The U.S. Supreme Court is on the cusp of historic change

With rumours regarding Justice Kennedy’s retirement swirling, President Trump could find himself in a position to appoint another justice to the Court. This could be the beginning of a major overhaul of the Court, one that could see an ultra-conservative shift in the justices and an immense restyling of American law-making and legal decisions.

The United States Supreme Court is slated to begin its summer recess tomorrow and the entire legal community will be on edge. Stories regarding Justice Anthony Kennedy’s possible retirement are expected to be confirmed or repudiated during the Court’s last public session and this would lead to a historic reshuffle of the Court.

Justice Kennedy, 80, has spent the better part of his legal career on the Supreme Court. Appointed to the Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, Kennedy has spent his 30 years of service being the “swing vote” of an often divided court. His retirement would vacate an enormously important seat and could change the face of the Supreme Court for the next quarter-century.

Having just appointed Neil Gorsuch to the nation’s highest court, President Trump would be making his second appointment in his young presidential term should Kennedy choose to retire. Given the political nature of recent appointments, it is without question that President Trump, an individual who has revitalised the conservatives in the United States, would choose a conservative.

An appointment such as this would give conservatives a stronghold of the Court and, given Gorsuch’s youth and the duo of liberal antiquities on the Court, its future decisions.

Donald Trump has inherited a situation every President of the United States has dreamed for and the stars have certainly aligned for this presidential term and could again align again should he win in 2020. Trump has already appointed one Justice, but has the opportunity to appoint another four Justices to the Court over his possible eight years in office. Given the Senate remains under the control of Republicans or at least is considerably split with a chance of defecting Democrats, Trump could end up leaving the presidency having appointed four conservative Associate Justices and leaving the Supreme Court with seven conservatives and two liberals.

This possibility would alter the course of American lawmaking and legal decisions for at least the next 25 years. Although it is one of many possibilities that could occur regarding the Court, as of now it seems like one of the more likely outcomes and that is sweet music to the ears of conservatives. Other possibilities include Trump appointing conservatives that turn out to be swing votes or Justices that sometimes move towards a more liberal decision, much like what occurred in the case of Justice Kennedy. But what is certain is this: the future of the U.S. Supreme Court will be conservative and President Trump will be the architect of it all.