DISCUSSION POST 2
Discussion Post
Political leaning has a critical bearing on how people at the social and political level
interact. As such, the political underpinnings of the United States Supreme Court cases are
profoundly impacting how the judicial and pertinent matters are handled. Reaching an
amicable court ruling is, in most cases, a matter of greater good than mere adherence to the
United States Constitution and other related Acts which determine various court rulings.
Exploring the ideological tendencies between the majority and the minority Supreme Court
composition, Johnson (2017) postulated that, to some extent, Supreme Court acts as political
institutions and such a case, the traction results when making a decision whether a judicial
system is policy-minded or ideologically instigated.
In the process of making a judicial decision, more often than not, Supreme Court
judges will face what, according to Epstein, Martin, Quinn, & Segal (2010), might be
considered as a complicated mix of ideology and following of pre-established judicial
systems. As such, finding the balance between the liberal and conservative reasoning when
determining legal cases is complicated. A liberal judge, for example, will tend to employ the
purpose, the effect, and more so, the history when deriving and implementing interpretation
to the law. In effect, more inclination will be directed towards enhancing people's freedom.
Besides, a liberal judge, according to Epstein et al. (2010), will tend to appeal to political
influence and as such, the ideological difference will vary based on the judicial motive. On
the other hand, a conservative judge derives all decisions from a legal framework
predetermined in an Act or Statute. Therefore, the inclination is towards giving utmost
respect to the legislature and authority and is not concerned with the possible implication of
the outcomes.
