Is anyone really going to hold their breath waiting on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade?
I realize folks are excited that a majority of the current justices were appointed by Republican presidents (5-4).
They remain hopeful that someday soon the Supreme Court will, in fact, overturn Roe v. Wade.
IS NAIVETE AT PLAY?
Remember, by a 7-2 majority vote, the Supreme Court found a supposed “right to privacy” in the Constitution, allowing them to effectively legalize abortion throughout the country with the infamous Roe v. Wade decision.
Here is a look at the Supreme Court justices who were on the bench the Roe v. Wade case:
Roe v. Wade Majority:
Associate Justice, Harry Blackmun, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1970, nominated by a Republican President (Richard Nixon).
Chief Justice, Warren Burger, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1969, nominated by a Republican President (Nixon).
Associate Justice, William Douglas, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1939, nominated by a Democrat President (Franklin D. Roosevelt).
Associate Justice, William Brennan, Jr., appointed to the Supreme Court in 1956, nominated by a Republican President (Dwight D. Eisenhower).
Associate Justice, Potter Stewart, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1958, nominated by a Republican President (Eisenhower).
Associate Justice, Thurgood Marshall, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1967, nominated by a Republican President (Lyndon B. Johnson).
Associate Justice, Lewis Powell, Jr., appointed to the Supreme Court in 1971, nominated by a Republican President (Nixon).
Roe v. Wade Dissenting Minority:
Associate Justice, William Rehnquist, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1972, nominated by a Republican President (Nixon).
Associate Justice, Byron White, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1962, nominated by a Democrat President (John F. Kennedy).
Catch that? Keeping score at home?
PLANNED PARENTHOOD V. CASEY
Let us not forget the 1992 Supreme Court case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The highest court in the land had the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade with this case. And yet, by a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court not only upheld the supposed “right” to abortion, but expanded its reach.
Here is how those justices came to be a part of the court:
Planned Parenthood v. Casey Majority:
Associate Justice, Blackmun, nominated by a Republican President (Nixon).
Associate Justice, John Paul Stevens, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1975, nominated by a Republican President (Gerald Ford).
Associate Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1981, nominated by a Republican President (Reagan).
Associate Justice, Anthony Kennedy, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1988, nominated by a Republican President (Reagan).
Associate Justice, David Souter, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1990, nominated by a Republican President (George H.W. Bush).
Planned Parenthood v. Casey Minority:
Chief Justice, William Rehnquist, nominated by a Republican President (Nixon).
Associate Justice, Clarence Thomas, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1991, nominated by a Republican President (Bush).
Associate Justice, Antonin Scalia, appointed to the Supreme Court in 1986, nominated by a Republican President (Reagan).
Associate Justice, Byron White, nominated by a Democrat President (Kennedy).
Add them up, folks. You do the math.
In the meantime, I don’t recommend any hold their breath on any more “precedents” being overturned. But that’s just my opinion.
YOUR TURN
How do you feel about the likelihood of Roe v. Wade being overturned? Are you among those to hold their breath? Please leave your comments below.
