Saturday, February 2, 2013

Separation of Power


The Constitution

Article II, Section II

Separation of Power

Although a presidential appointment to the Supreme Court justice does not require the approval of Congress, it does seek the approval of the Senate.  With the recent filibuster of judicial nominee Goodwin Liu, this appropriation of checks and balances in regards to the separation of power among the three branches of the national government seems to be a clear example of a misinterpreted constitutional article.  The constitution itself seems to consistently be in flux over the definition of certain declarations.  If the system of checks and balances was initially put into place so that no one branch had any more power than any other branch,  then why does it appear that the Senate has the final word on judicial nominees?  Isn’t this more indicative of a Parliamentary jurisdiction?

Watching the behavior of the human beings that wear the title of Senator, it is clear to me that not one of them makes decisions based solely on intellect.  Individual interpretation and emotion will always be a factor; the American English language is never succinct.

Perhaps a specified term for a Supreme Court judge would be more appropriate than the lifelong appointment.  The argument against the confirmation of Professor Liu seems to be against the interpretation of previous testimony and personal philosophy; albeit I have never met a human who did not change with age.  Have we become a nation so deeply imbedded in our labels of Republican vs. Democrat that we now will push aside our views of what is best for all in lieu of what is best for our particular party?

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