The Power to Appoint
Being President of the United States is a position that is unmatched anywhere. The power and reach of the person who bears that title is like no other on the planet. It is truly unique in both its prestige and in its influence, globally. In addition to being the ruler of the free world, our President makes decisions that affect everything we do. You may not realize that, but it’s true. Some people look at me crooked when I say that, but then I point out that presidents don’t just sign bills into law, issue Executive Orders, and command our military. They also appoint the men and women who control our judicial system, as presidents wield the unique power to choose who sits on most of the benches in our federal judicial system.
Most people know that presidents appoint the nine United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) justices to their lifetime appointments. But did you know that presidents also appoint most of the judges in the lower courts that comprise our federal judiciary and whose cases feed into the SCOTUS docket? This means that presidents have an unmatched power to choose who adjudicates our laws, and when a case is decided in a federal court, it undoubtedly will affect your life, no matter where in our country you live. Certainly that is true of decisions issued by the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS). Because these judges are there for life, this power to appoint is particularly spectacular, for long after a president completes his tenure, his appointees will rule on cases for years, if not decades beyond.
This tremendous power has never really bothered me too much, until recent years when (namely Democrat) presidents appointed justices who are not acting as judges, but are instead imposing their highly progressive, personal beliefs on us all. They are activists. Not jurists. And they are extremely dangerous, for they substitute their will for the will of the people. Remember, the job of a judge that sits on any of our courts, but especially those that grace the bench of SCOTUS, is to uphold the Constitution and the laws of our nation. They cannot possibly do that if their main objective is to push their personal beliefs and agenda above all else.
Let’s take for example the most radical jurist to walk the halls of the Supreme Court in modern history, if not ever. I’m sure you have already conjured up her name in your mind. Yes, I mean Ketanji Brown Jackson. This woman is a complete embarrassment to legal scholars and lawyers throughout our nation. Appointed in 2022 by the most piteous President of our lifetime, Joe Biden, Ketanji Brown Jackson has sat on SCOTUS for the past four years. Didn’t we all know from the very start that she would be a disaster as she pathetically fumbled through her Senate confirmation hearing? The most stunning of her embarrassments came when Jackson couldn’t even define a woman! This is basically how the exchange between Jackson and Senator Marsha Blackburn went:
Blackburn: “Can you provide a definition for the word, ‘woman’?”
Jackson: “Can I provide a definition for the word, ‘woman’?”
Blackburn: “Yeah.”
Jackson: “I can’t.”
Blackburn: “You can’t?!”
Jackson: “Not in this context. I’m not a biologist.”
Blackburn: “So you believe the meaning of the word ‘woman’ is so unclear and controversial, that you can’t give me a definition?”
You can watch the cringe-worthy exchange here if you’re interested (starting 17:20 min). Senator Blackburn’s conclusion was spot-on when she ended that particular line of questioning with, “The fact that you can’t give me a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is, underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about.” Blackburn then went on to ask questions about Jackson’s position on males competing in female sports, and the sort of message that sends to our girls who aspire to be great athletes. You can guess how that exchange went.
Granted, Jackson just barely squeaked by with a confirmation, as the Senate Judiciary Committee was deadlocked in their vote (which was 11 for / 11 against). However, the vote ultimately advanced to the full Senate where Jackson was quite unfortunately voted in, by the skin of her teeth. (The vote was 53 for / 47 against).
My point is that, even if a justice barely gets confirmed, once they are confirmed, they are on the bench for life, and their extreme agendas can absolutely wreak havoc in our every day lives. Last month, Brownstone Institute ran an article on Jackson which highlighted her non-existent understanding of the Constitution, and justly tagged her a “radical idealogue.” The article properly outlined Jackson’s obsession with government control over us lowly citizens, as it pointed out her repeated disdain for the First Amendment. From her belief that Colorado’s gender conversion law (that controlled what someone could say to a gender-confused minor) was perfectly okay, to her belief in a government-censorship-of-private-citizens case that she didn’t want the “First Amendment hamstringing the government,” Jackson’s deferential to government authority and scientific consensus is not only dangerous, it would be catastrophic if she held the majority view.
To be clear, let’s call a spade a spade… Jackson would love nothing better than to have “the government” control every single thing you do, say or think! Please realize that the “scientific consensus” Jackson and her ilk bow down to is controlled by none other than the government. Always. Think about it... It’s the CDC, or the FDA, or the Surgeon General, etc. who “recommend” health trends, “suggest” certain drugs, “encourage” specific actions (or inactions) for your safety, and so on. Once a government agency even whispers an “opinion” about a health issue, it becomes “scientific consensus” overnight.
That’s not the way it’s supposed to work! None of it is. Government isn’t supposed to control you. Nor is a wildly progressive jurist who has no idea what our Constitution says, let alone how to uphold it which is the entire point of her job as delineated in the oath she took back on June 30, 2022.
Jackson has no clue that the Constitution was written to keep the government in check, not to keep We The People in check.
And so we see how the power to appoint is drastic and long-lasting. It’s a knife that cuts both ways. Remember this the next time you’re discussing a hot topic with someone who doesn’t necessarily share your same political views. They may not realize the horrendously damaging and unconstitutional positions their choice for president has appointed to a federal bench, and how that is negatively impacting their life.
Did you learn anything new or interesting in this article?
If so, share it!
Here’s the link to my Substack… Pass it on to share the knowledge!
Don’t Forget to follow me…
If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to my weekly Substack HERE. There are both free and paid subscriptions available!
Don’t delete this email until you share it with others!
If you’d like to support my work, you can donate through my website HERE.
If you want to support our work to #TakeBackNY in this year’s elections, you can sign up here or donate HERE.
Follow me on X @Attorney_Cox and on Instagram @allthingslawyer
Check out my homepage for full legal disclaimer… My posts are not legal advice, are not subject to attorney/client privilege, do not create an attorney/client relationship, and so on…
Guess which Republican senators voted yes to confirm:
Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), and Mitt Romney (UT).
"This Constitutional Republic called America is an historic aberration. Any honest student of history will note that the prevailing socio-economic system is feudalism, where a tiny minority control the vast majority of wealth, power, and resources. In doing so, they have absolute control over the 99% of the population. Power equals control." ~ Howard Nemerov
Jackson would seem to be sending us back to feudalism by her her lack of understanding.