If Trump Wins Re-Election - Will It Be The End Of America?

[Dalak]

This isn't some kangaroo court where they can just dictate things, though. There actually has to be a sound legal argument based on precedent. Every single SCOTUS decision has laid out a case using precedent and sound legal arguments, if you go through the history of their decisions. Nevertheless you can have disagreements (see - Plurality Decisions). Also majority opinion, dissenting opinion, concurring opinions.

Even if those conservative judges wanted to just sit there in power like Judge Dredd and declare "no more abortions" - its really not possible for them to do that. I just think too much focus is made on the court, and its largely due to conservatives making it such a focus for all the wrong reasons, not accepting that by design its a secular court that makes secular decisions.

State courts are a different matter and get confused with the SCOTUS at times. A state court can make some pretty whackadoodle judgements, which is why we see odd racist legal shenanigans that no one understands in places like Alabama.

Scott, if you just read the recent Kavanaugh opinion on voting, you can see that is not true.

There has already been the groundwork laid for outlawing abortion by places like the Federalist Society. Barrett has written about the basis for outlawing abortion. This is why she was put on the Court.

Barrett, Thomas and Alito have all said Roe can be overturned.

I'll take a look at the Kavanaugh opinion. I'm no lawyer but hopefully I can see the same thing you are seeing.

There is no way it would overturn RvW, even though that term gets used. RvW is always going to be on the books. The way it is practiced might be modified, however.

We'll see. The SCOTUS would still have to have a case set before them that gives them a reason to address the specifics of RvW. While that is possible, they still aren't the legislature, developing and approving laws. Even if four of the judges somehow modify RvW, that opinion would be tempered by the minority members, resulting in a plurality decision. A compromise. Its not so cut and dried.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I've been seeing the past several years the GoP has been packing whatever vacancies they can in courts high and low across the country in order to get those 'whackadoodle' judgements sent all the way to the SCOTUS so they can be ruled on by those highly biased justices in a way where they've proven they can ignore any precedent they choose.