- The court system, especially the Supreme Court, is better at protecting individual rights than elected branches like Congress or the President because it’s less tied to politics and public opinion. Justices are appointed for life, so they don’t have to worry about reelection or making decisions just to stay popular. This gives them the freedom to focus on what the Constitution says instead of what voters or interest groups want. Additionally, the Court’s whole job is to interpret the law and the Constitution, which is often about protecting people’s rights, even when it’s unpopular. Elected officials, on the other hand, usually go with what the majority wants because that’s how they keep their jobs. For example, in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Politicians were too scared to push back against segregation because it wasn’t a popular move at the time. The Supreme Court stepped in and declared segregation in schools unconstitutional, protecting the rights of Black students. In other words, the courts are designed to look out for individuals and minority groups when the majority or the government isn’t doing the right thing.
2.I do think that the Supreme Court is somewhat anti-democratic in the sense that justices aren’t elected buy appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and they get to serve for life. Unlike Presidents or members of Congress, they don’t have to answer to voters, for good (like in my answer for question #1 and bad). With that said, I think there’s a reason it’s set up this way. In Federalist #10, Madison talks about protecting against the “tyranny of the majority”, by keeping judges independent from elections, they can focus on the Constitution and the law instead of trying to stay popular. However, the President and Senators, who pick and approve these judges, often come from wealthy or elite backgrounds, so the judges they choose can possibly reflect those same upper-class agendas. It’s a reminder that even though the courts are supposed to be neutral and unbiased, our government is still heavily influenced by the interests of the elite.
