(Editor's Note: The following opinion column does not represent an endorsement of any political party or candidate on the part of Newsmax.)
Between the lawfare, the attempts to keep former President Trump off the ballot in at least two states, and the demand for early, one-sided debates, Democrats have telegraphed loudly and clearly that they’re terrified of a second Trump presidency.
But they could care less about new controls on illegal immigration or boosts to the economy — they may even privately welcome them. Nor do they care about the “mean tweets” coming from the White House — they’re just a distraction.
A week ago Saturday President Biden revealed what their real fear is.
"The next president is likely to have two new Supreme Court nominees. Two more," Biden repeated, and then brought it down to his predecessor. Trump has "already appointed two that have been very negative in terms of rights of individuals."
He then took a swipe at Justice Samuel Alito, a George W, Bush appointee.
"The idea that if [Trump] is reelected, he can appoint two more, flying flags upside down," Biden said, adding that the prospect of more Trump-appointed justices was "one of the scariest parts of the administration."
Trump was able to appoint an amazing three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court during his first term: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, which, in turn, led to some momentous decisions.
Last year the high court ended 45 years of affirmative action, under which colleges and universities could consider an applicant's race in making admission decisions.
The current court also reaffirmed that Americans' Second Amendment rights "to keep and bear arms" is still alive and well.
Two years ago, for example, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen held that states may not impose onerous restrictions or "arbitrary" evaluations as a condition to grant a carry permit.
Over the weekend Vice President Kamala Harris predicted doom and gloom over America’s future if Second Amendment rights are expanded as the result of a second Trump term.
But it didn’t have the result she’d expected — at least according to film and television actor Mark Pellegrino.
"I hate Donald Trump but forcing the political class to respect the right of self defense. . . sounds damn good," he responded.
"Maybe you should stop tweeting now while you’re ahead? Oh wait. . . you aren’t ahead."
The biggie, however, may be abortion.
Today marks the two-year anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which struck down the nearly 50-year reign of Roe v. Wade, in which the court twisted itself into a pretzel to rationalize the notion that abortion was a constitutional right.
But Dobbs didn’t make abortion illegal; it authorized the states to regulate it as they see fit.
And during the nearly half-century that Roe was the law of the land, Democrats promised to codify that decision into federal law, but they never did — an indication that Americans have widely divergent views on abortion, depending, in part, on where they live.
And there would be little effect if Trump were to nominate two more members to the Supreme Court. The two oldest justices and those most likely to retire — Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — are also its most conservative.
If Trump’s previous nominees are an indication, he would replace them with jurists who are, if anything, more moderate than Thomas and Alito.
What may really gall liberals is that the decisions they complain about the most — affirmative action, abortion, and Second Amendment rights — came down during the Biden administration, but were only made possible because of Trump.
But more importantly, they were made possible, in large part, because of justices who adhered to the principles of originalism and textualism.
Originalists interpret the Constitution as it was understood at the time it was adopted and ratified. Similarly, textualists focus on the plain meaning of the text of a legal document, such as a statute.
An activist jurist, on the other hand, considers the Constitution a “living document,” one that changes with the times.
And activist judges have led to ridiculous opinion — such as Roe v. Wade.
But in truth the court is fine — it’s functioning much as it has throughout its 235-year history. Of the three branches of government, the one that truly needs reform is the executive branch — headed by the president.
There are currently 15 executive departments in the federal government, comprised of 438 agencies and sub-agencies, which are manned by nearly 3 million federal workers.
And Democrats are concerned by nine Supreme Court justices that head a separate and co-equal branch of government? Give me a break. They just want to replace the court’s two most conservative members with two of their own.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.