Connor Weitl

Depolarizing the Supreme Court

Started Feb. 23, 2024

Abstract or project description

The American public is politically polarized. Despite their protestations to the contrary, the same is true of the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. This theme began when President Reagan attempted to re-envision the court’s role, leading to an increase in extreme partisans in the court. Distinct partisan voting blocs developed which undermined the ideal role of the Supreme Court and threatened its legitimacy. Therefore, reforms to the Senate’s role in the confirmation process must be made. Many proposals exist including adding a term limit or increasing the size of the Court, but these lead to numerous issues that could destabilize the Court and do little to solve polarization in the first place. That is why a ranked-choice voting system in the Senate confirmation hearings could help end the polarized United States Supreme Court.