mr. merkley: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: mr. president, on july 4, we celebrated the founding of our nation, as we do every year. but when i woke up on this july 4, i had a strange thought, a thought i'd never had before, the question of what kind of country are we celebrating. i've always had immense pride in the founding vision of our nation, and that vision of equality, of opportunity for all, of freedom of religion, of equal justice under the law, of equal representation, and most importantly of government of, by, and for the people. our journey as a nation, over nearly 250 years, has been the difficult journey of moving towards full implementation of this vision. that's an inspiring journey, a journey i've been proud to witness, a journey i've been proud to be part of. but just days before this year's july fourth celebration, we saw the conclusion of the supreme court's latest judicial term, a term over which the court displayed a far different vision for america, one with devastating repercussions that will reverberate in