OPINION
What Comes Now in the Wake of What Black Parents Justice Kennedy’s Retirement? Must Do This Summer By Craig Chamberlain University of Illinois Social Sciences Editor Justice Anthony Kennedy is stepping down from the U.S. Supreme Court and his replacement could be confirmed this fall. What can we expect from the nomination process? And how might the court change? U. of I. political science professor Alicia Uribe-McGuire focuses her research on the politics of Supreme Court and other federal judicial appointments. She spoke with U. of I. News Bureau social sciences editor Craig Chamberlain. Some pundits are predicting a nasty fight over the nomination, even though Democrats would seem to have little power to influence the outcome. What political considerations might influence either the choice of nominee or the two parties’ strategies? The biggest political consideration will be the upcoming midterm elections. While the Democrats are at a disadvantage, since they have 24 Senate seats up and the Republicans only 9, this adds one more thing to the slate of election topics. With the balance of the court having the potential to really shift in a way that we have not seen in a number of years, this could add fuel for the Democrats in some of the closer races if a super conservative nominee is confirmed prior to the election. The only power that remains with the Democrats in the nomination process is to try to influence one of the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to join them in stalling the nomination in committee.
If Trump were concerned over the possible impact on midterm elections, he would likely go with a more moderate nominee. As for the choice of nominee, we will see what President Trump decides to do. Of the 25 names on his most recent list of potential nominees, only two are more liberal/moderate than Chief Justice John Roberts, while the rest are more conservative. Thus the new swing vote will either be Roberts or the newest member of the court. If Trump were concerned over the possible impact on midterm elections, he would likely go with a more moderate nominee. But if he is hoping to cement a conservative court, then he might take advantage of what could be limited time with a Republican Senate and try to push through a more conservative nominee. What do you think Kennedy’s exit might mean for the court, in terms of both his votes and his voice? Kennedy has been the swing vote on the Supreme Court since 2006, when Sandra Day O’Connor retired. During his tenure as the center of the court, we have seen some victories for liberals, most specifically the expansion of gay rights. However, we have also seen some solid victories for conservatives, including the recent cases of Janus v. AFSCME on public employee unions and Trump v. Hawaii on travel bans for specific countries – as well as one of the
Supreme Court’s more recent controversial decisions, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, on corporate and union funding of campaigns. With a rightward shift of the court, liberal victories seem less likely. Many pundits are suggesting that Kennedy’s replacement could lock in a solid conservative majority for years, if not decades. What might be the flaws, if any, in that assessment? Strictly by the numbers, yes, there will be a solid conservative majority for quite a while. Given that we will likely see a conservative nominee to replace Justice Kennedy, that would make a conservative bloc of five, with the most senior and eldest member of that bloc being Clarence Thomas, who is only 70 years old and does not seem likely to step down anytime soon. In contrast, the most senior members of the four-member liberal bloc are Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, who are 85 and 79, respectively. Under this new court, we would expect to see more of the conservative victories like those that Kennedy helped decide. However, I do not think this means we will see the drastic changes that many conservatives are hoping for. For example, I would not expect this court to overturn the Obergefell v. Hodges decision on gay marriage or the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion. To do either would put the court’s legitimacy at stake and Chief Justice Roberts appears to be particularly sensitive to that, and thus unlikely to overturn those landmark decisions. So while we might see conservative expansions, I do not think we will necessarily see a reversal of liberal policies already in place.
By Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu There is a three-year gap between Black and White students. Many people love to believe it’s due to income, fatherlessness, educational attainment of the parent and lack of parental involvement. I believe a major reason for the gap is we continue to close schools for the summer as if we are an agrarian economy. Very few Black youth will be farming this summer. If you multiply 3 months by 12 years, you will see the 3-year gap. There is nothing wrong with Black youth if their schools remained open during the summer and/or their parents kept them academically engaged. Middle-income parents who value education enroll their children in some type of academic experience during the summer. They also visit libraries, museums, zoos and colleges. Other parents allow their children to sleep longer, play more video games, watch more television and play basketball until they can’t see the hoop. These students will have to review the same work they had mastered in May in September. Black parents cannot allow their child to lose 3 months every year. Black parents cannot say they cannot afford the library. It’s free! Most museums have discounted days. A male friend of mine shared his experience with me when he took his family to the museum. He wondered why so many people were staring at him. His wife and children had to tell him he was the only Black man in the building! I am appealing to every father to take his children this summer to the library, museum, and the zoo. I am
appealing to every mother to do it if he won’t. We need every parent to make sure their child reads at least one book per week and to write a book report. I am reminded of the formula Sonya Carson used to develop Ben Carson to become the best pediatric neurosurgeon. This low-income single parent, with a third grade education, had enough sense to tell her sons to turn off the television, read a book and write a report that her sister would grade! I have a theory that I can go into your house and within 5 minutes tell you the type of student who lives there and predict their future. I believe that engineers, doctors, lawyers, accountants etc. need different items in their house than ballplayers, rappers, and criminals. I am very concerned when I visit a house that has more music and downloads than books. My company, African American Images, has designed a special collection of books for boys. Research shows one of the major reasons boys dislike reading is because of the content. The set is titled Best Books for Boys. We also have one for girls, parents and teachers. Enjoy your summer. Let’s close the gap. I look forward to your child’s teacher asking your child what did you do for the summer? And your child answering: we went to the library, museum, zoo, colleges and other great educational places. Jawanza Kunjufu is author of There is Nothing Wrong With Black Students, Changing School Culture For Black Males, Raising Black Boys and Raising Black Girls.
Illinois Tollway Committed To Economic Access For All By Corey Brooks way with a perspective from more Illinois Tollway Board Director than 20 advocacy agencies on how to improve the Tollway’s diversity programs. These representatives Ensuring economic opportunity have a long history of assisting is a goal I believe to be a guiding Disadvantaged Business Entermoral principle in my work on the prises (DBE) and veteran-owned Illinois Tollway Board. That’s why businesses in Illinois and have a I’m proud of the Tollway’s commit- strong track record of assisting the ment to diversity and inclusion. An Tollway. example of this commitment is the The DAC reviews existing polcreation of the Diversity Advisory icies and programs to effectively Council, or DAC. Established in increase diversity opportunities 2015, the DAC provides the Tollacross the Tollway’s construction 8 July 4 - 10, 2018
and professional services contracts. It is a priority for the Illinois Tollway to provide an inclusive environment that promotes business development and growth for all businesses. A commitment that is embedded throughout the Tollway’s departments and throughout the agency’s leadership, this Council works closely with the Board of Director’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee to provide the meaningful commitments that produce results. www.chicagodefender.com
Thanks to this close partnership, the Tollway produced a report identifying nearly 30 recommendations for increasing access to economic opportunities for diverse and veteran-owned firms. Some adopted recommendations include breaking up larger contracts to provide prime bid opportunities for smaller firms; establishing the Partnering for Growth (P4G) Construction Program that provides mentoring opportunities between small and large firms; and
launching a new initiative to provide pre-apprenticeship training to increase diversity within the construction trades. We’re proud of the work we’ve done to provide an inclusive environment that creates jobs, builds wealth and provides meaningful opportunities for diverse communities. But we’re not done and we’re just getting started. There’s more to come from the Illinois Tollway. THE CHICAGO DEFENDER