Are people losing confidence in the Supreme Court?

Are people losing confidence in the Supreme¹ Court?

Transcript²

NPR's A Martinez talks to Reuters Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley about what impact the leaked draft abortion³ decision could have on Americans' confidence in the Supreme Court.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The unprecedented⁴ leak of a draft opinion on abortion rights from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is just one of the latest headlines involving the nation's highest court. Back in March, there were reports that Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas, urged an aide to former President Donald Trump⁵ to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Joining us to discuss how this could be affecting public confidence in the court is reporter Lawrence Hurley. He covers the Supreme Court for Reuters. Lawrence, you reported recently, the Supreme Court has cultivated a reputation as a so-called grown-up branch of government. Is that possibly changing?

LAWRENCE HURLEY: Yeah, that's one of the questions that people are now talking about because the Supreme Court's whole reputation and its sort of notion of itself is that it's sort of above the fray⁶ in Washington. And that's important because people need to take its decisions as being, you know, carefully reasoned and not based on politics, the way that decisions are that come out of the White House or Congress. And so if the court starts to sort of lose some of that reputation, that could be bad for its reputation and people's willingness to follow its rulings across the country. So...

MART?NEZ: Yeah, and I've always thought, with the Supreme Court, Lawrence, that they may not agree all the time, but they're generally friendly with each other and that they're, you know, trying to come up with fair decisions.

HURLEY: Yeah. And that's an image they've carefully cultivated. Whenever the justices appear in public, they always talk about how, you know, we disagree on some of the rulings, but we all are friends with each other and we get along with each other. But that sort of image has been undercut a little bit, especially the recent kind of flap that went on about wearing masks in the courtroom, where Justice Neil Gorsuch was in the courtroom - the only justice not to wear a mask in a hearing and - during the omicron outbreak of COVID-19. And that led to some news stories saying that, you know, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who has diabetes⁷, was, you know, somehow concerned about that. And that's why she didn't appear on the bench. And the court denied that. But it sort of showed a sort of - you know, a break in their sense of - that everyone gets along.

MART?NEZ: And I remember being surprised when Scalia and Ginsburg said they were friends. I just didn't...

HURLEY: Right.

MART?NEZ: ...That didn't seem like it would match. But, you know, that's - that was me.

Now, recently, Chief Justice John Roberts has had to put out public statements - the most recent about Alito's leaked draft opinion. You've been covering the Supreme Court since 2008, Lawrence. How unusual is that?

HURLEY: Yeah, it's very - I mean, the leak itself, obviously, is extremely unusual. But for the chief justice to come out and actually, you know, acknowledge that the draft was an authentic⁸ document, to then have to say that it wasn't a final decision of the court and not a final work product and that the court was investigating the leak - that's nothing I've ever seen before. You know, at times, he has had to issue statements on things. But, you know, it seems to be coming more and more frequent. And for the court that, you know, likes to sort of, you know, keep to itself and just kind of issue these rulings from on high, it's these statements and the leaks and things like this that are sort of bringing them back down to earth, which is, I think, something they're not really comfortable with.

MART?NEZ: Bringing them back to earth, but do you think the court's reputation is in danger? I mean, just how serious are these recent headlines involving the Supreme Court?

MART?NEZ: No, I mean, that's heavily in dispute - right? - because the Republicans who have a vested interest in defending the court because it has a conservative majority are sort of blaming left-wing activists⁹ and probably the media, as well, for fomenting¹⁰ this idea that the court's, you know, reputation is in danger because they think that's just politics. It's because people on the left don't like the rulings that are coming out of the court, and that's why they're attacking the court. But, you know, there's people, I think, on both sides who are a little concerned about the court being drawn¹¹ into this kind of - into the mud, as it were, of Washington because the more the court seems like it's a bit more like the other branches of government, the more it seems like it's a political branch and not a judicial¹² branch.

MART?NEZ: So on that - because there's been discussion, particularly on the left, about whether the court is advancing minority rule in this country - on abortion, polling shows most Americans support access of some kind. So what you think it means for the country when the Supreme Court is able to advance new law and policy that maybe might be out of step with the majority of the country?

HURLEY: Well, one problem with the Supreme Court right now is that, you know, Congress doesn't do much, right? Congress doesn't pass many laws. The White House is also limited in what it can do. And so, you know, the Supreme Court is sort of in this position where it's almost the most powerful branch of government. And, you know, people will say that means it can make policy decisions that it shouldn't be.

MART?NEZ: Lawrence Hurley covers the Supreme Court for Reuters. Lawrence, thanks a lot.

HURLEY: Thank you.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

4 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。

7 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

8 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 fomenting   

v.激起，煽动（麻烦等）( foment的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They accused him of fomenting political unrest. 他们指控他煽动政治动乱。
• Three sailors were fomenting a mutiny on the ship. 三个水手正在船上煽动叛变。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

12 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。