On July 9, 1868 the 14th Amendment was passed to the United States Constitution. Not only did the 14th Amendment overturn one of the worst U.S. Supreme Court rulings, the Dred Scott case which precluded African Americans from voting by denying them the status of U.S. citizenship, it also helped to pave the way for the 19th Amendment and Brown v. Board of Education. Let us not forget that Brown v. Board of Education overturned another of the bottom five worst U.S. Supreme Court rulings, Plessy v. Ferguson–the nefarious notion of separate but equal. Thank you 14th Amendment for Due Process and Equal Protection–sadly we still have yet to see you fully implemented. On another dreary note, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of Citizens United ranks down there at the bottom five as well and fully demonstrates how sullied the current court is.
As TSM celebrates the 14th Amendment, one can’t help but to revisit the tragedy that is Rand Paul, who was elected as a Kentucky Senator during the Tea Bag Flood of 2010 while decrying the 14th Amendment. Thank goodness Republican Gov. Rick (the Bigot) Scott did not get his way as he was working with the Secretary of State in Florida to prevent people from voting. Sadly we still need to worry about bigots like Republican Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai who specifically stated that:
Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it’s done. First pro-life legislation – abortion facility regulations – in 22 years, done.Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done.
Click here if you can stomach the video of Turzai.
Moving on to the issue of marriage equality–this seems like a no brainer here! If all citizens are to enjoy Equal Protection under the 14th Amendment, why is the LGBTQ community being denied the right to marriage? Let’s hope that when the pending cases reach the Supreme Court we get Brown rather than Plessy!
Social Justice For All 
I’m right with you here, Michael — I find it stunning that some political leaders are willing to question the very foundation of civil rights in this nation. What’s next? questioning the 13th Amendment? The Constitution itself?
Cheers to you for pointing this out!
Didion,
I fear the Tea Baggers are trying to shred the constitution, not that they have bothered to take the time to read it, but they hold it in contempt nonetheless–bunch of white petulant privileged arrested adolescents.
Amen to that. I just want to cry when so many actual voters refuse to hear the news that those Tea Baggers are, quite simply, liars.
How sad that at least 4 of the current Supreme Court Justices are bigoted classist Tea Baggers, who have learned nothing from history.
Equal Protection?…Does that give people the right of voting on others rights? I thought these were something everyone automatically had? I guess not if you’re a member of the GOP.
Tom,
I love love love that you call out the hypocrisy of voting on other people’s civil rights, as this violates the Equal Protection clause!
Easy answer, most politicians have not read the constitution. And most americans have not either. Therefor, they make up laws and say they are constitutional.
How tragically accurate, Bonnie!
I have a book of the Constitution. Not only what the words are but what each Amendment means. This should be required reading before anyone can go into politics. If you need a license to drive and also to get married, it’s only fair that politicians should have one also.
Tom,
I would love to do a survey of how many of our elected officials have actually read the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, which is a beautiful document.
The Fourteenth Amendment should have been the crowning achievement of our political and legal culture and indeed it has opened the doors to great improvement for many of the downtrodden. It has, unfortunately been used, indeed has mostly been used, to give corporations more power. It was behind the years of legal precedent that led gradually to the nightmare that is Citizens United. Most of the cases in which the 14th was invoked that came before the Supreme Court in that amendments early days involved recognizing the rights of corporations, a sad fact most Americans are unaware of.
Christine,
I fear the current SCOTUS will go down in infamy!
What precisely really stimulated u to post “Celebrating the 14th
Amendment: Long May It Stand? The Solipsistic Me”? I personallyseriously
enjoyed reading the post! Thanks for your time -Ryan