The New York Times published an article today that shows how President Bush’s 61 court appointment have affected decisions that include abortion and the First Amendment.
Charlie Savage writes about how doctors in South Dakota challenged a law that required them to inform women that abortions “terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being.”
In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit voted 7 to 4 to allow the statute to take effect, the majority arguing that it is objectively true that human life begins at conception, and that the state can force doctors to say so.
Savage also includes a case about how a city in Utah had placed a monument of the Ten Commandments in a public park, but rejected a request to place the “Seven Aphorisms of Summum” in the same park. Judge Michael W. McConnell argued that it should be fine for the city to accept only the monument whose message it favored.
According to the article, a Barack Obama victory could create a Democratic majority by 2013; If John McCain wins, Republicans could have majorities on all 13 circuits.
