Diversity In The Supreme Court

The diversity issue focused on in this paper will be racial disparity in sentencing. This paper will also focus on some of the reasons why racial disparity exists within sentencing. One of the research methods used in this paper will be case studies. In society today there are a diversity of citizens, of offenders, and leaders within in the court system. However, race still plays a big role in the Criminal Justice system especially during the sentencing portion. Although racial dynamics may have changed over time, race still exerts an undeniable presence in sentencing process. This ranges from disparate traffic stops due to racial profiling to imposition of the death penalty based on the race of

Clarence Thomas is just the second African American justice to serve on the Supreme Court. His confirmation margin of fifty-two to forty-eight is the smallest margin in history. Until the very recent confirmations of both Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, for the past twenty-five plus years, Thomas had been the last conservative to be named to the current court. Thomas’ confirmation hearings have gone down in history as those containing the most drama. His hearings would produce such intense arguments over race and gender. Thomas is on of the most publicly criticized justices in the history of the Supreme Court. The primary reason for that is the "uncommon" connection between his views and the color of

There is an open seat in the supreme court. Since the death of justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, President Barack Obama has attempted to appoint judge Merrick Garland to fill this vacancy. However, the currently Republican U.S. Senate has refused to act on the nomination. This is not the first time the Senate has disagreed with the president's choice of nominee. The Senate confirms just around eighty percent of the president's nominations. There is a strong rationale behind this two-tiered appointment system. Seats in the Supreme Court are extremely important positions to hold; the Supreme Court has the role of interpreting the text of the Constitution and using that interpretation

What does it take to become a Supreme Court Justice in the United States? It doesn’t matter what race you are; which neighborhood you grew up in or how much you have. From living in a predominately black town, and not know where his next meal is going to coming from, Clarence Thomas has proven that all barriers can be overcame. He was the second African American to serve on the court. Thomas served as a Judge on the “United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit” from 1990 to 1991. After Thurgood Marshall (the first African American to serve on the court) announced his retirement, President George W. Bush elected Thomas to become a candidate for the position. Clarence Thomas has been serving on the Supreme Court for twenty-six years.

Ten years prior we had Brown v. The Board of Education, which a few of the same Justices serving on Katzenbach v. McClung were on, that stated that “separate educational facilities is inherently unequal”. Then, with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 we saw the outlawing of segregation and discrimination in public places. This was put to the test by two small southern businesses that claimed Congress had no right to interfere with their local establishments, but the Supreme Court did right by upholding the constitution, and it seemed to be a no brainer as seen by the unanimous decision by the court. It was tense time and shameful part of our history, but without decisions made by these men we might not be where we are today. Racism and discrimination still exist all over the globe to this day. We have come a long way though, and if it wasn’t for people continuing to do the right thing whether they are a majority or minority then we wouldn’t have the freedoms that we have today. The Supreme Court got it right with this decision, not just by upholding the Constitution, but for our Country and Humanity in

President Obama publicly disagreed with the decision but could not change it. The President decides on nominations who are then put under scrutiny while he receives the ‘advise and consent’ of the Senate judiciary committee. There is therefore a small democratic link however it is very weak. Once a Justice is appointed they cannot be removed and are independent of the other political bodies this can be evidenced by Eisenhower’s appointments, a Republican conservative who appointed 2 liberal justices, something he regretted so much so that when asked if there were any regrets after his time in office he replied “I have made two mistakes, and they are both sitting on the Supreme Court”. As stated before the judiciary is independent and once Supreme Justices are appointed they cannot be fired or dismissed this leaves a huge deficit of accountability, a key factor of democracy.

It's truly amazing how different daily lives could be with out the American governments judicial system. During the 1846-1950's time period everything was segregated and split by the mere color of your skin. No matter wet here you are African American, Hispanic, White, or any other color you should be treated with the same amount of respect as anyone else.The Supreme Court has made many decisions over the years that have effected everyday lives: "Dred Scott v. Sanford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. The board of education.

The United States president, Barack Obama, nominated a longtime federal judge Merrick Garland to take the position of the Supreme Court and replace the former justice, Antonin Scalia. Merrick Garland’s past decisions related to different issues had made him the talk of the town. Although Garland has a 19 year record on the U.S. court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, this does not lend him to a fast evaluation (Mcshane).

Clarence Thomas is just the second African American justice to serve on the Supreme Court. Until the very recent confirmations of both Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, for the past twenty-five plus years, Thomas had been the last conservative to be named to the current court, which is the complete opposite of his predecessor Justice Thurgood Marshall. Thomas’ confirmation hearings have gone down in history as those containing the most drama. His hearings would produce such intense arguments over race and gender. Thomas is one of the most publicly criticized justices in the history of the Supreme Court. The primary reason for that is the "uncommon" connection between his views and the color of his skin. Many black and white

There has been a long struggle for the equality of races built from blatant racism and the belief that one race is superior over the other. In some events there has been concern over constitutional rights being ignored creating inequality favoring whites over blacks. The Supreme Court Case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 and Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 both dealt with black American citizens who felt discriminated against based on their race. Plessy v. Ferguson had determined that “separate but equal” was fair, but Brown v. Board challenged the previous ruling on racial equality and decided separate could never be equal.

Summary In Mark Tushnet’s book “A Court Divided,” Tushnet illustrates how the Supreme Court’s ideals have changed with every new president, cultural movement and Death of a fellow court member. We can see the change as Goldwater leads into Regan, and so on with every republican president up to present day. The Court’s Republican majority doesn't always agree on every issue, such as on issues like abortion or homosexual rights, the opinions were split between the harsher, older Republicans, and the softer, younger Republicans.

No one has any idea of what the new supreme court will be like every time they are chosen. Even the presidents and officials who appoint them can only presume what kind of future the new supreme court holds. A good example would be Sonia Sotomayor, the first latino justice chosen by president Barack Obama who chose her because he felt that she had a bright future, but in reality she didn’t really stand out much. She is often compared to the first African American and first female justice, who did in fact break racial and gender barriers but weren’t generally seen as intellectual leaders. A trend in the recent decades displays that presidents typically nominate candidates with high academics, judicial resumes, a history of controversial speeches,

Sommers, S. (2009, January 1). On the Obstacles to Jury Diversity. In www.thejuryepert.com. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from

The election of President Obama marks the most noteworthy political accomplishment for African Americans in the United States during the post-civil rights revolution, thus bringing about a change in the country’s social and political landscape that was steeped in racial discrimination since the founding of this great nation. Because social and political conditions are subject to constant change, President Obama’s

There are three women on the Supreme Court, one of whom is Latina, and there is one black justice serving on the Supreme Court (Brown, 2016). This is a major issue. The United States, the “melting pot”, has an extreme lack of diversity in their court system. This is an issue that affects several aspects of society. Decisions made by judges will affect the lives of men, women, and their families. The decisions made by judges can also create law. Unlike political officials, the people do not always have the power to vote judges into their positions. Instead, the people hope that their peers with the power to affect the system choose a candidate that will fight for them. Often times, this does not happen.