Copyright © 1999 by Michael
Segers, All rights reserved
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Last week, we looked at one image of October, Hispanic Pride Month. Here’s a little puzzler for you, involving another aspect of the tenth month, named for the number eight. What does October have to do with the Supremes? Here’s a hint: I’m not asking about the group led by Diana Ross but the group led by William Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. On the first Monday in October, a very important day that many of us don’t think about, the Supreme Court begins its yearly term. From October through April the Justices of the Supreme Court hear oral arguments Monday through Wednesday for two weeks then recess for two weeks to write opinions and deal with other matters.
Each year, some five thousand cases come before the Supreme Court for review, but the Court actually decides only about 150. This year, as it has for more than 200 years, the Court will rule on matters not only of law but of heart and soul as well, from abortion clinic demonstrations to the death penalty, from cable television to campaign finances. Do grandparents have visitation rights? Can a rape victim sue her attacker?
Education, so important in so many lives, will be affected by decisions on whether a university can use mandatory student activity fees for special interest groups which some students find objectionable and on whether federal money for educational materials can go to religious schools. These cases may not seem that important, but questions of freedom of speech and separation of church and state involve some of the most divisive issues in contemporary American society. Seasoned Supreme Court watchers learn to look for the themes that run through specific cases year after year. It has been a long time since we’ve heard much talk about "states rights," but in the past decade, there have been many cases before the Supreme Court on that very issue.
Probably the most eagerly anticipated and closely watched case before the Supreme Court this term is Food and Drug Administration vs. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., in which the Justices will have to decide whether the FDA can regulate nicotine as a drug. Think, for a moment, what impact that can have on the daily life of smokers in this country. And these cases are decided with each side having only thirty minutes for oral arguments.
In the curious but apparently effective constitutional balance of powers (at least, it has worked for over two hundred years), Congress determines the number of Justices—since 1869, the number has been nine. The President nominates Justices, who must be confirmed by a majority of the Senate. Once "on the bench," Federal judges can be removed only by means of "impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."
Now, you knew this was coming, didn’t you? With the Internet, even though so much of the work of the Supreme Court continues takes place in strict confidentiality and privacy, we can keep up with what the Justices are doing better than ever before. To learn much more about the Court and its current cases than I’ve shared with you, and to take a quiz on how much you know about the Court, look at:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/scotus991004.html
To get back to basics, that is, to read the provisions of the U.S. Constitution establishing the Supreme Court, U.S. Code provisions dealing with Supreme Court jurisdiction and organization, the Court’s Rules, and the Clarifying Revisions (1997), as well as to see a Gallery of the Justices, visit:
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/context.html
Notice, of course, that the first site is ".com" (commercial) while the second is ".edu" (educational). As an experienced rover through the Web, you might consider how and why the content and presentation of the sites differ.
Last week, we raved through a celebration of Hispanic heritage for the month of October, and this week we celebrate the Supreme Court, a very important part of the downright peculiar government of the United States, a government which somehow has worked so well for more than two centuries. But October also has some more sober connotations. October 7th is National Depression Screening Day. To find a testing center near you, check the listing at:
http://www.onlinepsych.com/public/Depression/Treatment/
And to learn about the medical, spiritual and personal dimensions of depression, ponder "Wing of Madness: A Depression Guide," a good starting point to determine if you suffer from what can be a fatal disease or to understand friends and family members who suffer from it:
http://www.wingofmadness.com/index.htm
October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here are two very informative sites, the second of which carries the poignant title, "Breast Cancer: Help Me Understand It." These sites combine a good bit of medical information and personal insight, with an emphasis on the value of early detection:
http://breastcenter.mdmercy.com/problem/cancer.html
http://www.surgery.wisc.edu/breast_info/laybreastca.html
As always, remember that while the Internet can provide you information about medical matters, it cannot in any way take the place of interaction with a medical care provider, if you are lucky enough and insured enough to be able to consult one.
It’s pouring rain as I write these concluding remarks about breast cancer and depression. So, I realize how hard it can be to follow my repeated advice to keep your feet dry and your heart full of noble thoughts. At the moment, however, I cannot help you, since I have a lap full of Maine coon cat, demanding attention.