How far to the right is the US Supreme Court shifting?
The appointment of ‘originalist’ Justice Amy Coney Barrett raises concerns about right-wing domination of country’s highest court.
She defines herself as an “originalist”, believing that the United States Constitution should be interpreted as intended by its authors centuries ago.
Her critics fear she will not be moving with the times on religious rights, the climate crisis, healthcare and abortion laws, to name a few.
The Senate’s confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as US Supreme Court associate justice gives a six-to-three conservative majority over her more liberal colleagues.
That raises concerns over how her philosophy could shape the rulings of the highest court in the US for decades to come.
Have the scales of justice in the US become unbalanced?
Presenter: Imran Khan
Guests:
Thomas Jipping – Senior legal fellow, Heritage Foundation
Harry Litman – Legal affairs columnist, Los Angeles Times newspaper
Vincent Warren – Civil rights attorney and executive director at the Center for Constitutional Rights