As we await the results of today’s elections, it is important to remember that the next president will likely be able to nominate multiple Supreme Court Justices which could cause dramatic shifts in the ideological make-up of the Court. Do Americans want a more diverse Supreme Court with justices committed to a balanced approach that treats all Americans fairly or do they want justices who, like the current far right majority on the Court, routinely favor large powerful corporate interests over the rights of individuals? The implications are huge.

A review of a large number of editorial boards that have weighed in on this subject are evidence that Americans understand the magnitude of what is at stake here.  That being said, a giant number of regional and student newspapers as well as a significant number of national newspapers have endorsed President Obama for reelection. And an overwhelming majority of  these endorsements cite the Supreme Court as an enormous contributing factor to keeping President Obama in office due to very real fears that the ever–flip–flopping Mitt Romney will be forced by his radical Republican electorate and team to nominate justices who intend to overturn Roe v. Wade, expand special interests’ power like in the the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling, and guarantee an extremist conservative majority.

From the Washington Post to the New York Times to the Economist, publications of every political stripe cite the concerns over what a Romney Court would do to women, the LGBT community, immigrants, and the rights of the common American as reason to deny Romney the presidency.

Be sure to check out PFAW’s new report on the Court’s importance.