Friday was an important day in U.S. domestic politics. Supreme Court Justice David Souter informed the White House that he would be stepping down when the court term ends in June. This provides an opportunity for President Obama to appoint a new justice who will shape the direction of the high court for years to come. Are you wondering why I’m mentioning a matter of domestic affairs on our blog devoted to the U.S role in the world? I’d like to call your attention to this article in The New York Times Weekend Magazine noting the important and growing role the Court is taking in international affairs:
In the seven years since 9/11, the question of how we relate to the world beyond our borders – and how we should – has become inescapable. The Supreme Court, as ever, is beginning to offer its own answers. As the United States tries to balance the benefits of multilateral alliances with the demands of unilateral self-protection, the court has started to address the legal counterparts of such existential matters. It is becoming increasingly clear that the defining constitutional problem for the present generation will be the nature of the relationship of the United States to what is somewhat optimistically called the international order.
Given the complexities of international relations and the growing levels of engagement with the world at every level of domestic politics, it is expected that the Court’s role in defining the proper U.S. role in the world, traditionally under the purview of the executive and legislative branches, will only grow over time.
