by Hamilton Jones | Feb 14, 2022 | News, News Slider, Opinion, Politics, Uncategorized
We return to another round of seeing who will become the newest member of the highest court, the Supreme Court of the United States. I use the words “another round” because, more often than not, the nominating process is literally like a prizefight. Nine justices make up the court, one being the chief justice, with eight associate justices. Their job is to ensure equal justice for all and to protect the constitutional rights of each citizen. Federal justices have no mandatory retirement and are chosen by the president of the United States, with confirmation up to the Senate. The reason for this “prizefight” is because Associate Justice Stephen Breyer announced he will retire this year after serving for 28 years. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton and is generally associated with the more liberal justices. The sitting president selects the nominee, beginning the Senate debate and confirmation or rejection. This is one of the most important jobs of the president, and it can affect theway we live for generations to come. Former President Donald Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices during his administration: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Cooney Barrett. Trump appointed more Supreme Court justices than any other sitting president since Ronald Regan, who appointed four. Trump’s confirmed nominations flipped the court to have a conservative majority, now outnumbering the liberal-leaning justices, six to three. Justice Breyer’s retirement offers President Joe Biden the opportunity to nominate a liberal-leaning justice who will help balance out the court. This also gives the Democrats the chance to claim a much-needed victory before the 2022 midterms and will help to...
by Camryn Given | Jul 21, 2021 | News, News Slider, Politics
Sparked by the headlines about the murder of George Floyd as well as other Black men killed by police officers and a growing awareness of racial injustice, Lipscomb’s Black Student Union is among the citizens and organizations that nationwide are putting a fresh spotlight on issues too often ignored. Lipscomb’s BSU President Dorie Harrison said the tumult of the past year has offered her an incentive to reflect upon the past injustices and set goals for the betterment of the future. Last semester, Harrison, a senior marketing major from Nashville and a center on the Lady Bison basketball team, had a unique experience. In her Legal Aspects class, students watched the video of the death of George Floyd and were instructed individually to decide the sentence of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin (the suspect in Floyd’s murder trial). Harrison said she recalls feeling shocked as several students didn’t seem to see any wrongdoing in Chauvin’s actions: “To see so many of my classmates say that Chauvin was completely innocent and to go back and justify the death of George Floyd. My hands were shaking.” As a person of color at a school with a historically high population of White students, Harrison said she often feels put on the spot in these types of situations. “I was the only Black person in the class, so everyone was looking at me like, ‘Oh, what is she gonna say?’” Harrison said. Harrison said she has seen a lot of groupthink in her classes. She said people seem to fall in with the majority opinion, leaving little room for those with different viewpoints...
by Schyler Jones | Apr 21, 2021 | News, News Slider, Politics
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin while being arrested. The video of the crime, which showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, spread across the country and caused a pivotal moment for social justice around the world. Countless protests were organized during the summer and beyond to call for justice for Black lives. As his young daughter said at a protest, Floyd “changed the world.” Although Floyd’s murder was witnessed by millions, the actual conviction of Chauvin took 330 days. The jury deliberated for 10 hours over two days. On Tuesday, April 20 at 4:05 CT, Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. George Floyd’s brother, Rodney Floyd, pointed out that, “No family in history ever got this far… this is for everybody that has been in this situation.” Amidst the celebration of accountability and the solemn recognition of the work still left to be done, Lipscomb students shared their reactions. Nina Adams, a senior Spanish major, said, “In May of 2020 I was horrified by Derek Chauvin’s actions. I honestly could not imagine why some would deem it necessary to kneel on another living being’s neck till they passed. When I heard the news of Chauvin‘s verdict, I honestly had mixed emotions. Although I am over the moon that the justice system finally put Chauvin on trial, I believe there’s still a lot of work to be done and major changes. There are cops out there just like Chauvin who are getting away with their actions.” Junior...
