The courts are not supposed to determine whether something is right or wrong — and that we rely on them do so highlights how far our country has lost its way.
Our judges and courts are there to determine whether or not something follows the rules.
I know that I want SCOTUS to hear the appeal of trans Tennessee teens having their healthcare taken away, and to find in favor of those trans kids and their families.
I want them to do that because that’s the right thing to do. Because that respects the rights to individual life, liberty, and happiness that this country is based on.
But what the courts are supposed to do is only determine if the law taking away the healthcare of those kids is allowed by the rules. The rulings about gender-affirming care have been less about the moral rightness of the ruling, and whether or not the cases follow the rules.
That they follow our laws. At the state level and above.
Our current Constitution, including all of its amendments.
And quite frankly, the things that we even have to inquire if they’re within the "rules" should make us wonder how good our existing "rules" are — and who they are crafted to serve.
When you find yourself playing a game of Monopoly that forces you to act cruelly — because that’s the rules of the game — then to avoid being cruel, you have to either change the rules{1} or play a different game.
{1} And even trying to change the rules may not be that useful; consider that lawmakers in Tennessee seem to be literally writing legislation in order to benefit a company who didn’t win a bid for a contract… and admitting it on the record.
Featured Image by Sang Hyun Cho from Pixabay