On Friday, Donald Trump took the oath of office on the steps of Capitol Hill to become the 45th President of the United States. Just 24 hours later, feminist groups led one of the largest protests in our nation’s history. However, the protests revealed a frightening sentiment from many who oppose the new President. There seems to be a widespread belief that President Trump, along with the Republican congress and soon to be conservative Supreme Court, will begin to systematically roll back the rights of women, minorities, and members of the LGBTQ community. Despite their fears, the chances of this happening are extremely slim.
The proof of this statement lies within the legislative process. There are many who believe republicans want to overturn Roe v. Wade and Marriage Equality. The only problem is, it doesn’t really work like that. Funny thing about democracy is that it prevents a governing power from overturning the laws and regulations they don’t like. The Supreme Court made its ruling on Marriage Equality and abortion, which means the President, congress and the Supreme Court cannot overturn those decisions.
Could it happen? Of course, anything is possible, but congress cannot just pass a law overruling the Court’s decision or infringing upon it in any matter. If they did, it would be ruled unconstitutional by the Court. The process of passing a law is grueling and we have seen in recent years that a law rarely passes without drastic changes. As for court cases and decisions, a case would have to make it all the way from state level to federal level courts before having the opportunity to overturn a decision, which is also unlikely. President Trump is also not an almighty power either, as executive orders to overturn such decisions are not within his power.
Despite the distinct lack of understanding of how the government, legislative process, and Supreme Court, many still fear a loss of freedom or rights under the United States Constitution. To those people I would like to say, that if any such infringement upon your inalienable rights is to happen under the Trump administration, I, along with many other Republicans who do support the Constitution and the decisions the Supreme Court has made, will stand with you. If there were ever to come a time where women and minority groups were not given equal treatment under the Constitution, you will find me in the street protesting. However, I truly do not believe that day will come, and neither should you.
