UNITED STATES SENATE / From the desk of Markwayne Mullin
Last month, the United States Supreme Court released three landmark decisions that strengthened Constitutional protections for all Americans. The Court struck down racism with affirmative action, upheld the freedom of speech over government mandate, and put a stop to Joe Biden’s illegal student loan scheme – all significant victories for the rule of law.
While some far-Left Democrats would prefer to expand the Supreme Court into an activist organization, the Constitution dictates the role of the judiciary to impartially interpret our laws and uphold civil liberties. I’m glad to see the Court take important steps to protect our God-given rights while rejecting Biden’s unlawful executive overreach.
On June 30th, the Supreme Court ruled that the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to cancel student debt. The Court correctly determined that the Constitution gives Congress the sole power of the purse. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even told reporters herself: “People think the president of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not … that has to be an act of Congress.”
In blocking Joe Biden’s illegal student debt scheme, the Court made clear that Joe Biden’s cheap political attempt to transfer the burden of student loans to millions of hard-working taxpayers was an abuse of executive power. Without action from the Court, Biden’s student loan scam would have cost American taxpayers $400 billion dollars over the next 30 years.
One day prior, the Supreme Court also struck down race-based affirmative action in college admissions as unconstitutional. The Court agreed: college admissions must be decided on equal standards of merit and achievement, not “race-based preferences,” as Justice Thomas notes in his concurrence. The Supreme Court emphasized that affirmative action was intended as a temporary plan for universities to increase diversity in their schools, not a permanent solution. Admission programs can no longer give points just for checking a certain racial box. In America, no student should be denied opportunities because of their ethnic background or skin color. This ruling was a win for equality and fairness under the law.
Lastly, the U.S. Supreme Court protected our critical First Amendment rights by ruling that a state government cannot violate Americans’ religious freedom. The Court upheld religious liberty for a Colorado website designer who refused to create wedding websites for same-sex couples on the basis of faith. The majority sided with the First Amendment, which explicitly protects the right to religious freedom. It has been held in prior cases that the First Amendment protects an individual’s right to speak his mind regardless of whether the government considers his speech sensible, well-intentioned, or misguided. Thanks to this principled this ruling, no American businesses will be forced to create messages that go against their religious beliefs.
While these three important rulings are tremendous wins for our Founders’ vision of America, it’s important to recognize that these victories would not have been possible without President Donald J. Trump appointing strong constitutionalists to the bench.
I am grateful for the majority of Justices that believe in the legitimacy of our founding documents and their original interpretation, and for the Trump Administration’s legacy of principled conservatism in support of our rule of law. These rulings are a great reminder that under an ideologically independent Supreme Court, the Constitution will always prevail.
