{"id":2188856,"date":"2024-02-29T08:32:32","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T13:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-supreme-court-is-mitch-mcconnells-greatest-and-most-controversial-legacy\/"},"modified":"2024-02-29T08:33:29","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T13:33:29","slug":"how-the-supreme-court-is-mitch-mcconnells-greatest-and-most-controversial-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-supreme-court-is-mitch-mcconnells-greatest-and-most-controversial-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitch McConnell&#8217;s Supreme Court legacy: Great and controversial"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-the-supreme-court-is-mitch-mcconnells-greatest-and-most-controversial-legacy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2188856&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>McConnell&#8217;s Legacy: Shaping the Supreme Court<\/h2>\n<p>Senate \u2063Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is stepping down after 17 years as GOP \u200bleader \u2063in\u200d the Senate, but his influence extends far beyond Congress. McConnell&#8217;s tenure as leader has left an indelible\u2063 mark on the Supreme Court, shaping its composition \u200dand decisions.<\/p>\n<p>During his \u2063time as majority leader, McConnell became known for his strategic approach to confirming or denying Supreme Court appointees. However, his defining moment came in \u200d2013 when he issued a warning to then-Senate \u2064Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV):\u2062 &#8220;You&#8217;ll regret this, and you may regret this a lot sooner than you\u2063 think.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Reid had proposed\u2062 eliminating\u200b the filibuster for judicial nominations,\u200d with an exception for Supreme Court nominations, due to\u2062 frustrations \u2063over Republican obstruction of President Obama&#8217;s nominees. McConnell\u200b and the Senate GOP, then in the minority, opposed this move. A \u2064year later, Republicans gained control of \u200dthe Senate, and McConnell took Reid&#8217;s actions to their logical conclusion by eliminating the carveout for \u200cthe Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>A Critical Decision<\/h3>\n<p>McConnell faced his first crucial decision on the judiciary during his \u2063initial term as majority leader. When Justice Antonin Scalia passed away in February 2016, President \u200cObama nominated Merrick \u200cGarland to the Supreme Court. Confirming Garland would have shifted the court&#8217;s\u2062 balance from a 5-4 conservative majority to a \u200c5-4 liberal majority. McConnell, citing the upcoming election\u200d and divided government, refused to hold hearings \u200dor a vote for Garland.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Shortly after Donald Trump assumed \u2063office in 2017, he nominated Neil Gorsuch \u2062to the Supreme Court. McConnell \u200bensured Gorsuch received hearings and ultimately secured\u200d his confirmation. This maintained the court&#8217;s conservative majority at 5-4.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell&#8217;s\u200c role in \u2063filling Supreme Court vacancies under the Trump administration continued with Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, despite allegations \u200cof \u200dsexual\u2064 misconduct against him. The most consequential vacancy, however, \u200barose when Justice Ruth \u200bBader Ginsburg\u2063 passed away in September 2020. McConnell seized the opportunity to replace a \u2062liberal justice with a conservative one, solidifying a 6-3 conservative majority on the court. This move, \u2063made just weeks before the presidential election, sparked controversy.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Continued Impact<\/h3>\n<p>Although McConnell has been the\u200d minority leader for \u200dthe \u2064past three years, his influence on the judiciary remains significant and contentious. The Supreme \u200dCourt&#8217;s landmark decision in \u200dDobbs v. Jackson Women&#8217;s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned abortion lawmaking to the states, was supported \u2064by five \u2062justices whom\u200b McConnell helped confirm. This\u200b victory for conservatives, however, was also seen as a factor in the GOP&#8217;s underperformance in the 2022 elections.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Another potentially\u200c consequential decision looms as the\u2063 Supreme Court considers \u200ca\u200c case that could dismantle \u2064the \u200dChevron doctrine. Established in 1984, this doctrine \u2064requires courts to defer to federal agencies&#8217; reasonable interpretations of the law. If overturned, it could\u2062 have far-reaching implications.