AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES and UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT

The topic examines is "American Civil Liberties and the United States Supreme Court." Recognizing that the ideological composition of the United States Supreme Court, the inner workings of the court, and the interrelationship between the Court, the Congress, and the President affect the impact of the Court on civil liberties in the United States, this paper examines these issues before considering specific political issues involving civil liberties.

The paper then examines three specific issues involving civil liberties. In each instance, the examination of the issue includes, in addition to the actions of the Court, the Supreme Court-Congress-President dichotomy surrounding the issue, and the effects of the issue on both individual rights and states' rights. The three specific issues examined are (1) abortion, (2) limitations on the rights of the individual ù habeas corpus, search and seizure, surveillance, and access to counsel ù in the name of the undeclared "War on Terrorism," and (3) congressional reapportionment and the application of imputation in United States Census outcomes.

The Supreme Court: Ideologies, Functioning, and the Interrelationships with the Legislative and Executive Branches of the Federal Government

Ideological Composition of the United States Supreme Court

With respect to political affiliation, most of the justices of the present Supreme Court are Republican. Ideology,

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than it challenges either of the other branches in pursuit of its own objectives. Over the past several decades, the executive branch has been successful in exerting power at the expense of the Congress. In most instances, the Supreme Court supported the President in these battles. Within this context, Walter Oellinger and Alan Meese concluded that the Supreme Court recognizes and accepts "the founders' basic concern over the 'encroaching nature' of power, as well as their specific belief that Congress is potentially the most dangerous branch." Examination of Specific Issues Involving Civil Liberties in the United States The Abortion Issue Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in the United States. In most instances, neither proponents of reproductive rights for women nor strident anti-abortionist advocates are able to develop any sort of middle ground between their positions. The Congress largely reflects the public split on the issue and encounters similar difficulties in reaching any sort of compromise. Presidential administrations tend to be either solidly for reproductive rights or staunchly pro-life in their orientations. Thus, moderate positions on the issue seldom emerge from the executive branch of the f
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Approximate Word count = 2238
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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