Which Do The People Want?

If the American people want a liberal, activist Supreme Court legislating from on high as the supreme branch of power, they'll decide that in November.

And if they want a reserved, more conservative court, one that doesn't dictate to the legislature or goes out of its way to supersede legislative (meaning the people's) prerogative, Americans will decide that too.

All the rest is meat puppet mud wrestling. Yes, President Barack Obama has the right to appoint a successor. And yes, the Senate, now under Republican control, has the right to dismiss it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-supreme-court-scalia-kass-0217-20160216-column.html

It's a meaningless question to ask "what do the people want" as if "we" has a definable meaning.  I want something, you want something, and others want something entirely different.  However, in fight, there has to be some rationale ...

Power Struggles Are to be Won

This is about nothing but raw power. Any appeal you hear to high principle is phony — brazenly, embarrassingly so.

In Year Seven of the George W. Bush administration, Sen. Chuck Schumer publicly opposed filling any Supreme Court vacancy until Bush left office. (“Except in extraordinary circumstances.” None such arose. Surprise!) Today he piously denounces Republicans for doing exactly the same for a vacancy created in Year Eight of Barack Obama.

Republicans, say the Democrats, owe the President deference. Elections have consequences and Obama won re-election in 2012.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/republicans-win-nino-article-1.2536350

Will: Wonderland

Yes, in Tuesday’s Through-the-Looking- Glass moment, the court will be urged to declare that Michigan’s ban on unequal treatment violates the U.S. Constitution’s equal-protection clause. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit — divided 8 to 7, with five dissents — has said just that, citing what is called the political-restructuring doctrine.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-f-will-a-wonderland-moment-for-the-court/2013/10/11/2f8dd95c-31f1-11e3-8627-c5d7de0a046b_story.html