Justice In The Court: Does God Care About The Nominee?

President Trump selected a judge from the local Denver area Appeals Court Judge to the Supreme Court – Judge Neal Gorsuch. He was recently lauded in the Denver Post for his “sharp mind, clear writing and affable nature.” Admittedly, that was the first I had ever heard of the man.

Of course there will be those who oppose him simply because he was nominated by an R, just as others opposed nominees because they were nominated by a D. Let the eggs begin to fly.

I’m not really interested in the politics of it, although the Supreme Court has seemed to sit in the Political limelight with greater intensity – just look at the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the final ruling in the Gore/Bush presidential campaign.

Importance to culture

A few other monumental decisions include the 1803 – Marbury v. Madison, which established checks and balances. For the first time, the court ruled something was “unconstitutional.” In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education granted equal protection under the law. In 1964 – New York Times v. Sullivan the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press were upheld.

It’s interesting in our current environment how much we rely on the courts. Perhaps the Roe v. Wade decision four decades ago sealed the deal, that Supreme Court justices actually did impact our culture. In 2013 in United States v. Windsor the law, passed by the U.S. Congress selected by the people was struck down, allowing gay marriage.

How many times have people thrown the Roe vs. Wade decision in the faces of those who believe in life, declaring the decision is over. Simply because it’s “law” and “settled by the court” doesn’t mean it’s right. It doesn’t mean it’s just.

Remember the 1857 Dred Scott decision that slaves were not citizens of the US and had no constitutional protections? In 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson made racial segregation legal. There are others. The court is fallible.

Is it really all that important to the church?

I have good friends who march for life. And others who march for traditional marriage. They very much believe the court decisions are linked to faith.

My friend Jack is the world’s most famous baker and his case may one day end up in the Supreme Court. He is being forced to decorate cakes for gay weddings, something his religious conscience won’t allow.

Locally in Denver, the Little Sisters of the Poor were forced to purchase insurance that included abortion inducing contraceptives – something they didn’t need, since they were nuns, and something they didn’t believe, since they were Catholic. Their case went to the Supreme Court.

So yes, The Supreme Court affects culture and it affects people of faith. St. Paul was in court so many times, he kind of relished it. He said this, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.”

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