35 days after one of the most strict abortion laws in the country went into effect and over four months after it was passed, the law was temporarily blocked. Two days later, the ban was reinstated: and the fate of the abortion law is still to be seen. This back-and-forth surrounding partisan hot button issues has become common, with priorities and even principles changing with each administration. Lawsuits against Larry Nassar began in 2016 and the issue of the handling of the cases by the FBI is still being brought before Congress, showing how it is not only highly contested issues that face this backlog, but those that seem very black and white as well. These cases are issues surrounding human rights, and the conversation of constitutionality surrounding the abortion ban is not a new one, so why does it take so long for the government to act in these situations? The lack of sustainable action can take away basic human rights, and these cases call into question the efficiency of the government to truly protect the rights of its citizens.

The question of whether or not the government can interfere in a woman’s right to abortion has reached the highest court once before, and the new Texas law may bring it there again. However, there are around 7,000 cases filed with the Supreme Court every year. Despite the amount filed, only 74 cases were heard in the 2019-2020 term, and only 63 decisions were issued. The Roe v. Wade decision took years, which isn’t surprising given these numbers and given that the court’s term is only nine months out of the year. The length of time it takes to finally issue a decision on a case leaves citizens not only without rights, but questioning the future of them for extended periods of time. With such important cases hanging in the balance, this system is not efficient in issuing decisions, especially when the same issues can be brought up again and again. The Roe v. Wade decision was issued in the 70s, yet here we are again raising the same question as the Supreme Court begins its 2021-2022 session.

The Texas legislature’s term is even shorter than that of the Supreme Court, with the legislature only meeting for a regular session for 140 days in odd numbered years. While the legislature can be called for 30 day special sessions, these special sessions can only be called by the governor; only what the governor outlines in the proclamation calling the special session can be discussed. This is not an efficient system for governing. In the past we have seen the clock run out before issues can be resolved both in regular sessions and special sessions. This can leave issues unresolved for nearly two years before the legislature is in session again. Being a state lawmaker is not considered a full time job in many states — with representatives having one or more other jobs — yet the politics of contested issues and the news cycle of events keeps turning year round, even in even numbered years.

Not only are the legislature and judiciary arguably inefficient, but the FBI’s mishandling of the Larry Nassar investigation is still being questioned. Not only did the FBI take too long to act on the Nassar case, but the mishandling of the case is still an issue being brought before Congress. The FBI failed to protect children and continues to fail to stop this from happening again. While some action has been taken, including the firing of an FBI official that mishandled the case and later lied about it, this is far from enough to keep this situation from repeating itself with the next case. Overall, government efficiency is an issue that needs to be addressed in every branch of government, from lawmaking and judicial review, to the execution and enforcement of these laws.

35 days after one of the most strict abortion laws in the country went into effect and over four months after it was passed, the law was temporarily blocked. Two days later, the ban was reinstated: and the fate of the abortion law is still to be seen. This back-and-forth surrounding partisan hot button issues has become common, with priorities and even principles changing with each administration. Lawsuits against Larry Nassar began in 2016 and the issue of the handling of the cases by the FBI is still being brought before Congress, showing how it is not only highly contested issues that face this backlog, but those that seem very black and white as well. These cases are issues surrounding human rights, and the conversation of constitutionality surrounding the abortion ban is not a new one, so why does it take so long for the government to act in these situations? The lack of sustainable action can take away basic human rights, and these cases call into question the efficiency of the government to truly protect the rights of its citizens.

The question of whether or not the government can interfere in a woman’s right to abortion has reached the highest court once before, and the new Texas law may bring it there again. However, there are around 7,000 cases filed with the Supreme Court every year. Despite the amount filed, only 74 cases were heard in the 2019-2020 term, and only 63 decisions were issued. The Roe v. Wade decision took years, which isn’t surprising given these numbers and given that the court’s term is only nine months out of the year. The length of time it takes to finally issue a decision on a case leaves citizens not only without rights, but questioning the future of them for extended periods of time. With such important cases hanging in the balance, this system is not efficient in issuing decisions, especially when the same issues can be brought up again and again. The Roe v. Wade decision was issued in the 70s, yet here we are again raising the same question as the Supreme Court begins its 2021-2022 session.

The Texas legislature’s term is even shorter than that of the Supreme Court, with the legislature only meeting for a regular session for 140 days in odd numbered years. While the legislature can be called for 30 day special sessions, these special sessions can only be called by the governor; only what the governor outlines in the proclamation calling the special session can be discussed. This is not an efficient system for governing. In the past we have seen the clock run out before issues can be resolved both in regular sessions and special sessions. This can leave issues unresolved for nearly two years before the legislature is in session again. Being a state lawmaker is not considered a full time job in many states — with representatives having one or more other jobs — yet the politics of contested issues and the news cycle of events keeps turning year round, even in even numbered years.

Not only are the legislature and judiciary arguably inefficient, but the FBI’s mishandling of the Larry Nassar investigation is still being questioned. Not only did the FBI take too long to act on the Nassar case, but the mishandling of the case is still an issue being brought before Congress. The FBI failed to protect children and continues to fail to stop this from happening again. While some action has been taken, including the firing of an FBI official that mishandled the case and later lied about it, this is far from enough to keep this situation from repeating itself with the next case. Overall, government efficiency is an issue that needs to be addressed in every branch of government, from lawmaking and judicial review, to the execution and enforcement of these laws.