How Kavanaugh Got On The Supreme Court Corruptly

"Rhode Island Senator and Supreme Court watchdog Sheldon Whitehouse recently dropped a bombshell investigation detailing the levels of corruption involved in Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation process and how Donald Trump and his inner circle were at the roots of it all. Chris Williamson breaks it down on Rebel HQ"

Click on the link below for the details of the above, and just how corrupt the Supreme Court is:

WATCH Corrupt Supreme Court Justice's Dirty Secrets Come to Light

Attacks On Votings Right In The USA Are Not New

"David Daley believes democracy in the United States is under threat. In his new book 'Antidemocratic,' Daley suggests that far-right actors -- including those within the Supreme Court -- are controlling American elections. He describes a 50-year plot to undermine voting rights by attacking key legislation designed to protect these rights. The author joins the show to discuss the implications of all this as Americans prepare to head to the polls in November."

Click on the link below for an expose of a major problem within the USA:

Has the Supreme Court Undermined Voting Rights?

A Historian's Reflections After The Assassination Attempt

"This morning, after a day of Republicans insisting that it is political polarization to suggest that Trump is a danger to our democracy, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in the last days of his presidency, dismissed the classified documents case against the former president. She wrote that 'Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.'

"Other federal courts have tested this argument and dismissed it, but Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, whose wife Ginni was part of the attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, suggested earlier this month that it could be the basis for getting rid of Jack Smith. Cannon cited Thomas repeatedly in her decision."

(continue in article, link at end of post)
 

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"Trump responded to the news exactly as yesterday’s Republican demands that Trump’s opponents stop calling out his lawlessness suggested he would. He posted:

* “As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts—the January 6th Hoax in Washington, D.C., the Manhattan D.A.’s Zombie Case, the New York A.G. Scam, Fake Claims about a woman I never met (a decades old photo in a line with her then husband does not count), and the Georgia “Perfect” Phone Call charges. The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME. Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!”

* He, and MAGA, are incorrigible.

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"While Trump has been the presumptive nominee for years, that anointment was contested. Around 20% of Republican primary voters, who tend to be the most loyal and fervent partisans, consistently voted for former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley rather than Trump. Those voters seemed to be concentrated in the suburbs, thus making up a constituency Trump needs to win.

"On the other end of the party’s spectrum, * the fringe right has been saying that Trump is too soft for them. Antisemitic white nationalist Nick Fuentes has told his followers that he and his 'groypers' are fed up with Trump because they are sick of 'battling the Jews in the White House, battling the neocons, battling the Israel-firsters.' (* could this be the shooter's motivation?)

"Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and right-wing provocateur Ivan Raiklin have speculated for months that removing Trump from the running—they speculated about assassination—would open the way for Trump’s far-right former national security advisor Michael Flynn, and appeared to be putting pressure on Trump to name Flynn as vice president. Yesterday, Raiklin posted on social media a 'Trump/Flynn 2024' graphic with the legend 'FAFO,' under the words “Assassination-Proof.”

"This afternoon, perhaps in hopes of avoiding an embarrassing floor fight, Trump dashed the hopes of both ends of the Republican spectrum by naming Ohio senator J.D. Vance as his vice presidential pick. Vance is 39 and was elected to the Senate in 2022 with the help of $10 million from right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel. In the short time he has been in office, he has echoed Trump’s Big Lie that the 2020 presidential race was stolen, has said that he does not believe in rape or incest exceptions for abortion bans, and that people should stay in violent marriages, and has praised Project 2025. He is pro-Russia and against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

It 'will be interesting to see how the RNC attempts to spin Vance as a candidate of Unity,' journalist Anne Applebaum wrote. The Fox News Channel helpfully reminded viewers that Vance has, in the past, said that Trump “might be America’s Hitler,” “might be a cynical a**hole,” and is “cultural heroin,” “noxious,” and “reprehensible.”

Still, factional differences might not matter in today’s Republican Party. This afternoon, in the hall of the RNC convention, attendees chanted, “Fight, fight, fight,” as they punched an arm in the air, in an eerie echo of Germany in the 1930s.

