The Republican Supreme Court

The editorial, “Supreme Court leak further undermines crumbling legitimacy” (May 3), calls the leak of a draft overthrowing Roe v. Wade “a dangerous assault on the integrity and legitimacy of the Supreme Court.” The leak does not threaten the integrity of the Supreme Court — It merely illustrates what is widely known to be true.

The Supreme Court, by careful plan and full intention, has been converted into a political arm of the Republican Party. It’s loss of integrity was already evident in its clumsy intervention the the Bush-Gore presidential election. The finishing touches occurred when the most incompetent president in American history was allowed to select three nominees to the Court, and they were rammed through the process by Mitch McConnell.

What the leak revealed, then, is the profound structural problems that exist in our constitution and our practice of law. There is at present no way for citizens to demand accountability for Supreme Court decisions. There are no term limits, no age limits, no way to remove incompetent or mentally or emotionally disabled justices. There are no limits to the number of justices an individual president could appoint. These are serious shortcomings in our constitution.

Abortion will occur whatever laws are passed. We can lessen the need for abortion by using the powerful tools at our command: better access to contraception, guaranteed health care, affordable and convenient child care for all ages. Criminalizing abortion is a nightmare that we must avoid.

EUGENE STEVICK

Mt Lebanon