So we’re now at a point where almost all the laws of the land are basically decided by one Reagan appointee. Kennedy was in the majority for 97% of all cases during the 2016-17 Supreme Court term, according to statistics compiled by Scotusblog. He is the law.
Sadder still, we are at a point where we are desperately hoping he won’t retire. CNN has a scary story about Kennedy contemplating retirement:
He's hired clerks for next term, but warned at least one, two sources say, that retirement is always a possibility. There is precedent for the clerks who are hired by one justice to be absorbed by another justice if a retirement occurs. Indeed, Gorsuch was hired by Jusstice Byron White but served out his clerkship with Kennedy after White retired in 1993.
Everything we care about depends on these elderly Justices’ continued longevity, good health, and willingness to continue working. We really need to get out the Democratic vote in 2018 and 2020, to avoid living under a Trumpist Supreme Court for the next several decades.