Supreme Court upholds the Muslim ban. Really bad day for the Court but a reminder why people need to vote b/c the courts don't protect minority rights.

Bad week for the Supreme Court.

They also ruled that "crisis pregnancy centers" can lie and deceive pregnant women, and that Texas can gerrymander all they want.

We'll be paying for Republicans stealing the open SCOTUS position for decades.

 

Bad week for the Supreme Court.
They also ruled that "crisis pregnancy centers" can lie and deceive pregnant women, and that Texas can gerrymander all they want.
We'll be paying for Republicans stealing the open SCOTUS position for decades.

 

yes, yes we will.

 

Unbelievable. The court ruled Trump's comments could not be used to discern his motives. I feel like I live in an eastern European country right now. If this last election doesn't wake people up and show that they have to vote, I'm not sure what will.

Again,  Trump has control of all three branches of the government.  This country is so very much screwed.  Bone over our allies, cuddle up with our enemies, help the rich, hurt the old and poor and that's just the tip of the huge iceberg

 

Nothing this narcissistic, childish, disgrace to humanity won't do.

 

 The court ruled Trump's comments could not be used to discern his motives. I feel like I live in an eastern European country right now. If this last election doesn't wake people up and show that they have to vote, I'm not sure what will.

 

Interestingly (and inconsistently) they were able to find statements affected the neutrality in the bakery case just last week.  I am not sure how they could not find bias in all of Trump's statements.

 

I am also not sure how they could not find a racial bias in the gerrymandering case.

 

Who knows if they would have gotten anywhere, but I really wish they would have fought harder to get the Garland nomination through.  I think they were too confident Hillary would get to chose the next justice and did not think it was worth the fight.

 

Interestingly (and inconsistently) they were able to find statements affected the neutrality in the bakery case just last week.  I am not sure how they could not find bias in all of Trump's statements.

 

I am also not sure how they could not find a racial bias in the gerrymandering case.

 

Who knows if they would have gotten anywhere, but I really wish they would have fought harder to get the Garland nomination through.  I think they were too confident Hillary would get to chose the next justice and did not think it was worth the fight.

Re: Garland. You're right that we thought we'd win and Clinton would nominate someone else but the other problem was Garland himself. He was a boring, middle of the road moderate so no one wanted to expand political capital to get him on the court. Had Obama nominated Sri Srinivasan I think things would have turned out differently.

Interestingly (and inconsistently) they were able to find statements affected the neutrality in the bakery case just last week. I am not sure how they could not find bias in all of Trump's statements.

 

I am also not sure how they could not find a racial bias in the gerrymandering case.

 

Who knows if they would have gotten anywhere, but I really wish they would have fought harder to get the Garland nomination through. I think they were too confident Hillary would get to chose the next justice and did not think it was worth the fight.

Yep. If the shoe was on the other foot, the Republicans would have went scorched earth over it.

The Dems play too nice sometimes.

Can't agree enough with the past few comments.

 

But the lesson Democrats will take away is to double down on what they're already doing. Because bernie bros, or Comey, or something.

Yep. If the shoe was on the other foot, the Republicans would have went scorched earth over it.

The Dems play too nice sometimes.

I look at it the other way: the Republicans did go scorched earth on Obama's supreme court nomination. Whatever conciliatory feelings I had toward governing with them are gone as a result.

I look at it the other way: the Republicans did go scorched earth on Obama's supreme court nomination. Whatever conciliatory feelings I had toward governing with them are gone as a result.

That's a small price to pay to tip the Supreme Court in their favor.

Can't agree enough with the past few comments.

 

But the lesson Democrats will take away is to double down on what they're already doing. Because bernie bros, or Comey, or something.

It worked so well last election! No need to change strategy and come up with a plan... Bernie, bro!

It worked so well last election! No need to change strategy and come up with a plan... Bernie, bro!

Not sure who the Democrats will conspire to win the nomination in 2020. Bernie doesn't interest me, not that he has a snowball's chance, though he probably feels entitled.

 

Not sure who the Democrats will conspire to win the nomination in 2020. Bernie doesn't interest me, not that he has a snowball's chance, though he probably feels entitled.

Somehow the mayor of Notre Dame is getting some national attention ...

Somehow the mayor of Notre Dame is getting some national attention ...

Just read his wiki page. Oy. He does check some boxes, for better or worse. We'll see.

That's a small price to pay to tip the Supreme Court in their favor.

My conciliatory feeling? Yes, I suppose.

 

But make no mistake who went scorched earth. Sitting on a nomination for a year was beyond the pale.

If anyone is a "This American Life" podcast listener, this week's episode is a damning one for the Democratic party for sure.

We should just rename this the Supreme Court thread. 

 

The conservatives just crushed unions ability to collect fees which will mean that labor unions will collect far less money. This will help the republicans considerably and hurt democrats, just like gerrymandering and voting restrictions.

 

Personally, I never liked that you could be forcibly compelled into union dues.

 

But it is going to cripple a lot of major Democratic donors for sure.

 

Personally, I never liked that you could be forcibly compelled into union dues.

 

But it is going to cripple a lot of major Democratic donors for sure.

 

You are not the only one to notice this, always so gracious in his victories:

 

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

Supreme Court rules in favor of non-union workers who are now, as an example, able to support a candidate of his or her choice without having those who control the Union deciding for them. Big loss for the coffers of the Democrats!

 

 

But it is going to cripple a lot of major Democratic donors for sure.

good thing, or bad thing?

 

good thing, or bad thing?

 

Since the Republicans have forced me to the Democrats full-time....a bad thing.  The money balance just got seriously damaged.

I have not read the opinion so should not be rambling, but I have seen a few comments that they laid the ground work to have private sector unions challenged in the same way.

 

 

 

 The money balance just got seriously damaged.

 

I am not sure how they will close this Pandora's box, and I am being Captain Obvious saying this, but the need and/or desire to get the big money donations has steamrolled any effective operating government where the elected officials are doing things for the needs of the constituents versus the needs of the donors.  

Kennedy retires. 

And now Kennedy is retiring. He wasn't a great justice but he was the only thing keeping it from getting worse. Now we have 5 justices who can overrule abortion and same sex marriage rights while continuing the long trend of weakening the 4th Amendment and immigrant rights. 

 

As a non-profit attorney, this has been a rough week.

****. ****. ****

I liked Kennedy.  I wish we had 9 Kennedys on the bench.

I said awhile ago that it would take overturning Roe v Wade to wake progressive/liberals up. I believe it will happen sooner than I feared.

 

The argument against public unions revolved around the First Amendment , which Justice Kagan noted had become a spear. I will wait patiently for the conservative justices to protect minority rights on the basis of Free Speech.

 

Just read his wiki page. Oy. He does check some boxes, for better or worse. We'll see.

You don't go from Mayor of a small city to President in one leap. There are several Senators and a couple of governors who make sense.