LOS ANGELES: Americans have been conditioned to believe that everything in life is political. Today the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued a couple of rulings that should unite us all. One of the issues is not political in the slightest. The other ruling removes politics from a contentious political issue.
SCOTUS ruling against Robocalls
Justice Brett Kavanaugh led a 7-2 vote with SCOTUS ruling against an exception to the law banning robocalls. Americans of all stripes hate robocalls. There was previously an exception for bill collectors. Now if a bill collector wants to call, a live person has to make the call.
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People receiving political robocalls most likely at some point agreed to accept those calls. Americans have the full power to completely stop them.
The SCOTUS ruling should drastically reduce robocalls originating from within the United States. Robocalls from foreign countries are tougher to stop because they are almost impossible to enforce. Nevertheless, robocalls are seen by Americans as a nuisance and a form of harassment. This ruling is most welcome.
SCOTUS ruling on Electoral College
The other SCOTUS ruling dealt with the Electoral College. Whether or not the Electoral College is good or bad is a political issue. That is not what the court ruled on. The narrow issue the court dealt with is whether faithless electors could be punished.
By a unanimous 9-0 ruling, the SCOTUS thankfully said yes.
This is good for anyone who believes in integrity. Anyone who pledges as an elector to back a candidate has to keep their word. Sanctions issued by states against faithless electors are constitutional.
In 2016, Donald Trump suffered two faithless electors. Hillary Clinton suffered five of them. The two people who betrayed Trump and the five people who betrayed Clinton all violated their sacred oath. They put their own judgment above the people they gave their oath to serve.
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Faithless electors are not new. In 1988, George Herbert Walker Bush suffered one of them. (Supreme Court rules states can punish “faithless electors” who buck popular vote)
This has so far not affected the outcome of any election. Imagine if a candidate suffered 30 or 40 faithless electors, swinging the results of an election. This would provoke a constitutional crisis the likes of which America has never seen.
Again, SCOTUS did not rule on the merits of the Electoral College itself. They simply acknowledged that it exists. They stated that an elector’s vow to support a candidate is a binding pledge.
Robocalls must stop. Electors must keep their word. All in all, these rulings offered a great day for harmony and clarity on two issues pretty much everyone can agree on. Let us all enjoy this harmony and clarity while it lasts.
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Lead Image: Lady Justice at sunset, U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. (2005 Flickr image by Michael Galkovsky, CC 2.0 license) – https://www.flickr.com/photos/mindgutter/5697895/in/photolist-vcMz-vcMJ-vcMP
