Irish Examiner view: Out-of-touch Republican Party subverting US democracy

The GOP is turning to right-wing judges — many appointed during the Donald Trump presidency — and state legislatures it controls to enforce minority rule. File picture: Joe Maiorana/AP

In opinion poll after opinion poll, the Republican Party in America — the GOP (Grand Old Party) as it is widely known — has been shown to be increasingly out of touch with the voting public on sensitive and controversial issues such as abortion rights and gun control.

Rather than rethinking its position on such issues, the GOP is turning to right-wing judges — many appointed during the Donald Trump presidency — and state legislatures it controls to enforce minority rule. Some academic experts are describing this as minority authoritarianism.

Having failed at the ballot box in 2018, 2020, and 2022, and with the Democratic Party in control of both the White House and the Senate, the GOP has proved itself expert at finding ways to subvert normal democratic processes. One such method is via the judiciary.

The Supreme Court is one avenue and as there is now a conservative majority on the court thanks to three appointments made during Trump’s single term in office, it was last year able to overturn the Roe v Wade ruling which enshrined the right to abortion for over half a century, despite opinion polls showing a majority in favour of protecting it.

Lower courts, too, have shown a willingness to buck popular opinion and, more recently, Matthew Kacsmaryk, a judge nominated by Trump in Amarillo, Texas, ruled against the current Joe Biden administration on issues such as immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. 

Earlier this month, he also blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, America’s most common method of abortion. A legal battle has ensued which may well end up before the Supreme Court where the conservative majority may yet again prevail. Recent polls indicate most Americans — as many as two-thirds — believe the medication should remain legal.

If the judiciary falls short on matters on the GOP wishlist, many state governors have shown a willingness to intervene on matters such as gun safety, voting rights, and the teaching of gender and race issues in schools.

While the Republicans are demonstrably at odds with public opinion on so many issues, the party seems intent on forcing its will on millions of Americans and, for a party which preaches the merits of democracy, that does not seem to be a very democratic way of doing business.