Chief Justice John Roberts is a 63-year-old white male with Irish ancestry. George Bush nominated him to the Supreme Court in 2005 (Kubicek 23). Roberts studied at Harvard law school and later went to private practice. Roberts took a pay cut from 1 million to about 200, 000 dollars a year when he moved from private to public practice. Justice Neil Gorsuch is a 50-year-old white American male who was nominated by president Trump when he assumed office (Hurl 22). He attended Harvard law school and later went to private practice. Justice Anthony Kennedy is an 81-year-old white male who was nominated by president Regan in 1988. He attended Harvard law school and later joined his father’s law firm for private practice. Justice Clarence Thomas is a 69-year-old black judge who was nominated by President Bush to the office. He attended Yale law school and was later appointed as assistant attorney general (Kubicek 34).
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is an 84-year-old female justice with Jewish roots. She was nominated by Bill Clinton and attended Harvard law school. Justice Stephen Breyer is a white79-year-old male who was appointed by President Clinton to the office. He went to Harvard law school for his law degree. Justice Samuel Alito is a 67-year-old Italian American male and is one of the most conservative justices ever served (Hurl 33). He attended Yale law school and was nominated by President Bush. Justice Sonia Sotomayor is a 63-year-old Latina female who was appointed by President Obama to the office. She attended Princeton University on a full scholarship. Justice Elena Kagan is a 57-year-old female who attended Princeton, Yale, and Oxford law school and was nominated to office by President Obama. It is clear that the justices are from diverse groups and therefore represent different groups in the country. The judges can represent the country on diverse issues because they possess the necessary knowledge and experience. Therefore, they can decide on fundamental issues affecting the country and beyond.
It is quite evident that the United States is a diverse country, but the justices of the nation are not. This is evident from the fact that whenever citizens who are recognized and entitled to a jury, many of those who pass through the court system tend to face an expected presence on a particular bench. Regarding this specific case, one can argue that with the increasing level of diversity in the United States of America, justices being delivered do not recognize diversity as it should have been (Kubicek 26). It is important to note that most of the legal disputes in the United States are usually heard and determined in the state courts. As expected, the state courts are often supposed to serve a broad range of constituencies and an increasing number of public diversity. It is quite evident that the United States justice systems are usually challenged in the merit selection and the judicial election systems especially when it comes to creating diversity.
Based on the current justice system in the United States, it is quite evident that the very small group of people who are mainly judges and the jury tend to make decisions on fundamental issues, which is often challenged by lack of diversity. For instance, in a particular case, the majority of the judges usually make a decision. In a case comprising of nine judges, a decision can be reached if five judges out of nine decide on a specific issue. Therefore, the majority in this case often takes their way, which leads to the question of whether the United States justices is diverse? What is even more surprising is that fewer judges are in the courtroom than compared to male judges, despite female law students being a majority. Unless the state takes immediate actions, white men will continue to hold a disproportionate share in the judicial system, despite the fact that women and other minority communities keep making strides in the legal profession.