No Protestants on the Supreme Court

This is an interesting article.

It's something I never would have thought about if they hadn't brought it up. After Stevens leaves the court, it will be the first time in US history that there will be no Protestants on the Supreme Court.

Elena Kagan could reshape the US Supreme Court

For the first time since it was set up 221 years ago by America's Protestant founding fathers, the US Supreme Court is poised to have a bench without a single Protestant justice, if Jewish candidate Elena Kagan is chosen.

If the Senate confirms Elena Kagan, President Barack Obama's choice to replace retiring justice John Paul Stevens, she will join two other Jewish justices and six Roman Catholics serving on the highest court in the land.

The thought of a Protestant-free Supreme Court bench was too much to bear for some.

"I'd like to offer here... a lament for the passing of American Protestantism," American religion scholar Diana Butler Bass wrote on BeliefNet.com about Obama's decision to nominate Kagan, a Jew.

"There will be no one with Protestant sensibilities on the court, no one who understands the nuances of one of America's oldest and most traditional religions - and the religion that deeply shaped American culture and law."

The United States was, after all, once the largest Protestant nation in the world, she noted. Protestants currently make up the country's biggest religious group

Read more: Telegraph UK

If she makes it to the bench, the Supremes will consist of 6 Roman Catholics and 3 Jews.

Is this an issue for anyone here?



[edit on 5/12/10 by FortAnthem]

Oh noes!!

I dont think there are any trans-gender substance abuse recovering Cambodians on the court either.

All this time wasted on making sure there is some sort of ethnic/religious cornucopia in an office is ridiculous.

Would be better to look at her record of views, positions and statements. Sure, her status as a trans-gender Cambodian recovering addict may play a part in shaping those opinions of hers but who cares? If she goes on record backing a dictatorship by Presidential decree or believing I should have guns I really dont care how she came to that conclusion or why she thinks what she does. It's not going to make me feel any better living unarmed in the dictatorship if I "understand where she's coming from."

As a Protestant, this doesn't bother me in the slightest. I've actually recently thought that it may actually be better for America if Christians, actually those who say they are that are on the national political scene, didn't start running the country like some want. The prospect of such an America is frightening to me.

Protastants tend to be the more "hard-core" fundamentalists. Some Catholics and Jews can be quite religeous but never allowed it to be a factor..exept , maybe on abortion issues. not a bad thing..if it matters

Being a Catholic myself, it doesn't bother me much that the Court will be devoid of any Protestants. I was just wondering if anyone out there thought this was an issue.

It's interesting how liberals are always crowing about how they want the government to "look like America" but, the only way they can do this is by appointing minorities in order to create new firsts and novelties with every appointment. It's gotten to be a joke in many circles.

The funny thing is, in their efforts to make the Government "look like America", they seem to have, almost intentionally, excluded the group that makes up the majority of Americans completely.

Maybe they think the majority has no rights anymore.

[edit on 5/12/10 by FortAnthem]

The law and constitution are supposed to be unbiased/unaffected by religious beliefs.

As long as they adhere to this obligation, and honor it, I'm fine with it.