US Supreme Court & US race-relations

Props to AJB for this; a summary by the BBC of the US Supreme Court as they gear up for the end of term with decisions on Gay Marriage and possibly others.

US Supreme Court, with added zing. Picture Credit: BBC

A recent decision about patent law in relation to a "Spider-Man" toy is mainly useful for G and P students because Justice Kagan wrote that the legal decision whether or not to overturn precedent is set at a high bar; that the court does not overturn precedent "lightly". It may be argued that with this in mind the court is less likely to be "activist" in creation of rights or the overturning of past decisions.

Elsewhere, the tragic shooting of 9 people in Charleston, South Carolina, (a BBC news report can be found here) underlines for G and P students contemplating Unit 3C that race is still a major issue in US society and government. President Obama's recent comments about the event, including use of the "N" word in an interview, highlight that for him at least there is a long way to go to erase the legacy of slavery despite the long fight for civil rights.

UPDATE: The Supreme Court has supported Obama care against its opponents' objections in the case of King v Burwell (2015). Interestingly this was decided 6-3 with Roberts siding with the "Liberal wing" of the court. The BBC's report is here, and the Guardian's is here.