Okay so... this seems boring news but if you have any interest in America this is pretty big. In the US, the Supreme Court is highly political (especially in recent decades) given the US has a written constitution - in Britain this concept is alien to us, apart from in regards to EU membership, as Parliament and the Crown hold absolute sovereignty over law.
So this Justice who has just retired was appointed by President Ronald Reagan... but he's often the swing vote on the court and isn't to the right or the left really. Now, it matters that he retires now because basically President Trump will now be able to appoint a 2nd Judge (out of a total of 9) to the Supreme Court hereby shaping it for decades to come. That's not to mention the advancing age of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who is a very left wing judge but who is now 85 and in reportedly poor health. By 2024, assuming he's still President, she would be 91.
One of the reasons why the US election last time was so important was exactly for this very reason, that it was coming to a period where many judges on the Supreme Court were coming to their final years.
Breaking News: Anthony Kennedy is retiring from the Supreme Court. He was often the swing vote, and President Trump can now move the court to the right. https://t.co/940OZqWH0o
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 27, 2018The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy gives President Trump the opportunity to appoint another excellent jurist — and to solidify the constitutionalist wing of the Court for a long time. Trump has been terrific in his judicial picks and this will be biggest nomination yet!
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 27, 2018Good news. (praise)If Anthony Kennedy retires, and Trump gets to replace him, the Court would be more likely to:
— Vox (@voxdotcom) June 25, 2018
- Overturn Roe v. Wade
- Restrict affirmative action
- Roll back anti-discrimination law
- Protect the death penalty and solitary confinement https://t.co/Muefk5xlxy