by Kathryn Farris | Jan 6, 2021 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Politics
As Congress met the afternoon of Jan. 6 to certify the victory of President-Elect Joe Biden, thousands of pro-Trump protesters stormed past barricades and police officers in a fruitless effort to stop the certification of Biden’s victory. Four protesters died during the assault on democracy. They stormed the Capitol after a “pep talk” by Trump earlier in the day that encouraged the MAGA-hat-wearing throngs to take their protest to the Capitol, where Congress and the vice president — against Trump orders — continued to do their jobs, as defined by the Constitution. When the masses breached the Capitol by breaking windows and doors and injuring Capitol police, Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the count, was swept to a secure location alongside members of the Senate and House. Thousands of President Trump’s supporters were in D.C. for Wednesday’s “Save America” rally, objecting to Biden’s November victory. Trump, who has yet to admit that he lost by a landslide, encouraged the “faithful” to gather in Washington. He spoke to the gathering earlier in the day, his comments including attacks on Congress and on Pence, who had declined Trump’s directive to illegally invalidate votes. Nashville-Area Rep. Jim Cooper as well as Senator Marsha Blackburn and Senator-Elect Bill Hagerty reported to the media, during the melee, that they were safe. My staff and I are currently safe. This is a dark day for America. — Jim Cooper (@repjimcooper) January 6, 2021 Senator Blackburn, a fervent supporter of Trump and Wednesday’s protests, has condemned the actions of the mob. At least 25 Capitol police were injured when trying to protect...
by Kathryn Farris | Dec 15, 2020 | News Slider, Politics
After a tumultuous election season, the country’s 538 electors met Monday to formally cast their votes for the next President. Former Vice President Joe Biden has officially surpassed the 270 votes needed to secure the presidency and is on his way to meet his projected total of 306 votes, defeating the incumbent President Trump. President-Elect Biden maintained his victory with votes from the key swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona. “It was like waking up on Christmas morning!” says nursing major Sarah Feldman on the moment she realized Biden was set to become the next President. “Biden isn’t perfect, but I have a glimmer of hope for our future now, and hope he keeps his promise of uniting both parties. We are a nation divided and I believe the president should bring people together, not tear them apart.” “I’m looking forward to the next four years as a stepping-stone to more progressive policies,” says Lizzy Bailey, a member of the Lipscomb chapter of democratic socialists. Bailey is relieved for Biden’s victory over Trump but remains hesitant on his policies. She says “I don’t expect a Biden administration to fulfill the American people’s needs. But on a social level, Trumps defeat makes America feel a little safer for minorities in my opinion…and we plan on holding Biden accountable in the same way we criticized Trump.” Despite tensions throughout the country over unsupported claims of voter fraud and President Trump’s numerous court cases, the electoral process moved smoothly with little to no conflict. President Trump has yet to concede but the timer is running low for other Republicans who haven’t yet acknowledged...
by Kathryn Farris | Nov 17, 2020 | News, News Slider, Politics
For many across the world, the 2020 presidential election has come to a close. After former Vice President Joe Biden was called as the projected winner last Saturday morning, his supporters rejoiced in the streets. Since then, many world and religious leaders have acknowledged Biden’s victory, yet current President Trump has not yet conceded and is exploring legal avenues to hold onto the presidency. “I mean it’s a pretty complicated issue but there were over 300 lawsuits that were filed prior to election day. Those kind of ran the gamut, but mostly the concerns were in regard to the changing rules surrounding elections, the presidential election obviously specifically,” said Dr. Susan Haynes of Lipscomb’s political science department. “Basically, the efforts that states were making, and the changes that they were making in light of the pandemic really faced a lot of legal scrutiny.” Last Saturday, President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani stood before the later viral backdrop of Four Seasons Total Landscaping to claim [without current evidence] that Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania was due to voter fraud. The conversation of voter fraud is a huge proponent of Trump’s argument against current election results, yet currently, there remain substantial claims. “At this point, there has not been evidence of systematic fraud,” says Haynes on the allegations “I think that what’s being reported right now is pretty idiosyncratic and singular. However, I do know that in Georgia the margin at least as of yesterday was 7000 votes and the Governor wants to have a manual recount.” “Those types of efforts are done because the idea is that the manual recount is kind of one of the most...
