The danger of relying on the Supreme Court to solve our problems
Constitutional Government Initiative Director, James C. Phillips, writes for Deseret Magazine about the issue of relying on the Supreme Court instead of exercising the legislative process.
"Making celebrities out of Supreme Court justices is merely a symptom of a broader problematic trend: running to the Court to get what we want rather than the more painstaking process of legislating."
Looking back, historians labeled the 17th and 18th centuries the Age of Reason. The period from approximately the 15th to the 17th centuries historians named the Age of Exploration (or Discovery). And if some future historians give a moniker to our day, perhaps it will be the “Age of Celebrity.” From social media influencers to athletes to politicians, we want to make celebrities of just about everyone.
And this tendency has not bypassed the U.S. Supreme Court. For instance, justices these days appear on television shows, like “Sesame Street”; write their memoirs, for which they earn millions of dollars; receive rock star treatment at various events and conferences; have their personal workouts go viral; and even acquire nicknames, like the “Notorious RBG.” Similarly, big cases get massive headlines, confirmation hearings draw millions of television viewers and the death of a justice while still on the court is a national event with wall-to-wall media coverage.