Donald J. Trump told us brazenly before his term as president and during it as well, that “elections have consequences.”
We are now witnessing how those consequences play out.
The U.S. Supreme Court has just confirmed that a draft opinion was leaked to Politico in which the justices in a narrow 5-4 poll among them have determined that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. If the draft opinion becomes law, then we can say “goodbye” to a woman’s right to end a pregnancy.
The consequence occurred when Trump was able to nominate and win confirmation by the Senate of three justices.
First came Neil Gorsuch, whom Trump nominated after Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell blocked President Obama’s nomination in 2016 of Merrick Garland to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Trump won the election that year and McConnell then paved the way for a Senate confirmation.
Then came Brett Kavanaugh, whom Trump nominated to succeed the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Finally, we saw the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, whom Trump nominated just weeks before the 2020 election to succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Trump told the nation he wanted to end Roe v. Wade. He said he would select justices who would follow his edict. So much for judicial independence, eh?
All of this serves to remind Americans concerned about the power of presidential appointments to the federal bench. This is a consequence of a presidential election that give many millions of Americans cause to worry about our nation’s future.