How Important Are Elections?

             Elections are important because they have consequences. One of the consequences of the election of Donald Trump is a revamping of the judicial system in a way that will have a legacy that lasts much longer than his presidency. As of February 12, 2020, the Senate has confirmed 192 Article III judges. These judges include Associate Justices of the Supreme Court Neal Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, 51 U.S. Court of Appeals judges, 137 U.S. District Court judges, and 2 U.S. Court of International Trade judges. 

Some of the 51 Court of Appeals judges are now sitting on the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This circuit court has been liberal for many years and had numerous cases repealed by the Supreme Court. With the judges appointed by Trump, the 9^th Circuit has flipped to be more conservative, and the consequences of the flip are starting to show.

            Last Monday the 9^th Circuit Court ruled that “the Trump administration can continue stripping federal funding from clinics that offer abortions.” The Trump administration declared in June 2019 that taxpayers should not be funding clinics that refer women for abortions. If they do, they should lose funding under Title X. This means that “organizations that perform abortions and make abortion referrals will have to do so in separate buildings from those that receive Title X federal funds. 


            Liberals are, of course, declaring that “this is devastating news” that will hurt “millions” of women. They fail to mention that it has the potential to save the lives of millions of babies. They promise to appeal the decision, which means that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court may have the opportunity to rule on the finding. 


            Obama was right when he said that elections have consequences. We are seeing some of the consequences of the election of Donald Trump. We now have a pro-life president who is fighting the Left on abortion and winning.