"Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever."
---William Howard Taft
Each day's news gets more bizarre as our politicians attempt to come to terms with their new realities. We spent last year watching President Obama's White House pass laws that were frightening to most republicans, and this year finds President Trump's White House doing the same to democrats. If we take a step back on many issues, we might be able to see that there are points to support both ways of thinking, and we need strongly unbiased heads to prevail. The Supreme Court was established to give us this guidance.
Unfortunately, when politics are involved, nothing is unbiased. For example, President Trump's promise to appoint a justice who is strictly pro-life is the antithesis of what we need. A justice should be neither totally pro-life nor totally pro-choice but rather open minded when exploring points surrounding every issue. It would be difficult to follow the constitution while seeing to one's own biases, and choosing a member of the Supreme Court is not to be taken lightly. This lifetime position is one that helps to set the laws of our land and must be filled by the fairest of candidates.
A year ago, President Obama presented a reasonably moderate judge to fill the vacancy of Antonin Scalia. I understood the reluctance of the republicans to replace a staunch conservative with a moderate, because the court has been conservative heavy for quite a few years, but Scalia died during a democratic President's term, and the choice should have started with that President. The republican senators who refused to give Judge Merrick Garland a chance did a disservice to all of us. He has spent a career being moderate enough to win acceptance from both sides, and would have been perfect as a deciding vote in any case.
I don't know a great deal about our current President's choice, Neil Gorsuch, but I do know his nomination should not have occurred. When politicians refuse to do their job unless they are getting their way, then the whole idea of "representing the people" becomes a sad joke. I know that Judge Gorsuch is a strong conservative, but I hope that he will do his job well and follow the constitution instead of his personal beliefs.
Speaking of seeing both sides of a legal issue, Author Victor Methos does an exceptional job showing us both sides of the euthanasia debate in his latest book, Mercy (Neon Lawyer Series Book 2). Ted Montgomery is accused of killing his wife as she lay in pain and close to a natural death by cancer. Attorney Brigham Theodore, first introduced in The Neon Lawyer agrees to lead Montgomery's battle, even as he finds his client less than forthcoming. The book is well written and definitely shows us varying viewpoints on this controversial topic.
Phillip Margolin shows us a different kind of lawyer in Sleight of Hand: A Novel of Suspense (Dana Cutler Book 4). Dana is a private investigator who is presented with an odd assignment that takes her to the Pacific Northwest in search of a relic from the Ottoman Empire. Horace Blair is a millionaire being framed for the death of his wife, and Charles Benedict is a criminal defense attorney who dabbles in magic and illusions. Margolin weaves a well plotted story around these three, and the reader has fun following the intrigue.
As always complete reviews of these two books follow this blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly
---William Howard Taft
Each day's news gets more bizarre as our politicians attempt to come to terms with their new realities. We spent last year watching President Obama's White House pass laws that were frightening to most republicans, and this year finds President Trump's White House doing the same to democrats. If we take a step back on many issues, we might be able to see that there are points to support both ways of thinking, and we need strongly unbiased heads to prevail. The Supreme Court was established to give us this guidance.
Unfortunately, when politics are involved, nothing is unbiased. For example, President Trump's promise to appoint a justice who is strictly pro-life is the antithesis of what we need. A justice should be neither totally pro-life nor totally pro-choice but rather open minded when exploring points surrounding every issue. It would be difficult to follow the constitution while seeing to one's own biases, and choosing a member of the Supreme Court is not to be taken lightly. This lifetime position is one that helps to set the laws of our land and must be filled by the fairest of candidates.
A year ago, President Obama presented a reasonably moderate judge to fill the vacancy of Antonin Scalia. I understood the reluctance of the republicans to replace a staunch conservative with a moderate, because the court has been conservative heavy for quite a few years, but Scalia died during a democratic President's term, and the choice should have started with that President. The republican senators who refused to give Judge Merrick Garland a chance did a disservice to all of us. He has spent a career being moderate enough to win acceptance from both sides, and would have been perfect as a deciding vote in any case.
I don't know a great deal about our current President's choice, Neil Gorsuch, but I do know his nomination should not have occurred. When politicians refuse to do their job unless they are getting their way, then the whole idea of "representing the people" becomes a sad joke. I know that Judge Gorsuch is a strong conservative, but I hope that he will do his job well and follow the constitution instead of his personal beliefs.
Speaking of seeing both sides of a legal issue, Author Victor Methos does an exceptional job showing us both sides of the euthanasia debate in his latest book, Mercy (Neon Lawyer Series Book 2). Ted Montgomery is accused of killing his wife as she lay in pain and close to a natural death by cancer. Attorney Brigham Theodore, first introduced in The Neon Lawyer agrees to lead Montgomery's battle, even as he finds his client less than forthcoming. The book is well written and definitely shows us varying viewpoints on this controversial topic.
Phillip Margolin shows us a different kind of lawyer in Sleight of Hand: A Novel of Suspense (Dana Cutler Book 4). Dana is a private investigator who is presented with an odd assignment that takes her to the Pacific Northwest in search of a relic from the Ottoman Empire. Horace Blair is a millionaire being framed for the death of his wife, and Charles Benedict is a criminal defense attorney who dabbles in magic and illusions. Margolin weaves a well plotted story around these three, and the reader has fun following the intrigue.
As always complete reviews of these two books follow this blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly
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