“You don’t overturn precedent unless there’s a good reason.“
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Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (S. C.) said on Sunday that he did not think Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion across the country, should be overturned without a “good reason.”
“You don’t overturn precedent unless there’s a good reason,” Graham said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“I would tell my pro-life friends: you can be pro-life and conservative, but you can also believe in stare decisis,” he continued, referencing the “many different ways” the case has been upheld in court rulings over the years.
WATCH: @LindseyGrahamSC on Roe v. Wade: “You don’t overturn precedent unless there’s a good reason.” Don’t miss his EXCLUSIVE interview on #MTP tomorrow to hear about the Supreme Court, abortion and more #IfItsSunday pic.twitter.com/rY9c1YWuic
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 30,2018
Other lawmakers, like Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), have also supported upholding Roe v. Wade.
“I believe very much that Roe v. Wade is settled law,” Collins said on Sunday. “A candidate for this important position who would overturn Roe v. Wade would not be acceptable to me because that would indicate an activist agenda that I don’t want to see a judge have.”
The senators‘ comments come just after Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced that he would retire from his position on the court by the end of July, a decision that has given President Donald Trump a second shot at naming a justice to the bench.
“Justice Kennedy has been a tireless voice for individual rights and the Founders‘ enduring vision of limited government,” the president said of the swing-vote judge shortly after the announcement.
“His words have left an indelible mark not only on this generation, but on the fabric of American history,” he continued.
President Trump has since released a list of 25 individuals he said he would consider nominating for Kennedy’s position last year.
The potential candidates include Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, who serves on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, Brett Kavanaugh, a judge on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt Grant.
Kelcey Caulder is a News Fellow at IJR. Previously, she worked with the web team at the Los Angeles Times and led the Student Press Law Center’s campa… more