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From Heather Cox Richardson's daily article: 

https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/july-15-2024

All Experts Out Of The US Federal Government If Republicans Win

"In a scathing dissent from the bench on Friday, Justice Elena Kagan excoriated her conservative colleagues for inserting themselves into the realm of current and future regulation and warned of an impending massive shock to the administrative system.

'A longstanding precedent at the crux of administrative governance thus falls victim to a bald assertion of judicial authority,' Kagan said of the court’s ruling. 'The majority disdains restraint, and grasps for power.'

"In a 6-3 ruling, the justices on Friday ended the 40-year practice that informed federal judges’ decision-making when federal agencies and their actions were challenged. The high court's 1984 ruling in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council had limited judicial decision-making in favor of agency expertise.

"A range of experts jumped on Kagan’s premonition, joining her in warning that Friday's decision will have far-reaching effects. From the halls of Congress to federal courtrooms, they say the decision opens the window for an increase in litigation against federal rules, as well as a potential chill on new ones.

“The federal government and environmental groups are going to be up to our ears in litigation just trying to preserve the status quo,” Sam Sankar, the senior vice president of programs at Earthjustice, said in a press briefing following the ruling."

As bad as the recent "Presidential Immunity" decision of the US Supreme Court was, this may have more harm. 

Click on the link below for more:

Ignorance and power trump expertise 

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Click here to help save consumer protections.

The Shadow Docket And More: The Corruption of the US Supreme Court

"Today's guest, or should I say last year's guest, is Steve Vladeck! He holds the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law, and is a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts, constitutional law, national security law, and military justice. Last year, he released the New York Times bestselling book, "The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic." We spoke about the book and about the state of our horrible Supreme Court."

Click on the link below for a podcast delving into the disgusting bowels of the Supreme Court:

The Supreme Court: the Full Monty

Deregulation: A Base Motive Of Republicans

The controversy over medical abortion pills (actually, the non-controversy as it is safe and effective) is just one issue that Republicans/Conservatives/MAGAs are using to attack and remove ALL government regulations. Let's be clear, they want to replace EXPERTS with political appointees who will carry out their agenda. 

A key tool to implement this change is to change laws.  Click on the link below for links exposing this effort:

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-supreme-courts-assault-on-government-could-make-the-far-rights-dreams-come-true/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-chevron-deference-oral-arguments-federal-regulations/

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/supreme-court-launches-latest-salvo-in-war-on-federal-government

https://www.govexec.com/management/2024/01/supreme-court-appears-ready-end-deference-federal-agency-expertise/393404/

Neoliberalism And Libertarianism: They Must Be Defeated

"The Supreme Court turned the table on average, working people back in the 70s when they empowered wealthy individuals and corporations to have an outsized role in our politics. Now we're trapped in the reality that shift in power created and are dreaming of a better way to manage our economic and political systems for the benefit of all people."

Click on the link below for a vision of a future where Neoliberalism and Libertarianism are 4-letter words:

Beyond Neoliberalism: Dreaming a new economic system into being

The Supreme Court's New Code of Conduct Is A Paper Tiger

"In this excerpt from the CAFE Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down the Supreme Court’s newly adopted Code of Conduct.

"In the full episode, they discuss the leaked video of former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis’ proffer session with Georgia prosecutors, the positions taken by federal prosecutors and Donald Trump on the issue of publicly broadcasting Trump’s upcoming election interference trial and the New York Attorney General’s ongoing civil fraud trial against Trump."

Click on the link below for a scathing review of the toothless/paper tiger Code of Conduct recently established for the US Supreme Court and the way Trump is being handled in the legal system:

Supreme Conduct & Trump Trials

The US Supreme Court: It's Worse Than You Thought

"The U.S. Supreme Court — that over sixty years ago ruled against state-led prayer in public schools — has swung back the other way with a vengeance. The ultra-conservative majority on the current court has reversed 60 years of progress and put the rights of non-believers in jeopardy.

