As the US presidential election looms on 8 November, both candidates were invited during the final televised debate of the campaign period to offer their visions for the Supreme Court of the United States. With at least one, but potentially up to three, seats in play on the SCOTUS bench during the next four to eight years, the question of nominations to the nation’s highest court has been one of the definitive issues of both Mr Trump and rival Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton’s pitches to the American public. During the fifteen minutes of the debate allocated to SCOTUS, both candidates were asked to elaborate on their visions for the direction of the Supreme Court and their interpretations of the US Constitution. However, the debate period very quickly became dominated by the candidates’ polarised views on two divisive issues – gun control and abortion.

Pro-life vs. pro-choice

While Ms Clinton made an emphatic promise to continue appointing SCOTUS judges that want to uphold and strengthen federal-level protections for access to reproductive care and abortions, Mr Trump told viewers that he would appoint pro-life judges – going so far as to say that the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling would be overturned ‘automatically’ if he wins the power to appoint two or three new SCOTUS justices. He commented: ‘The justices I’m going to appoint will be pro-life, they will have a conservative bent, they will be protecting the Second Amendment. They will interpret the Constitution the way the Founders wanted it.’

Gun control

On the question of guns, both candidates expressed their support for the Second Amendment but diverged significantly on the question of regulation. While Mr Trump dodged questions about whether he supported any form of regulation for gun ownership, Ms Clinton defended herself against the accusation that she opposes the Second Amendment right to bear arms, while also calling for tougher regulation: ‘Because I support the Second Amendment doesn’t mean I want people who shouldn’t have guns to be able to threaten or kill members of your family,’ she said. Sources: Law.com; Wall Street Journal