On Friday, in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health, the supreme court overruled its nearly 50-year precedent of Roe v Wade, the 1973 case that legalized abortion nationwide.
But it’s also devastating for those of us who care quite a bit about American democratic traditions and the strength of our institutions.
Because, with this ruling, the supreme court has just signaled its illegitimacy – and it throws much of the American project into question.
Which means that Democrats and others who want to see America endure as a representative democracy need to act.
A majority of this court, in other words, were not appointed by a process that is representative of the will of the American people.
The supreme court decision stems from … the idea that a patriarchal minority should have nearly unlimited authority over the majority.
The supreme court decision stems from that same rotted root: the idea that a patriarchal minority should have nearly unlimited authority over the majority. »