My Pick for the Supreme Court...If You Care...

Mon, 4 May 2009 02:34:55 -0700

Just last week Associate Justice David Souter announced his retirement from the United States Supreme Court. Souter, 69, was appointed to the court by President George H.W. Bush and has been a disappointment to many conservatives as the Justice has maintained a moderate to liberal voting record on the court throughout his tenure.

This vacancy, which is expected to be the first of what is expected to be at least three retirements from the liberal wing of the court, will give President Obama his first opportunity to have an impact on the court.

Many pundits speculate that Obama is likely to pick a female (an appropriate move as only one serves on the court) and many speculate that it will be either the Solicitor General or one of three female appeals court justices.

It is my hope that Obama will reach outside the legal field and return to the types of nominees that used to be on the court (i.e. Earl Warren, W.H. Taft etc.) who served as public servants and provided a down to earth perspective when it came to interpreting the laws of the land.

My pick...should you care....Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan. Governor Granholm (pictured with me above) is someone who can empathize with the everyday American. The former Attorney General of the State she is not without a legal background and I feel would bring a fresh perspective to the court.

Plus, she was nice enough to stop to take a photo with me at the Democratic National Convention where she called me a “CSPAN Junkie” after I complimented her on her second inaugural speech.

Gay Marriage...the Social Hot Potato of Generation Y

Mon, 4 May 2009 00:31:51 -0700

I may be targeted for saying this but I believe that the abortion issue in our country is a dying one. Since the Roe v. Wade decision there has been long time struggle to overturn the infamous court decision. A struggle that, to date, has been an unsuccessful one. Fatigued, and exhausted from hearing about it for the past thirty years a majority of the country has come to a place of consensus over the issue:

Abortion should be legal, safe, and a last resort. Late term abortions should not be performed unless the life of the mother is at stake.

While we will always see those individuals on either side of the issue continue to advocate their stances, I believe that the country has found a place of consensus.

However, the 2004 election brought about the beginning of what I believe is the next social clash...the next hot potato: Gay Marriage. Gay Marriage was an issue on the ballot in many states during the 2004 Presidential Election including what was deemed to be the crucial victory state, Ohio.

The GOP had discovered the next issue that would motivate a large (mostly evangelical) base to the polls. Gay marriage was in and abortion was a battle that was quietly conceded. The high turnout of conservative voters, bent on passing a gay marriage ban in Ohio helped push both the ban over the top and George W. Bush into the White House.

Gay marriage is the hot button social issue of the next twenty years, and to be honest...I can see both sides of the issue.

Many Christians, including myself, see marriage as a religious commitment between only a man and woman in the eyes of God. Many people in favor of gay marriage see gay marriage bans as discriminatory and unfair to the millions of gay and lesbian couples across this country who deserve, as every American does, equal rights and protections under the law. I agree with that too.

My approach is a win win for all... if I can say so myself. The word “marriage” has historically been seen as a religious term and we should keep it that way. While it may not seem fair, religious institutions have the right to determine their own set of beliefs, which may not include the marriage between to gay individuals. The determination of eligibility for marriage ceremonies should be left to religious institutions.

On the other hand states should issue civil unions to both hetero and homosexual couples. Civil unions would be the method by which the government both recognizes and awards any and all rights to consenting adults who have entered into a civil union currently enjoyed only by heterosexual couples.

In other words...If you want to get married head to your local church, synagogue, mosque or worship center. If you want to be recognized, in the eyes of the law, in an effort to enjoy the same rights that today’s married couples do, then head to your local county clerk and get a civil union issued.

Now, does that mean that gay marriage would be illegal? The answer is no. If a particular denomination i.e. Catholics, Presbyterians, Lutherans etc. decided that they would like to marry homosexual couples then those couples could be married under the rules of that particular denomination. That decision would be left to individual denominations.

This is my solution to the issue. I recognize how delicate the issue is and recognize that it will be my generation’s task to establish the consensus.

In other words...don’t hold you breathe...it’s gonna be a while.