IT'S THE SUPREME COURT, STUPID: David Cicilline

THE ELECTION ON Tuesday will determine whether our nation moves forward on the issues of the humanity, dignity, and equality for gay Americans, or if we begin a tragic process of going backwards.

The future of the Supreme Court hangs in the balance, and with it, the direction our nation will take on many issues, including gay rights.

Over the next four years, it is quite likely that Justices John Paul Stevens and Sandra Day O’Connor, as well as Chief Justice William Rehnquist, will retire. The next president, either George W. Bush or John Kerry, will be nominating their replacements.

On the issue of justice for gay Americans, a Kerry or Bush presidency will make all the difference, not for the next four years, but for the next 40. A president’s term lasts for only four years, but a Supreme Court Justice is appointed for life. ...

One more justice like Scalia and Thomas would likely reverse the landmark ruling in the Texas sodomy case, allowing states to once again treat gay men and lesbians as criminals.

Two more Scalia-Thomas votes would also reverse a Supreme Court decision overturning an anti-gay constitutional amendment in Colorado, and would allow states to abolish local laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

And of course, any hope for gaining federal rights for gay couples, even those with a Massachusetts marriage license or a Vermont civil union, would disappear.

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posted by Eve at 5:48 PM VOTE

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