US Politics update: Supreme Court nominations

How helpful of Barack Obama to nominate his first Supreme Court appointee and thereby dominating the US political news agenda at a time when so many students on this of the Atlantic are likely to be revising the topic for their exams.

Obama’s choice of Sonia Sotomayor brings into sharp relief once again why appointments are so important. As the (London) Times states:

‘For all the thousands of decisions US presidents make, it is often their choice of Supreme Court justices that can leave some of their longest-lasting and most important legacies.

The Supreme Court interprets the US Constitution and has been responsible for some momentous decisions that have transformed American society, such as the desegregation of schools and abortion rights for women. It even handed George W. Bush victory in the disputed 2000 election.’

This is why Obama’s choice has been met with such a high level of hostility by sections of the American right.

But Obama’s choice also highlights another reason why nominations are important. In a similar vein to how Bill Clinton said he wanted a Cabinet that looked like America, Obama seems intent on creating a bench that reflects the diversity of the American people. That he was to choose a woman seemed like a no brainer, but his selection of the first ever (openly) Hispanic appointee is an important indicator of the steps made in pursuit of equality by minorities in the USA. For this reason candidates can reference this example in discussion of racial equality in their answers on this topic as well as in the governing the USA papers.