In recent years, the Supreme Court of the United States of America has been the object of intense debate mired in controversy. People of all political persuasions, religious beliefs, and lived experiences have taken to the streets to voice their concern or approval of the various opinions passed by our nation’s highest court.
To properly gauge the opinions of those at Blackman High School and the community at large regarding the Supreme Court, this reporter interviewed six people representing the student body and an array of extant generations.
A strong cross generational through-line is the lack of attention paid to the affairs of the Supreme Court, as all interviewees indicated they only paid minimal attention. Community member James Smith, 80, says he mostly looks out for the opinions at the end of the courts term “when most of them are announced.” Likewise, freshman Alayiah Matheny relaid that it was not something “I… necessarily focus on…”
However, despite the lack of attention to the dealings of the Judiciary, most everyone had formed opinions on the court.
“Highly educated people (are) making those sorts of decisions, but it’s a double-edged sword when you have such high-class individuals and probably wealthy individuals…they could be corrupt.” said Tristan Anderson, a junior.
Anderson continued that because of this, it is imperative that the court remain “…always under review…” to guarantee checks and balances are truly maintained. This tension between the necessities of having supremely qualified justices and sustaining equilibrium among the branches is echoed in other statements
“I like the idea of that overarching power…. [and an ability] to make lasting decisions…I like it, but I get worried about it moving away from its intentions with opinions becoming too strong,” stated Andrew Feyka, 28, a teacher here at Blackman.
This concern for potential elitism or imbalance of power prompted the interviewees to voice their support for many potential reforms. Abigail Hooper, sophomore, felt it is important that they be barred from taking “…money from billionaires,” citing the recent controversy surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas’ alleged acceptance of gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow. Feyka echoed this same concern and added a want for “sizeable term-limits, perhaps 20 years,” and measures against “gerrymandering.”
In responding to what they felt other members of their same generation and the public at large felt on the subject, most felt both groups would largely share their same concerns and opinions. However, some voiced criticism of the public’s perceptions and actions,
“Sadly, the general public is constitutionally illiterate. When a talk show host, actor, or a sensationalized news program is your source of information, your opinion is uninformed,” noted Fred Shambaugh, 53, a teacher.
In a similar spirit, Hooper added, “I don’t think (people) know enough about it.”
“People protest anything they do one way or the other…this country is divided pretty much fifty-fifty, so if somebody decides one way, somebody else decides another,” Smith said, identifying the division this topic inspires in the public.
The final question of the interview was how they felt it impacted their day-to-day lives on a scale of one to ten. The general trend is that the older someone is, the more they may feel it has an impact on their life, with the most experienced participant giving the highest score and the youngest giving the second lowest.
In glimpsing into this cross-section of the Blackman community, we see that though the Supreme Court is divisive, people of all ages and backgrounds agree that they want to see a more informed public and a reformed Judiciary. However, it is still clear that with the passing of time, people are more sensitive to the influence of political systems in their daily lives.
