With all this talk about Catholics, how do you feel with the SCOTUS being majority Catholic?

[Shell Beau]

[Captain Hilts]

1. If they reflected the diversity of US Catholics, I wouldn't mind but 4 outta 5 are right wing cranks

[pnwmom]

4. Exactly. n/t

[Bluebear]

9. +1

[msongs]

2. poor planning on presidents' part. biased by default nt

[pnwmom]

7. The one Obama appointed was born Catholic but it's not clear she's practicing now.

And if she's is, she's liberal.

[Shell Beau]

12. I wondered about her. I assumed she was CAtholic, but I didn't know for sure.

[Radical Activist]

14. That concerns me a little.

Could the conservatives have more influence over a liberal Catholic based on coming from the same faith tradition? Does that make the liberal more susceptible to becoming a swing vote in the wrong direction?

[Shell Beau]

15. The whole Catholic thing worries me in abortion cases.

My best friend is a big Catholic and she is 100% for the right to choose. So, I know there are many practicing CAtholics that don't agree with all of the Catholic preachings.

[Radical Activist]

23. Human nature being what it is

I'd almost like to see another pro-choice Catholic on the court to reinforce the one there now. That way no one is getting ganged up on.

[pnwmom]

30. More Catholics are pro-choice than pro-life. The hierarchy isn't happy about that,

but that's the way it is.

[Shell Beau]

37. The funny thing about my best friend who is pro-choice, she

doesn't use any contraception. So weird, but it is her prerogative.

I feel like you understand since you are Catholic that I meant she is against using contraceptives because of her religious beliefs. Just wanted to clarify that. She does have 4 children (we are 31). All were planned. So, whatever she does for BC works for her. I wouldn't chance it, but that is me, and I am not Catholic.

[pnwmom]

29. I think you're underestimating Justice Sotomayor. Nothing I've heard about her

tells me that she'll allow any of the conservative Catholics to sway her in their direction. In fact, I think she might be better positioned to argue against them than someone who doesn't understand them as well as she does. She won't get sucked in.

[pnwmom]

3. I don't like it, especially because all but one are from the conservative wing

of the Church.

[Sebastian Doyle]

5. 6 out of 9 is too many.

The Opus Dei tools like Scalia, even ONE is too many.

[Shell Beau]

10. I disagree about 1 being too many, but I feel we should have some

diversity there.

[Sebastian Doyle]

22. I wasn't saying that one Catholic is too many.

But Opus Dei, that's different. They're dominionist fascists. They believe they are here to bring about the "kingdom of God", which is in blatant contradiction with the constitutional duties of a Supreme Court Justice. I would say the same thing about a Protestant dominionist Justice (the type we would be likely to get if Palin or Bachmann - God forbid- were ever pResident)

Scalia is definitely Opus Dei (not to mention the literal son of an Italian fascist) and I believe Alito is also. Not sure about the others, but I wouldn't be surprised if all the Bush Crime Family appointed Catholics were. I'm reasonably certain Sotomayor is not.

[Shell Beau]

32. Ohhh! I gotcha! I agree.

[pnwmom]

31. He was saying that one from Opus Dei is too many, and I'd agree with that.

Opus Dei is a highly secretive organization of right-wingers. I'm not happy about any of them being on the Supreme Court.

[Fumesucker]

6. Time for an atheist on the court..

We have a black POTUS, why not an atheist on the SCOTUS?

[Shell Beau]

11. I have no problem with that at all. I am a Christian, but since

religious beliefs should have no bearing at all on their decisions, I don't care what religious background, if any, they have. I think it should be diverse.

[Fumesucker]

13. Thank you, you are in a distinct minority though.. n/t

[hlthe2b]

8. Majority Catholic RW males.... now that bugs me

Sotomayor, being Catholic--not really. It isn't the Catholocism per se--it is the misogyny, patriarchy, right wing fundamentalism.

[Radical Activist]

16. Is it currently?

Or would it be only if he picks another Catholic?

[Shell Beau]

19. I think even if he doesn't pick another Catholic, it will be majority

CAtholic. I think Stevens is protestant.

[SteppingRazor]

24. True -- six of the current nine are Catholic.

Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Scalia, Kennedy and Sotomayor are all Catholics, while Breyer and Ginsburg are Jewish.

[Shell Beau]

26. That's what I thought. 2 Jewish and the rest Catholic minus Stevens.

[RB TexLa]

17. You do know that HALF of all Catholics who have ever served on the court are on it now.

maybe one day we can let them have a "Protestant seat," on the court.

[Radical Activist]

20. hahaha

A single protestant seat would be seriously awesome. But I'd like a separate Quaker seat.

[SteppingRazor]

18. Meh. I don't really care if they're all Catholic.

Or Jewish. Or Muslim. Or Zoroastrian. I care about how they interpret constitutional law. Period. If their religion affects their judgment -- as it very well may in a couple of the more pro-life Catholics on the SCOTUS -- then that's a problem. I'd have a similar problem if a Muslim justice started basing opinions on sharia.

[Shell Beau]

21. That is basically my point I guess.

Do they use their personal religious beliefs? It would be hard not to. Personal feelings are bound to come into play when making decisions. That is why I want diversity.

[SteppingRazor]

25. I disagree. It's easy for personal feelings not to affect court decisions.

At least, if you're a good judge. Personal feelings are most certainly not bound to come into play when making a decision. If they do, you don't belong on the bench.

[Shell Beau]

27. I hope so. But again, human nature being just that....

[SteppingRazor]

33. Yeah, I know. But I've known a couple judges, and they'd be hugely offended...

by even the suggestion that they'd let outside influences color rulings in cases. It's a really big deal for them. That said, I certainly would allow for the fact that it happens some of the time, if not many times. I just disagree that it happens all the time.

[Shell Beau]

34. I know. My mom is a court reporter and she has worked for many judges.

Sometimes she can see some personal bias come in but not often.

[uppityperson]

28. I agree with that. eom

[UTUSN]

35. Sucks?!1 Does my lapsed answer COUNT?11 n/t

[TexasObserver]

36. It is obscene that so many justices are Catholic.

It is an organization that is completely lacking in democratic ideals. It's terribly sexist and homophobic. It helps keep poor people poor. It causes births where such births only add to the misery. How can so many justices with that religion as their guidepost be expected to rule as anything that remotely takes into account the way the majority of Americans think?

We have two religions overrepresented on the court, and that's not good.

[Walk away]

38. I always thought Mario Cuomo would have been a great SCOTUS judge.

He is Catholic, personally against abortion but doesn't believe that the government has jurisdiction over a woman's body.