Next president could have significant impact on makeup of Supreme Court
There has not been a personnel change on the Supreme Court in 10 years
ñ the longest the body has gone unchanged since the 1820s. If President
George W. Bush replaces a liberal justice or Sen. John Kerry replaces a
conservative justice, there is a significant opportunity for change
within this closely divided Supreme Court, says Suzanna Sherry, Cal
Turner Professor of Law and Leadership at Vanderbilt University. The
court will decide major issues in the next few years, including many
that, as things stand now, probably would be close decisions. Any
appointment to the court could affect cases the court likely will hear
on abortion rights, Affirmative Action, homosexual rights, church-state
issues, free speech rights and whether people who’ve been discriminated
against can sue for damages. Sherry is considered one of the top
scholars in the field of constitutional law and the Supreme Court,
writing numerous books and articles on the topics during her 20 years’
experience teaching law. She often provides federal district and court
of appeals judges with a review of recently completed U.S. Supreme
Court terms.
Media contact: Susanne Hicks, (615) 322-NEWS
susanne.hicks@vanderbilt.edu
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