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America's Catholic Supreme Court

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
Assuming Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by the Senate and becomes a Supreme Court Justice, she will be the 6th Justice (out of 9) who is Catholic. The others are John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Sonia Sotomayor. Neil Gorsuch was raised Catholic, but is now Episcopalian.

Catholics compose about 20% of the American population. Does the fact that we have such a disproportionately high number of Catholics on the Court concern you? Thrill you? Intrigue you? Is it irrelevant to you? What do you think it will mean for the legal future of social issues, e.g. contraception, abortion, and LGBTQ rights?
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I'm more concerned that all are believers (Christian or Jew).
Odd that no atheist has ever been deemed qualified to rule
on constitutional law, eh.

On NPR, I heard liberals praise RBG for having been a Jew,
but skepticism for ACB for being Catholic. Oddly, I don't
recall their having a problem with Sotomayor's Catholicism.
Likes & dislikes sure do seem to shift with the times.
 
Last edited:

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
Assuming Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by the Senate and becomes a Supreme Court Justice, she will be the 6th Justice (out of 9) who is Catholic. The others are John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Sonia Sotomayor. Neil Gorsuch was raised Catholic, but is now Episcopalian.

Catholics compose about 20% of the American population. Does the fact that we have such a disproportionately high number of Catholics on the Court concern you? Thrill you? Intrigue you? Is it irrelevant to you? What do you think it will mean for the legal future of social issues, e.g. contraception, abortion, and LGBTQ rights?
I have no issue with them being Catholic.

The legislative history of my own government over the last 30-40 years shows that human rights can be protected and expanded under Catholic leaders. As long as they're secularists, their personal religion isn't an issue.

... and if they're anti-secularists, this is a problem regardless of whether they're Catholic or something else.
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm more concerned that all are believers (Christian or Jew).
Odd that no atheist has ever been deemed qualified to rule
on constitutional law, eh.

There were rumors a few years ago that Breyer is an atheist. But as always they never come directly out and say it.
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
Catholic doesn't necessarily mean anti-LGBT or anti-minorities.
JFK and his brother RK were both Catholic.
 

epronovost

Well-Known Member
Well if you nominate SCOTUS to try to undo gender equality and the changes brought by the sexual revolution as well as SGM rights, you will name a lot of Catholics since the RCC remains one of the strongest voice against those principles. Plus, their fairly moderate views on economics and generally anti-racist stance makes traditionnal Catholics more palatable than the Evangelicals.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Well if you nominate SCOTUS to try to undo gender equality and the changes brought by the sexual revolution as well as SGM rights, you will name a lot of Catholics since the RCC remains one of the strongest voice against those principles. Plus, their fairly moderate views on economics and generally anti-racist stance makes traditionnal Catholics more palatable than the Evangelicals.
This assumes that they'd rule according to religious views
more than constitutional law. What is the extent to which
that happens....& for which justices?
 

Terry Sampson

Well-Known Member
Does the fact that we have such a disproportionately high number of Catholics on the Court concern you? Thrill you? Intrigue you?
I don't expect to be anything more than "mildly curious", unless and until Judge Amy Barrett starts leading Catholic Charismatic prayer-meetings in a back room or nearby, with "tongues" and "prophecies" prior to Supreme Court decisions.
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
The founding fathers are rolling in their graves
The Catholic world is not monolithic...

In fact in Italy there is a derogatory term, cattocomunisti (Catho-communists) used towards leftists who are sided by the Vatican institutions.

Do not forget the Pope has never hidden his antipathy towards Trump and rightists like him.
 

pearl

Well-Known Member
Catholics compose about 20% of the American population. Does the fact that we have such a disproportionately high number of Catholics on the Court concern you? Thrill you? Intrigue you? Is it irrelevant to you? What do you think it will mean for the legal future of social issues, e.g. contraception, abortion, and LGBTQ rights?

The real question is whether they are conservative Catholics and will they, have they the integrity to consider the law, even if opposed to their moral preferences. Sometimes even a staunch conservative may surprise; Scalia voted it was within the Constitution to burn the flag in protest. Religion being aside, I don't imagine it to be a good future for same sex marriage, gender equality, health care, voting rights etc. I think the only hope is if they realize they are no longer beholding to politics.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
Assuming Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by the Senate and becomes a Supreme Court Justice, she will be the 6th Justice (out of 9) who is Catholic. The others are John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Sonia Sotomayor. Neil Gorsuch was raised Catholic, but is now Episcopalian.

Catholics compose about 20% of the American population. Does the fact that we have such a disproportionately high number of Catholics on the Court concern you? Thrill you? Intrigue you? Is it irrelevant to you? What do you think it will mean for the legal future of social issues, e.g. contraception, abortion, and LGBTQ rights?
If it were anywhere other than the USA, I would not be concerned.

However, the USA seems to have bred a special sort of mad, staring, bonkers Catholicism, which appalled and repelled me when I encountered it during my spell there. Not all US Catholics are like that, of course. But one suspects the types that appeal to Trump (for political reasons rather than any religious conviction, naturally) may well be.

A good judge is supposed to set aside personal faith when deciding the law. It remains to be seen whether these judges are professional enough to do that. From what I have learnt over the last few days, it seems some of them have worryingly short records as judges, prior to being elevated to SCOTUS. Hmm.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I'm more concerned that all are believers (Christian or Jew).
Odd that no atheist has ever been deemed qualified to rule
on constitutional law, eh.

On NPR, I heard liberals praise RBG for having been a Jew,
but skepticism for ACB for being Catholic. Oddly, I don't
recall their having a problem with Sotomayor's Catholicism.
Likes & dislikes sure do seem to shift with the times.
Her own words in an interview is her position as a judge is a means to an end, and that is doing what she believes is establishing gods kingdom.
Too bad that isn't an automatic disqualification, as that would be an infringement upon the First unlike the illegal and unconstitutional tests of faith that several states have that effectively and illegally ban atheists from public office.
But this is the predictable outcome of a Trump/Pence presidency. Voting for them was then and is now a vote to destroy secularism in America.
Hopefully the Dems will play hardball and create more SC positions to balance out a heavy unbalanced court.
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
Assuming Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by the Senate and becomes a Supreme Court Justice, she will be the 6th Justice (out of 9) who is Catholic. The others are John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Sonia Sotomayor. Neil Gorsuch was raised Catholic, but is now Episcopalian.

Catholics compose about 20% of the American population. Does the fact that we have such a disproportionately high number of Catholics on the Court concern you? Thrill you? Intrigue you? Is it irrelevant to you? What do you think it will mean for the legal future of social issues, e.g. contraception, abortion, and LGBTQ rights?

I am worried for Roe v Wade, and LGBT rights and protections. Abortion cases are already primed for Supreme Court battle, they're only waiting to pull the trigger.
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
Her own words in an interview is her position as a judge is a means to an end, and that is doing what she believes is establishing gods kingdom.
Too bad that isn't an automatic disqualification, as that would be an infringement upon the First unlike the illegal and unconstitutional tests of faith that several states have that effectively and illegally ban atheists from public office.
But this is the predictable outcome of a Trump/Pence presidency. Voting for them was then and is now a vote to destroy secularism in America.
Hopefully the Dems will play hardball and create more SC positions to balance out a heavy unbalanced court.

Have a link to the interview?
 
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