Sami Schwanke/Winonan
Last Tuesday was Constitution Day, and Winona State University was prepared to celebrate. The celebration was threefold: free copies of the constitution, American Flag cookies and the chance to hear an expert on the subject.
Winona State’s Consortium of Liberal Arts and Science Programs (CLASP) welcomed Professor Matthew Bosworth to talk about the Supreme Court and political activism Wednesday night in honor of Constitution Day. Bosworth discussed the history of the Supreme Court and how its role in our government has changed.
Bosworth said he thought Constitution Day was a very important holiday.
“I think it’s worthwhile not just to celebrate the constitution, but also to see what it means to us today,” Bosworth said.
Bosworth’s presentation focused on the Supreme Court. Bosworth said the Supreme Court was the weakest branch before the Civil War, often “bullied into doing what the other branches wanted it to do.”
During this time, the Supreme Court would meet about once a year in the basement of the Capitol. Over time, several Chief Justices were able to seize powers for the court and make it a more influential branch.
“If we look historically at the Supreme Court as a whole, it responds to social change. If we want something long enough and hard enough the Supreme Court will go along with it,” Bosworth said.
Bosworth used examples of court cases in the last 15-20 years with outcomes based on popular vote, including voting rights, GLBT* rights and gun control laws.
Bosworth used the example of last year’s Marriage Bill and how many students on campus had created interest groups and shared personal stories to help influence voters. Bosworth said this is just a small step towards what is possible for Americans.
“Even more significant than forming interest groups is reacting to Supreme Court decisions. The Supreme Court almost never rules completely; there’s always wiggle room and unanswered questions,” Bosworth said.
Bosworth said that the Supreme Court gets its power from being the more popular of the branches and also from the fact that the president and Congress are often divided. Because the president usually represents one political party and Congress is usually opposite, the unified Supreme Court can successfully make more decisions.
Bosworth also said that now more than ever, the Supreme Court is responsive to what the public is saying.
“They don’t have as much political experience as justices in the past and are not, therefore, politically sympathetic to one party and seem more likely to listen to public opinion,” said Bosworth.
So, does the Constitution really matter anymore if the Supreme Court has so much power?
“That is a can of worms in itself,” Bosworth said, laughing.
Senior English Writing major Olivia Wulf attended the presentation.
“I thought it was a very informative exploration through the Constitution which I hadn’t thought of before,” she said.
The overall message from Bosworth was to get involved.
“If you really care about issues, write your member of congress,” he said. “I would say that political action through congress or an interest group would be the most immediate answer to change.”
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