1) The court system is better at protecting individual rights mainly because judges don’t face the same political pressures as elected officials. They can make decisions based on what’s right according to the law, without worrying too much about public opinion or reelection. A great example of this is the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. The Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional, a decision that was necessary for advancing civil rights but might have been too politically sensitive for elected officials to handle at the time. This shows how the courts can stand up for what’s right, even when it’s not the popular thing to do.

2) I consider the U.S. Supreme Court an anti-democratic part of our government because, unlike most other government roles, justices are appointed instead of elected. This is a stark contrast to how we choose Presidents or Congress members, who are directly elected by the people. The rationale behind appointing judges, as explained in “Federalist #10,” is to ensure the judiciary remains independent of political swings and populist influences, intended to safeguard minority rights and maintain consistent legal standards.

During his presidency, Donald Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. These appointments tilted the court’s balance sharply to the conservative side. A major outcome of this shift was the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which drastically changed the legal landscape around abortion rights in the U.S. How does that represent the Federalist #10 idea of safeguarding minority rights?!