The Role of the Supreme Court in the Cultural Degradation of the American Society - Essay Example

The role of the Supreme Court in the cultural degradation of the American societyIn his work on how the Supreme Court of America has misused its power, Robertson (2004) looks back at the American society before the 19th century with nostalgia. Robertson’s book explores an American society whose norms and culture were deeply embedded in Christian faith and morals. Robertson writes about a society that believed in God and had high moral, political, economic, and educational prosperity. That was the America that every other nation wanted to emulate.

The author contrasts that society with that of today and cannot help but see a divided America. The so called “liberalized” people have foregone the cultures and traditions of the American society and embraced new ways of living. For instance, gay marriages, pornography, abortion, and radical feminism have come to be accepted in the American society. Such actions are fuelled by an American Supreme Court that has lost faith in the norms of the society and continues to make decisions that will end up destroying the society.

The author maintains that there is a faction of Americans who still believe in their traditions of low taxes, purity of marriage, justice, and the rule of law. However, this faction is ignored and the judges of the Supreme Court make rulings on cases based on what suits them (the judges) best. Robertson (2004) categorically states that the past fifty years have seen the Supreme Court in America become radicalized; resulting in the distortion of the very justice, law, and order the court is meant to uphold.

In my opinion, the book is very engaging as the author takes us through the foundations of the American constitution. The author gives us an insight of what the framers of the constitution had in mind when they decided that the government should have three arms. According to Robertson (2004) the role of the judiciary is to interpret laws without being influenced by either the legislature or the judiciary. Today, however, decisions made by the Supreme Court are based on the political will of the government, with complete disregard for the ordinary citizen.

The author gives many examples of how the Supreme Court has disregarded American culture in most of its rulings. There are examples in the book about how the Supreme Court voted for the exclusion of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge, though polls showed most Americans wanted the phrase to remain. Cases of rulings in favor of gay relationships and internet pornography are also used by the author to justify his claims about a wayward Supreme Court (Robertson, 2004). The author, for most part of the book sticks to his objective, which clearly is to urge Americans to turn back to Christian teachings that founded the nation.

The author frequently gives examples of cases where decisions have been made by the Supreme Court that clearly contravene Christian teachings. For example, the author cites the case of the Supreme Court ruling that prohibited public schools from engaging in prayer and bible readings. Throughout the book, the author finds the Supreme Court guilty of making decisions that undermined the spread of Christian faith. There is another case in which, the Supreme Court forbid the posting of the Ten Commandments on notice boards in public schools.

The author even gives an example of how the judiciary turned against one of their own when a ruling was made preventing judge Moore from opening his court proceedings with a word of prayer. According to Robertson (2004) he judge was also asked to hang down the Ten Commandments from his chambers. To a certain degree, I agree with Robertson that the Supreme Court has failed America in upholding societal beliefs and norms. By making rulings in favor of abortion, pornography, and gay marriages, the Supreme Court has led Americans further away from its founding values.

It is also apparent that the Supreme Court continues to allow other arms of the government to influence its decisions, especially in matters of political importance. On the other hand, it is my opinion that the author is very subjective in his writings. The author focuses on only one religion, Christianity, and downplays the role other religions have to play in the American society. Americans have the right to exercise whichever religion they choose and no one religion should be superior to others.

The author seems to imply that Christianity is the only acceptable religion in America and anyone who wants America to achieve prosperity should practice Christianity. The author ought to have considered other religions and how they have been affected by Supreme Court rulings. I would suggest this book to booklovers who are interested in learning how the Supreme Court in America has continued to breach the rights of Christians thorough its rulings. However, for someone seeking revelations on the role of the Supreme Court in common public decay, this would not be a recommendable book.

Owing to the fact that the author over-emphasizes on the importance of Christianity in American progress, people who profess other religions would find this book as demeaning their particular religions. ReferencesRobertson, P. (2004). Courting Disaster: How the Supreme Court Is Usurping the Power of Congress and of the People. Brentwood: Integrity Publishers.