The recent Supreme Court rulings on student debt relief and LGBTQ+ rights are appalling and undemocratic. That 9 unelected officials can irrevocably alter the fate of millions of Americans is wrong on the fundamental aspects upon which the Country was founded; that democracy and appropriate action at each level of government be regulated by the other branches.

The Supreme Court’s decision in favor of a web designer and religious bigot who wants to refuse service to gay couples is ridiculous. The ruling is grounded in the idea of free speech, but the irony of the freedom to exist is not lost on the LGBTQ+ community. The cruelty is the point. Where does religious freedom end and my freedom to human rights begin? According to the Supreme Court, anti-discrimination laws can be circumvented by claims to free speech. What about LGBTQ+ people’s right to speak on the discrimination we face?

Meanwhile, the student debt crisis marches on, condemning working people and increasingly young workers to a lifetime of struggle. This was no less than an undermining of the executive branch of power and a way for the conservative supermajority to exert its power over the people. It is, as one CNN article noted, the majority making political decisions instead of legislative ones.

How can we possibly entrust the conservative Supreme Court to make legal decisions when those decisions are along party lines and not for the good of the people? It is time for a change and that is why it is more important than ever to VOTE Democrat. While it will take time to turn the supermajority away from the Supreme Court, electing Democrats to office can mitigate the damages and ensure that Democratic judges are elected at the local level.