Rhetoric of Supreme Court Appointments

Brittany Ellexson

COMM 4320

The Rhetoric of Supreme Court Appointments

10/4/16

Politics around Supreme Court Appointees

• In recent months, the rhetoric surrounding the Supreme Court has been a large topic of discussion because of the up and coming presidential election this November. Supreme Court Appointees have the highest power of deciding the nature of laws and oversee the most important cases in the United States today.
• The vacant seat on the Supreme Court due to the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has left the court deadlocked on major issues. The appointment of a new Supreme Court Justice could be a drastic turning point for our country politically and this uncertainty worries many politicians.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/deadlocked-supreme-court-became-leading-campaign-issue/

Supreme Court: A Battleground Issue In This President Campaign?

• The Supreme Court has become a frontline issue in this presidential campaign due to the nature of who will be appointing the next Supreme Court Justice.
• President Obama recently nominated Merrick Garland, a Democratic nominee, but this was shot down in the senate. This brought up the issue of Democrats trying to regain control of the senate.
• Both Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump have mentioned the Supreme Court during their campaign speeches but public opinion still shows that the issue does not remain a top priority for voters.

http://www.npr.org/2016/09/29/495960902/the-supreme-court-a-winning-issue-in-the-presidential-campaign

Who Can We Really Trust In This Election?

• The issue of trust has been brought up once again in this election because of Trump’s release of a list of potential Supreme Court justices if he was elected President.
• The list has been declared as solid by most conservatives, but the ultimate question of will Trump actually stick to his word if elected has been brought up for discussion among voters as well. Can we actually trust Trump? Can we even trust Hilary because of her own email crises?
• The nature of appointing Supreme Court justices will remain a hot topic on the campaign trail because of the rhetoric surrounding the Supreme Court and how it is centered around defending the Constitution. The Supreme Court Justice typically is appointed to uphold the agenda of the President and his staff. The agendas of Trump and Clinton vary drastically, as we have seen so far during this campaign. Which means the United State’s Supreme Court could be shifted towards one party, Republican or Democrat, from its neutral deadlocked position currently.