It is a threat to the general population that a president who doesn’t represent the entire country can nominate an individual with the power to influence laws that will support the president’s agenda. Even more so due to the life long position that a supreme court judge entails. An individual having control over generations that have completely different experiences, and therefore beliefs, is an outdated way to rule the country. The president can use the power of nominating a supreme court official as a strategic political move to gain supporters, rather than choosing an individual based on the entire country’s needs. This was displayed with president Donald Trump when he was put in a position to nominate a supreme court judge. This created tribalism within the United States, alienating the population of the country from one another. David Yalof in Pursuit of Justices discusses how presidents nominate justices with likewise political beliefs to gain influence over the entire supreme court, which is not beneficial to the health of the entire country.
The presidential power of being able to nominate a supreme court judge was to provide checks and balances within the American government. Perhaps this worked when the framers developed the functioning of the government, however, it no longer represents the needs of the American people. Presidents are elected by term, so having the power to nominate an individual with the president’s agenda for a lifetime is wrong. People change, beliefs change, world politics change, and so should supreme court judges. The polarization and “tribalism” of current politics has allowed for the president to have too much power as when a supreme court judge is nominated, people in senate and other political figures do not want to disagree as it hurts their chance of being reelected. This must be corrected to restore checks and balances within the American government.
Maggie,
Your point about the dangers of a President who acts without the intentions of those who elected him is a dangerous thing. There is no way to revoke a President who doesn’t adhere to the wishes of the people so long as he does so with enough support. Even then you have Presidents with approval ratings in the 10s or 20s of percentage and there’s no way of removing them except voting into a new one. This sort of prolonged term lets them execute their powers however they wish through executive action or using the power of veto as well. Former President Trump is indeed a perfect example of using his power in ways that the vast majority of people didn’t agree with since he had a approval rating of only 34% by the end of his term. You also had a President like Bush Jr. that kept us in Iraq for longer than anyone was wishing. There were people protesting and constantly voicing their disapproval yet he ignored it and did what he wanted for whatever purposes he held. By the end of it, George W Bush Jr. had a approval rating of 34% as well and this was his second term so the damage was done. The power of Supreme Court Judge nomination is a lasting power even more than people think about, using it as a political tactic to get the people who rule on “what is legal” to essentially side with your party’s agendas. This power has become just a giant political battle for dominance between our two major parties and it plays on “luck” that a opposite standing Judge dies so you can toss in your own. That sort of lasting power is a bit too much and polarizes the Supreme Court even further as well as the nation with the way people will react to it.