Matters that have come before the court often become issues, but neither Democrats nor Republicans have been able to convince most voters that the appointive power of the president should weigh heavily in their choice of a chief executive. The latest 5 to 4 ruling on abortion dramatizes the impact a new chief executive could have with one or two appointments. But a look at last week's final round of decisions from the Supreme Court's current term tells us that radical change is not likely to emanate from the judicial branch of government no matter who is president.
Most judges shrink from controversy.
Both cases stirred political passions. The justices looked the other way. When they could not avoid politically charged issues, they made a large point of asserting that they are guided by precedent, not personal preferences. Millions of Americans . We shall not revisit those legal principles.