Critical of a Crucial Time

The Supreme Court just opened up another “crucial” term on Monday. In my experience, the word “crucial” has been overused in several ways. The word and its synonyms have been used to describe an earnings season in the stock market, especially in the last three years of market turmoil. Last year’s midterm election was called the most crucial midterm election in history, and of course, the election that brought President Obama to power was “the most crucial election in recent history.” Shouldn’t every major event, political, economic, or otherwise noteworthy be considered crucial?

The people appointed to uphold the Constitution in the most prestigious way, began work that can determine the legitimacy of Obama's healthcare law, empower local police to arrest illegal immigrants, and declare an end to affirmative action in colleges and universities. These are no small potatoes, especially in a field where even potatoes are scarce. These Supreme Court justices, five of the nine of whom are Republican appointed, are not going to steer clear of the major issues that will be discussed and decided on during this term. The backbone of the American judicial system has always been in the spotlight, especially during an election year.

The Constitution, which the president has sworn to uphold when he was sworn in, is always evolving. The laws that have been passed, and cases that have been tried are now at the hands of nine very intelligent, well-qualified people. Forty-nine appeals are on the high court's schedule. As many as three dozen more are expected to be added in coming months. The impacts of these cases have the ability to change the way America is governed.

The crucial decisions that will be made in this new term will impact the United States not only politically, but financially as well. The amount of money spent on these cases, in addition to the financial impacts on individuals based on these decisions that the Court will make is crucial. Whether or not this term is more crucial than others will be determined by the history books written about this era.

The nine people who have been appointed to their positions as Justices in the Supreme Court cannot lose their jobs. They make up a very small percentage of Americans who have no risk of losing their jobs, while every other American is faced with that risk, most notably President Obama, who can lose his job quite easily if the Court makes decisions that make him look bad. Even Obama can agree that now is a time to be critical.