Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Rule of Six has been defined as a social gathering protocol where a gathering of more than six people is considered unsafe due to the contagious nature of the disease.
However, in America, this rule of six has been redefined, as six conservative justices of the US Supreme Court are now the new rulers of America, who are driving the country behind the bench.
Sometimes, the Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is considered as the President of the United States, with his rigid stance in blocking some of the extremely crucial policies against the will of the entire Democratic party.
But the Rule of Six is empowering the conservative justices, who have once again attacked Biden’s vaccine mandate on private employers despite the fact that daily cases have been approaching one million cases per day, and the hospitals are facing a chronic shortage of resources amid the rising flow of patients.
Rule of Six: Republicans Ideology Still Driving the Country
Republicans, who tried hard to pack the Supreme Court by rejecting the hearing of Merrick Garland in the election year of 2016, approved the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in 2020. This is considered to be the principal reason for the persisting Rule of Six in America.
As a matter of fact, a 5-4 majority can always be flipped to either side, as the chief justice is usually considered to be a relatively lesser partisan arbiter than other justices.
But a 6-3 majority is the worst thing that the American Supreme Court can have as it is harder to flip even in extreme circumstances. Thus, this Rule of Six is a judicial monarchy that America is experiencing these days.
This is important at a time when some historic cases are pending in the Supreme Court, including banning abortion in America.
Many commentators have already suggested that the heavily dominated conservatism in the US Supreme Court is the end of abortion rights for Americans, as many Republican states are already legislating against the Roe vs. Wade precedent without any fear.
Republican states are also making election suppression laws, considering that they have their implanted Democratic Senators like Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema, who are not supporting the end of the filibuster practice.
Gerrymandering is at an all-time high, and even when the Ohio Supreme Court tossed Republican-approved gerrymandered congressional maps, the Supreme Court is giving the GOP free hands in drawing the repressive maps.
This is no surprise, as Supreme Court justices in Ohio are also elected, and they know the value of public sentiments, unlike the Supreme Court justices, who are nominated for life.
For the same reason that the US is being dominated by the Rule of Six, Republican governors and legislatures pursued banning compulsory vaccination, as they know that they have the back of the Rule of Six.
Conservative Supreme Court is Ignoring Modern Day Technologies in Their Decision Making
Even though the data suggests that hospitalizations are greater in non-vaccinated people, the US Supreme Court is ignoring the data altogether. This is not a surprising thing, as conservatives can ignore modern technologies while making a decision.
Legal discussion should be undertaken, considering the new evolving technologies that have a proven record for bringing change and improvements in people’s lives.
This stands even more relevant at a time when doctors nationwide are complaining about the shortage of staff and the reduction of facilities at health care centers.
So, now after the ban of the private employees’ vaccination, a new wave of patients can move toward hospitals, which can create further outbreaks in these health centers, resulting in chaos.
Final Thoughts
The Biden administration should consider the wording of the court verdict, as conservative justices believed that a rather specific mandate is helpful that is addressed to a specific type of workforce.
According to the judges, measuring all workers on the same scale is not a wise approach. So, the Biden administration can issue a vaccination mandate that is targeted to the highly vulnerable age group, let’s say those having age more than 50.
This way, Biden can avoid the Rule of Six to some extent, as it is a better way instead of ignoring the mandate altogether.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.