<\/p>\n<p>As the Supreme Court continues to be a \u2062thorn in \u200bthe side of Democrats and \u200dPresident Joe Biden, McConnell&#8217;s strategic moves as GOP leader can be credited for the firm conservative majority on the court. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) aptly\u200b summed up McConnell&#8217;s\u200d impact, stating that &#8220;no Member of Congress\u200b has played\u2063 a greater role in reshaping the federal judiciary than Mitch.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Despite criticism, what do McConnell&#8217;s supporters view\u2063 as his \u200bgreatest achievement in influencing the direction of the Supreme Court<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Inated Neil Gorsuch to \u200bfill \u2064Scalia&#8217;s vacant seat. McConnell saw this as \u200can opportunity to solidify \u200ca conservative majority on the Court \u200cand wasted no time in guiding Gorsuch through a\u2063 contentious confirmation process. \u2064Despite widespread opposition from Democrats, Gorsuch was confirmed by \u200dthe\u200c Senate and\u2064 took his seat on the Supreme Court\u200c in April 2017.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell&#8217;s most significant achievement came in \u200c2020, with the nomination and confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett.\u2063 Following the death of Justice Ruth\u200c Bader Ginsburg, McConnell quickly vowed to fill the seat before\u200c the\u200c November presidential election. His \u200bdetermination to push through a nominee \u200cso close to \u200cthe election drew considerable criticism, as \u2063it contradicted the stance he took with Garland&#8217;s nomination in 2016. Nevertheless, McConnell was successful \u200cin swiftly confirming Barrett, cementing a 6-3 conservative\u200d majority on the Court.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>A\u200b Lasting Impact<\/h3>\n<p>McConnell&#8217;s approach to\u200c shaping the Supreme Court has had\u200b a \u200blasting \u2063impact on the country&#8217;s highest judiciary body. By strategically\u200c blocking Garland&#8217;s nomination\u200c in 2016 and confirming Gorsuch and Barrett, McConnell has ensured a conservative majority on the Court for years to come.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This conservative majority could have wide-ranging implications for key issues\u2064 such as \u2064abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, \u2063and healthcare. \u200dMcConnell&#8217;s legacy as \u2063a\u2063 skilled tactician in the Senate has given him the \u200dability to influence the \u2063direction\u2064 of\u2063 the court on these critical matters.<\/p>\n<p>Despite criticism from Democrats \u2062and\u200b some \u2062legal experts who argue that McConnell&#8217;s \u200bactions have undermined the credibility \u2064and impartiality of the Court, his\u200c supporters \u2062applaud his effectiveness in advancing conservative principles. They \u200csee his\u2062 ability to shape\u2063 the Supreme Court as a testament \u200cto his strategic skills \u200band commitment to his party&#8217;s ideology.<\/p>\n<p>As McConnell prepares to step down as \u2062Senate Minority Leader,\u2062 his influence on the Supreme Court will continue to be felt for years to come. The decisions made by the\u200d Court in the coming decades will bear the imprint of the McConnell era, \u200bshaping the trajectory of American jurisprudence\u200b and \u2062the\u200c rights of its citizens.<\/p>\n<p>While there is no \u2064doubt that McConnell&#8217;s legacy is controversial and divisive, one thing remains clear: his impact on\u2062 the Supreme Court is undeniable. McConnell has left an enduring mark on\u200b the highest court\u2064 in the \u2062land, fundamentally altering \u200cits composition and\u2063 affecting the rulings that will shape the country for generations to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is stepping down after 17 years as GOP leader. His influential leadership has left a lasting impact on the Supreme Court. McConnell&#8217;s six-year tenure as majority leader is most notable for his strategic decisions that shaped the federal judiciary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2188857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP20273532335019-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2188856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP20273532335019-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2188856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2188856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2188856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2188857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2188856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2188856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2188856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}