The current composition of the court, in which rightwing justices were chosen by rightwing presidents and confirmed by rightwing senators who do not reflect popular US opinion, calls into question whether it remains a democratic institution. In this blog post, Director powell argues that the court has lost its legitimacy due to this ideological takeover, but that hope is not lost. The court can regain its legitimacy, not as a leftwing institution, but as a democratic institution that protects the rights of all people.
"I don’t believe I, nor anyone else, nor any group has to always win to have a legitimate democracy. In fact, if the same group always won that would not be a democracy," powell writes.
Read Director powell's opinion piece here. And see his comments on the Supreme Court ruling in this Berkeley News story.
Separately, we, as the Othering & Belonging Institute, released this statement lamenting the court's decision, but reminding people that the fight for reproductive freedom is far from over. We believe that societies which curtail reproductive rights to abortion, contraception and family planning resources are preventing women from fully belonging. Read our statement here.