In the space of less than one week, the Supreme Court has handed down four rulings that are not just historic, but seismic in terms of their political and societal implications. Each of the rulings are major victories for freedom, though those on the left may not see it. Here’s what I mean.
The first and last of the decisions are the most alike. The first of the four decisions rejected the practice of excluding Christian schools from the money given directly to parents in school-choice plans. The fourth decision vindicated a high school football coach who simply knelt on the 50-yard line to pray silently at the end of his games. Others chose to join him, but no one was required to.
So both decisions dealt with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and both decisions told the government it couldn’t interfere in the practice of religion. An absence of government intervention is the essence of freedom.
The other two decisions were not as closely related, although they have been pointed to by some as being hypocritical because of how they issues are portrayed by the left.
On Wednesday, the decision negated the restrictions the state of New York placed on concealed-carry applicants. The requirement that they demonstrate they were under immediate threat to own and carry a firearm was deemed by the majority to violate the Second Amendment. Any reasonable person would recognize that if you are faced with an immediate threat, it’s too late to obtain a firearm to defend yourself. So again, freedom was vindicated, this time concerning the Second Amendment.
Leftist barely had time to freak out over this decision before, on Thursday, much sooner than expected, the court ruled on the Mississippi case regarding abortion. I was surprised at the full-throated condemnation of Roe v. Wade on the part of the majority, so the 49-year-old decision was fully reversed.
So how did that decision reinforce freedom?
You wouldn’t know it from the apoplexy from most of the media, but what this decision really did was simply return the question of abortion to the state legislatures and the governors. This means the question of Roe is back in the realm of democracy, rather than being decided by black-robed justices. That is a victory for freedom.
Unfortunately the majority of people, even those happy with the ruling, think the decision means abortion is outlawed. Nothing could be further from the truth. In some states, yes, abortion won’t be an option, but only if the people’s representatives vote to end it. In other states, the laws allowing abortion may be taken even further to the point of birth and beyond. I fully expect an overreaction on the left, so they may go further than even many pro-choice advocates can stomach.
So in one way or another, each of the decisions strengthens freedom, which outrages some, who prefer to dictate how others live.
