Our Supreme Court: Hard to believe

By Dr. E. Faye Williams
TriceEdneyWire.com Columnist

I listened to every word of the United States Supreme Court Hearing in the past few days. My mind went back to years ago when people seeking justice would say the words “We will take this to the Supreme Court” because we truly believed we would receive some measure of justice there. The last place we want to go today to think we’re going to get justice for women, for Black people, poor people, for Liberals!

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from the male justices – not even the Chief Justice. As much as I hate to say it, there was no doubt they did not deserve to be called Justices. There was not a word about preserving our Constitution. If it were not for the four women on the Court – Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (who was brilliant); Justice Sonia Sotomayor (who was awesome), Justice Elena Kagan (also brilliant) and I will give Justice Amy Coney Barrett her props (who gave a little bit of hope with her questions).

As for the men, they didn’t assure us they were sitting on that bench to protect the American people. They made it clear they were there to be more interested in protecting the orange man by almost surely supporting his well-known habit of figuring out every possible means to delay, delay and delay proceedings designed to keep him out of jail by pretending not to know his actions could not possibly be immune from punishment. Orange man’s attorney didn’t even try to go back before the Court once the People’s Attorney, Michael Dreeben, completed his appearance. At the same time, Attorney Dreeben was representing the People brilliantly, the orange man was sitting in a New York courtroom where David Pecker was testifying to reasons why the orange man should be convicted for breaking laws the rest of us are required to obey.

The orange man bragged at a rally in Iowa that he could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot someone and not lose voters. What a pity for him to even say that, but worse to hear the discussion that seemed to be the attitude of the male Justices as they tried to figure out every way possible to agree with him. It was shocking! I couldn’t help but wonder what young people who heard that were thinking – especially the ones across the country protesting the killing of thousands of innocent people in Gaza! Many of them are being punished for peaceful protests whether you agree with the reason for which they are protesting or not. It’s not illegal!

While the orange man was sitting in the courtroom, Rachel Maddow says “He sat there looking miserable – like a man who’s old and tired and mad.” That would be okay if he were at all sorry about the damage he’s done to our country and people whose lives he’s ruined.

I would pray that wherever he winds up, he would see the error of his ways and see there’s a limit to what he’s allowed to do – how many bad acts he can perform without understanding the meaning of “No one is above the law.” I pray the men on the U.S. Supreme Court would recognize that, too.

Dr. E. Faye Williams, President of the Dick Gregory Society.

This article originally published in the May 6, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.