In 1857, four of the U.S. Supreme Court justices hearing the Dred Scott v. Sanford case were slave owners. The chief justice at that time, Roger Taney, had freed his slaves, but desperate to avoid acrimony, he voted with the slave-owning judges in deciding that Scott, an enslaved Black man suing for his freedom, was not protected as a citizen by the U.S. Constitution.
This failure by the Supreme Court was a contributory factor in the United States sliding into a civil war.
Today, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have displayed the same levels of prejudice as the slave-owning justices in 1857. They will almost certainly lead a bloc that will acquit Trump, irrespective of the facts in any case that is put before them. Chief Justice John Roberts seems to be in the same boat today as Taney was — more interested in the internal functioning of the court than rendering justice. If the non-prejudiced justices fail to act with greater forcefulness, I fear that the outcome of Trump’s trial will parallel the Dred Scott case.
In 1857, Scott was denied the protections guaranteed to him in the Constitution. In 2024, Trump will be set above the Constitution and let free, even though hundreds of his co-defendants in the Jan. 6 riots have been found guilty under federal law.
Bharat S. Sarath, East Brunswick
Time to stop the insanity
I am so tired of what I have seen and heard this year.
President Joe Biden is constantly pushing up to $20,000 of student loan forgiveness that doesn’t have be paid back. The students took out the loans; they are responsible. All Biden is trying to do is buy young voters, the same as in 2020.
If Biden wants a pay-to-play scenario, he should use his own money.
Many parents took out home equity loans or worked two jobs to send their children to college. Many youths worked their way through college or went into the military to help offset the college expense.
The other item burning me up is all the illegal border crossings. Families are struggling just to put food on the table and gas in their cars to go to work. All the while, some undocumented immigrantsare getting free shelter, emergency medical coverage, and food assistance in some states.
This country is deteriorating so fast my head hurts. Other countries are laughing at us and wondering what has happened.
You vote how you want; that is America. But this November will bring one of the hardest decisions American people need to face. Think about the freedom our forefathers fought for and what is at stake. It is not that you are voting for a particular party, but for the freedom we cherish.
May God bless America.
Joyce Crea, Ewing
Disrespecting Fauci
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., had theaudacity to attack Dr. Anthony Fauci’s scientific credentials during the absurd hearings in the House this week about the origins of COVID-19. She even refused to call him a doctor.
Greene’s obsessive need for publicity has led to utterly ridiculous statements and conspiracy theories in the past, but this is too much. As the former White House chief medical adviser, Fauci’s common-sense approach to the coronavirus pandemic — advocating social distancing, masking and vaccinations — contrasts with that of Greene’s hero, former President Donald Trump, who suggested we shoot bleach into our veins.
Give me a break.
Bill Gottdenker, Mountainside
Fox friends fail to fact-check Trump
I know Fox News is pretty much the “Trump Network,” but every once in a while they owe their viewers the truth.
I was watching their post-conviction interview with Donald Trump on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” when one of the hosts brought up Trump saying during the 2016 campaign that Hillary Clinton should be locked up.
Trump denied he ever said that, claiming others had said
“Lock her up,” but not him. Later that day, numerous news outlets aired video after video showing when Trump had, indeed, said “Lock her up.”
As far as I know, no one from Fox News has said a word about the lie, or fact-checked it.
Trump made many statements during the interview that other media have shown were false, and the Fox News hosts never questioned him about them. Fox News needs to show some respect for its viewers, and give them the truth at least occasionally.
Joseph Marra, Seaside Park
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