constitution to define marriage as between “one man and one woman.” U.S. District Judge Michael McShane for the...
Written by: Martin Sicilian, Pomona College ’17 On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate to purchase health insurance that is at the heart of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which aims to provide every U.S. citizen with comprehensive healthcare. The part of this provision that requires large businesses to buy plans that offer all forms of contraception at no cost to...
Written by: Nikhil Khanade, CMC ’16 “Doing what is right is different than doing what is legal.”[1] This statement, made by James Cuno, the president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, highlights the dilemma that both individuals and the legal systems of nations grappling with the legacy of wartime art theft face. The aforementioned key players often have conflicting incentives and...
Written By: Joey Hinton When Congress passed the Federal Election Campaign Act in 1971, candidates for federal office were henceforth required to report expenses and contributions. A few years later, the infamous Watergate scandal unfolded, and rumors of Nixon’s misuse of campaign contributions for private endeavors surfaced. Congress decided to modify campaign finance laws by establishing limits...
