Trump and Biden are like 'Grumpy Old Men' characters. You should still vote. | Opinion
Are you considering not voting this fall because the candidates look like the main characters from the movie Grumpy Old Men? Or because you are one of the many people who just don’t like either candidate?
Well, I am not the first, nor will I be the last person to remind you that elections have consequences. If you want proof, consider the judicial consequences we recently have witnessed.
In just the last month, Wisconsinites on both sides of the aisle have celebrated or lamented rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Wisconsin Supreme Court and one appointed Dane County judge.
U.S. Supreme Court makes rulings on immunity, Jan. 6 prosecutions
At the federal level, SCOTUS ruled 6-3 that presidents have "absolute immunity from criminal prosecution" for acts that fall within the "exercise of his core constitutional powers he took when in office."
Is Milwaukee 'horrible'? You don't have to like Trump to see 'horrible' view supported by facts
The justices also ruled 6-3 to overturn a 1984 decision colloquially known as “Chevron.” Previously, lower courts were to defer to federal agencies when laws passed by Congress were ambiguous. Instead, judges will have the ability to override agencies regardless of the judges' level of expertise.
They also handed down a 6-3 decision that will make it harder to charge Capitol riot defendants with obstruction and cleared the way for cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places (also a 6-3 decision).
Wisconsin Supreme Court also hands down major decisions
Conversely, this month the Wisconsin Supreme Court came down with its own rulings that ruffled some feathers. First, the court ruled it would hear two cases, one that challenges the 1849 abortion ban and the other, filed by Planned Parenthood, that will determine if Wisconsinites have a constitutional right to abortion care.
On July 5, the court reversed its 2022 ruling with a 4-3 decision to allow expanded use of ballot drop boxes this fall. The Wisconsin Supreme Court also ruled the provisions allowing the Republican-controlled budget-writing committee to unilaterally block conservation projects unconstitutional.
And, in the ultimate “day before a holiday” July 3 news dump, Dane County Judge Jacob Frost ruled that parts of Act 10 are unconstitutional. He ruled that Act 10, the Gov. Scott Walker era-law that curbs the power of public unions, violates the equal protection guarantee in the state’s constitution based on the fact that the law applies differently to police, firefighters and public safety workers than it does to other public employees.
Like I said, consequences.
Your vote this fall will have consequences on judicial appointments
All of which can be traced back, indirectly or directly, to elections. Indirectly through the president or governor appointing judges and justices and directly by voters who voted in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race last year. Those elections go a different way, we likely get different rulings, especially on decisions that fall down on ideological lines.
As our government continues to be deadlocked in Washington and in Madison, more and more policy making and legislating seems to be happening from the bench and politics, more often than not, are superseding precedent.
The ideology of justices and judges matters, and the only control you have over it, is how, and if you vote.
So if you’re feeling depressed/angry/apathetic (insert other negative feelings) about our options for president this fall, remember you are voting for more than just the man. You are voting for the man (or, depending on when you’re reading this and what’s happened with the Democrats, woman) who could determine the ideological leaning of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices for decades to come.
And let that inspire you to vote in a way that gets you more of the consequences you want.
Kristin Brey is the "My Take" columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: You hate Trump and Biden. You may hate consequences of not voting more
