The central issues in Criminal Justice and the Rule of Law revolve around how Supreme Court justices are appointed and how their ideological leanings affect all citizens of the United States. According to the chapter, the Supreme Court's decision that other constitutional amendments fell under the domain of the Fourteenth Amendment was supported by those within the legal community as ensuring the criminal justice system was in line with the American values of citizens' rights and liberties, and that the government's authority was limited. Explain two reasons why this might hold true, then provide rebuttals for each reason that demonstrate the opposite opinion.

Two reasons why the government authority is limited are that large decisions made (as in the Supreme Court) have to be voted on by nine court justices, typically a variation of liberal and conservative, and it typically is a difficult decision for them and comes down to a tie breaker of 5-4. Another reason why authority is limited within the government is that (most) trials are typically decided by a jury of nonbiased citizens. This leaves the power of decision making in the hands of the general population. Two rebuttals for those statements are that there are no real limitations on who the President of the US picks and nominates for the Supreme Court, so the odds of liberal vs conservative may be skewed in favor of the President's overall viewpoint and vision. The jury selection process typically leaves room for error, and the jury that is usually selected is not an accurate representation of the typical variety that is seen in that area's population.