I am a lay person who reads your columns. I am very concerned about the integrity of the U.S. Supreme Court and what will happen to it.  

The U.S. Supreme Court, throughout most of its history, has been one of the most respected and influential government bodies. The Supreme Court has often held a much higher level of respect among the public than the presidential office or the Congressional offices. The opinions and dissents over the last 220 years have helped to define our society and its laws. Chief Justice John Marshall’s opinions, which established the role and right of appellate review of the Supreme Court was monumental. The dissent by Justice Marshall Harlan in Plessy v. Ferguson objecting to the separate, but equal doctrine was not only courageous, but essentially a prediction of the future. The dissents by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes and Justice Louis Brandeis in First Amendment cases set the tone for the future. The opinion of the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education essentially redefined racial relations, hastened the demise of Jim Crow and foreshadowed a new day. The decision in New York Times v. Sullivan was a strong affirmation of First Amendment Rights and freedom of the press.