Palin on Supreme Court Decisions

In yet another interview with Katie Couric, Palin demonstrates her lack of familiarity with Supreme Court decisions and the basis for those decisions. Many critics have focused on her inability to name a Supreme Court decision she disagreed with other than Roe v. Wade but I'd like to highlight two other observations I made from the interview.

1) She either doesn't understand the Roe v. Wade decision or else she doesn't understand the possible implications of a Constitutional right to privacy.

She indicated that she believes in an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution but insists that she disagrees with Roe v. Wade. The decision in Roe v. Wade was based on the right to privacy as interpreted from the 14th amendment. The fact that she fails to offer an explanation of why a right to privacy should not be applicable in the Roe v. Wade decision indicates that either she does not understand the underlying arguments of Roe v. Wade or she has not thought about the far-reaching implications of an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution.

2) She does not believe that she would have influence to overturn Roe v. Wade if she were to become Vice President.

In making the following statement to Couric regarding Supreme Court decisions with she disagrees, Palin's position on her ability to overturn such cases is clear.

She says, "But, you know, as a mayor, and then as a governor and even as a vice president, if I’m so privileged to serve, wouldn’t be in a position of changing those things but in supporting the law of the land as it reads today."