"In this episode, Jim Underdown speaks to Nick Little, former Director of CFI’s Legal department, and Eddie Tabash, Chair of the CFI Board of Directors. The two lawyers talk about the state of the court, recent decisions, and the problematic future for secular Americans."

Click on the link below for a podcast exposing, not just its destruction of the separation of religion and government, but essentially the foundation of the entire US Constitution:

Supreme Injustice

A Look Into The Sneaky Work Of The US Supreme Court

"Growing numbers of Americans no longer trust the Supreme Court, and Stephen Vladeck argues that part of the reason is the rise of the so-called “shadow docket.” This refers to cases that are decided quickly, without written opinions or oral arguments. In his new book, Vladeck traces the transformation of the Supreme Court. He explains all to Hari Sreenivasan."

Click on the link below to better understand how corrupt the US Supreme Court really is:

The Supreme Court Could Become a “Pointless Institution”

Affirmative Action: Its Importance

"Today, we’re going to talk about affirmative action. As you may remember, the Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in a pair of cases that challenge race-conscious admissions policy at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. As you will also recall, back in February, I discussed those cases with Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, who is a named defendant in two landmark Supreme Court decisions upholding affirmative action in higher education.

"Those precedents are now in jeopardy, serious jeopardy. Now, it turns out that several of my law partners at WilmerHale have been representing Harvard in defense of affirmative action, from the trial court all the way to the Supreme Court, and one of those lawyers is my guest today, longtime Civil Rights Lawyer, Debo Adegbile. Debo currently serves on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Earlier in his career, he served as Director of Litigation and acting President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He’s also served as Senior Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Debo, welcome to the show."

Click on the link below for a 24-min podcast on the subject:

In Brief: Affirmative Action at the High Court

Conservatives And Activist Judges

"Today, we take a look at the decades-long scheme to funnel conservative activist judges into the judiciary to support Republican policy goals and the resulting legal bulwark defending Trump against prosecution and supporting his future election efforts."

Click on the link below for a podcast that follows the history of the legal system mess we have now in the USA:

The System of Activist Judges Defending Trump

The Truth About The 2nd Amendment To The US Constitution

"You don’t need to be a lawyer to understand that the Second Amendment was never intended to provide an individual a constitutional right to possess a gun. The language of this one sentence amendment could not be more clear: 'A WELL-REGULATED MILITIA, being necessary for the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.'” 

Click on the link below for the truth about the 2nd Amendment: 

The Supreme Court got it wrong

Challenging Anti-abortion Dogma

"Life begins at conception" is the major reason given by the anti-abortion folks to make it illegal. The following links are to sources challenging this unsupported dogma: (1)(2)

If you agree with these challenges but argue for the personhood of the fetus, this link, and this link, challenges that view.

THE BOTTOM LINE: 

• Virtually all opposition to Roe v. Wade is religiously motivated.
• Morality based on religious dogma is unconstitutional under the secular law of the USA.
• Rose v. Wade has strong precedence in US law.
• Morality clearly comes from biology and social interactions, not from religious dogma. It is complex with multiple effects from actions. Objective analysis clearly shows that less harm is done to society under Roe v. Wade.

UPDATES: 

• More on precedent
• No, the Supreme Court is not "neutral" on abortion (or any other human right)

History Of Legal Precedent And Greater Recognition Of Human Rights

The Dred Scott decision by the US Supreme Court is universally recognized as its worst because of its support of slavery. The Civil War and the 13th Amendment officially ended slavery and led to a period of "Reconstruction." However, such was resisted through Jim Crow Laws, which peaked with Plessy v. Ferguson legalizing "separate but equal" in 1896. It wasn't until 1954 that this Supreme Court case was overruled by Brown v. Board of Education. In 1973, the Roe v. Wade decision recognized the right of a woman to choose abortion up to the time of viability.

