SCOTUS

Yesterday, George Bush's Supreme Court struck a mighty blow for downtrodden multi-millionaire long-term Congressional incumbents everywhere - especially those in economically devastated District's like North Carolina's 8th. In the typical 5-4 decision we've come to expect from this SCOTUS, Justices Alito, Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy and Thomas declared the "Millionaire's Amendment" that seeks to level the playing field in an already millionaire dominated legislature a "violation of the First Amendment."

The title of the article in Hotline sums up the decision perfectly:

"It's A Great Day To Be A Millionaire (Like Most Days, We Guess)"

By a single vote, the Constitution was again upheld.

I used to spend my weekend mornings reading the newspaper. In fact, for about 20 years, I read the News and Observer nearly every day. Then back in January of 2006, at a time when the newspaper was more delusional than usual, I found this editorial about Supreme Court nominee Alito that quite nearly took my breath away:

But it's significant that unlike some earlier Supreme Court nominees, Alito interprets the Constitution as providing a right to privacy, which undergirds the Roe decision. On a different level, Alito proved himself a patient listener during tense moments in the hearings. That quality, along with the respect he has earned among colleagues on the bench, are reasons to hope he will continue to decide cases on the law and the facts, not on any agenda.

Having watched every minute of the Alito hearings, and finding absolutely no evidence that he believes there is a right to privacy in the Constitution, I used that opportunity to finally cancel my subscription to the paper once and for all.

As it turns out, I was right about the disastrous impact of George Bush's Supreme Court, which is now considered to be just another arm of the Republican Party, and I fear it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing


click to enlarge

A fascinating story in the Times about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her new-found voice dissenting with her colleagues on the US Supreme Court.

Some might say her dissents are an expression of sour grapes over being in the minority more often than not. But there may be strategic judgment, as well as frustration, behind Justice Ginsburg’s new style. She may have concluded that quiet collegiality has proved futile and that her new colleagues, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., are not open to persuasion on the issues that matter most to her.

Quiet collegiality is a waste of breath when you're dealing with fascist neocons and Theocrats. I applaud Justice Ginsburg's willingness to throw restraint to the wind.

Fuck 'em.