The 2nd Amendment, The Supreme Court & You
Bill Falzett III
July 05, 2008
The Supreme Court of the United States is frequently called upon to interpret and rule upon the rights retained by citizens in the Constitution. Recently the court delivered a landmark decision on this, the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights:
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
In a 5 to 4 ruling in the case of the "District of Columbia v. Heller", the court upheld this right. In effect, you and I retained a fundamental right by one vote. We were one vote away from losing our 2nd Amendment right as guaranteed to us by the founding fathers. The SCOTUS Justices ruled as follows:
Majority Opinion:
Antonin Scalia - Ronald Reagan appointee, age 72, Conservative
John G. Roberts Jr. - George W Bush appointee, age 53, Conservative
Clarence Thomas - George Herbert Walker Bush appointee, age 60, Conservative
Samuel A. Alito Jr. - George W Bush appointee, age 58, Conservative
Anthony M. Kennedy - Ronald Reagan appointee, age 71, moderate to Liberal
Minority Opinion:
David Souter - George Herbert Walker Bush appointee, age 68, Liberal
John Paul Stevens - Gerald Ford appointee, age 88, Liberal
Ruth Bader Ginsberg - Bill Clinton appointee, age 75, Liberal
Stephen Breyer - Bill Clinton appointee, age 69, Liberal
This ruling largely supports the general consensus that we have four consistently Conservative Justices in Scalia, Roberts, Thomas and Alito; four consistently Liberal Justices in Souter, Stevens, Ginsburg and Breyer; and a moderate judge in Kennedy who is most often on the Liberal side. It is widely believed that at least two of these Justices will retire during the next presidential administration, and the next President will appoint replacements who will influence the direction of this country for decades to come.
When we are one vote away from losing a fundamental right, it is time to take inventory. In this election year, we cannot afford to elect a Liberal President who will add more Liberal Justices who will surely further water down our Constitutional rights. We need to elect a Conservative President who will appoint Conservative Justices who will be Conservative of our rights? Please consider this when you go to the polls in November.
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
In a 5 to 4 ruling in the case of the "District of Columbia v. Heller", the court upheld this right. In effect, you and I retained a fundamental right by one vote. We were one vote away from losing our 2nd Amendment right as guaranteed to us by the founding fathers. The SCOTUS Justices ruled as follows:
Majority Opinion:
Antonin Scalia - Ronald Reagan appointee, age 72, Conservative
John G. Roberts Jr. - George W Bush appointee, age 53, Conservative
Clarence Thomas - George Herbert Walker Bush appointee, age 60, Conservative
Samuel A. Alito Jr. - George W Bush appointee, age 58, Conservative
Anthony M. Kennedy - Ronald Reagan appointee, age 71, moderate to Liberal
Minority Opinion:
David Souter - George Herbert Walker Bush appointee, age 68, Liberal
John Paul Stevens - Gerald Ford appointee, age 88, Liberal
Ruth Bader Ginsberg - Bill Clinton appointee, age 75, Liberal
Stephen Breyer - Bill Clinton appointee, age 69, Liberal
This ruling largely supports the general consensus that we have four consistently Conservative Justices in Scalia, Roberts, Thomas and Alito; four consistently Liberal Justices in Souter, Stevens, Ginsburg and Breyer; and a moderate judge in Kennedy who is most often on the Liberal side. It is widely believed that at least two of these Justices will retire during the next presidential administration, and the next President will appoint replacements who will influence the direction of this country for decades to come.
When we are one vote away from losing a fundamental right, it is time to take inventory. In this election year, we cannot afford to elect a Liberal President who will add more Liberal Justices who will surely further water down our Constitutional rights. We need to elect a Conservative President who will appoint Conservative Justices who will be Conservative of our rights? Please consider this when you go to the polls in November.