The only way women and minorities have gained recognition of their inherent rights is through court decisions actualizing the US Constitution and the use of the legal principle of precedent, which directs a court to look to past decisions for guidance on how to decide a case before it. The history of Supreme Court decisions has been a bumpy ride toward greater recognition of human rights. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, it would be another unfortunate case of a recognized human right being no longer so!

Regarding women's rights, it's more than time for the USA to wake up to the fact that the Republicans are attempting to continue a history that has been within the USA since its founding: stripping women of political and economic power.

The US Government And Vaccines

U.S. Supreme Court

Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905)

Jacobson v. Massachusetts

No. 70

Argued December 6, 1904

Decided February 20, 1905

197 U.S. 11

" - - - The liberty secured by the Constitution of the United States does not import an absolute right in each person to be at all times, and in all circumstances, wholly freed from restraint, nor is it an element in such liberty that one person, or a minority of persons residing in any community and enjoying the benefits of its local government, should have the power to dominate the majority when supported in their action by the authority of the State.
"It is within the police power of a State to enact a compulsory vaccination law, and it is for the legislature, and not for the courts, to determine in the first instance whether vaccination is or is not the best mode for the prevention of smallpox and the protection of the public health."

Click on the link below for the context:,

On this day, the Supreme Court rules on vaccines and public health

Has Magical Thinking Won?

The history of humanity has mostly been dominated by magical thinking (ignorance, superstition, dogma, and religion). Thus, science-based thinking essentially has only been around for about .25% of our existence (500 years of science out of 200,000 years). Science since its beginning has had to battle against these negative forces, of which the most prominent example has been religion. The Enlightenment and the US Constitution have been in the vanguard of opposing these forces. 

In the USA, a minority of its people (conservative Catholics, evangelical Protestants, and ultra-orthodox Jews) began to gain power exceeding their numbers after President Nixon's perfection of the Republican "Southern Strategy." These political forces have slowly been gaining power to the point of causing the election of Donald J Trump as President. In other words, this aggressive magical thinking minority has hijacked one of the two major political parties. Since Trump's election, this power continues to gain strength, in spite of his total depravity and lack of fitness for the office. The clearest example of this power has been the appointment of several conservative Federal judges throughout the USA and two Supreme Court Justices. Most of us science-based thinkers have been on pins and needles regarding Ruth Bader Ginsberg as a strong liberal Justice in a conservative-majority Supreme Court. In my opinion, yesterday, September 18, 2020, was another "date that will live in infamy." Yes, strong words. However, just ponder the effects of magical thinking that suddenly now, in the face of massive fires in the West and a pandemic, have a clear path to political dominance for decades, for example:

• Evolution denial
• Climate change denial
• Medical science denial
• Economic and social inequality
• Theocratic authoritarian government
• Going against the political norms of representative democracy: Gerrymandering; voter suppression; support of non-representative Electoral College; abuse of Senate protocol.

Only "We, The People" can fight this evil through activism and voting. Now is not the time to back down.

A Look At The US Constitution "Reconstruction Amendments"

"Freedom and equality — the concepts are central to the American identity, and yet for most of the last 150 years, the Supreme Court has failed to read the 14th Amendment as broadly as its framers intended. It took a century before federal laws backed up the amendment’s basic guarantees for black Americans in any meaningful way. Today its meaning is still hotly debated, at least among people on the right, which raises significant concerns in the post-Kennedy era. Whatever Justice Kennedy’s other flaws, he was willing to read the 14th Amendment in line with the framers’ expansive intent, especially in his decisions on gay rights and reproductive rights. Now that he’s gone, what will become of the amendment?"

America Started Over Once. Can We Do It Again?

Long Term, Republicans Had Best Be Careful

"Taking rights away is risky political business. People get mad — which means the Republican Party better get ready."

Want to overturn Roe, Republicans? Get ready for what comes next.

(The Blue Diamond Gallery)

Science, The Supreme Court And The Law

"Justice Antonin Scalia was a brilliant man in many ways. He was not, however, a science expert, or a science enthusiast, or even a science believer."

Scalia’s Supreme Court Replacement Should Respect Science