#activist court

[corporationsarepeople]

It's long been a conservative dream: shrinking the federal government. And on Friday, part of the dream came true: the Supreme Court tossed a 40-year principle that boosted the power of government regulators on environmental, labor and other laws.

Could the federal agency that sets workplace safety rules be the next target?

—-

This ruling is an extreme overturning of decades of precedent and government operation, but the idea that Congress delegates too much isn’t a crazy one.

But Congress DID specifically delegate this role to the Executive when it created OSHA, and Nixon signed it. If Congress wants to take that power back, it can vote to do so.

The Judiciary has no business jumping in here to undo an act of Congress. This is peak “legislating from the bench,” simply because conservatives can’t muster the votes to overturn OSHA.

[usauthoritarianism]

[odinsblog]

🗣️This is an illegitimate and deeply corrupt Supreme Court

Justice Samuel Alito spoke candidly about the ideological battle between the left and the right — discussing the difficulty of living “peacefully” with ideological opponents in the face of “fundamental” differences that “can’t be compromised.” He endorsed what his interlocutor described as a necessary fight to “return our country to a place of godliness.” And Alito offered a blunt assessment of how America’s polarization will ultimately be resolved: “One side or the other is going to win.”

Alito made these remarks in conversation at the Supreme Court Historical Society’s annual dinner on June 3, a function that is known to right-wing activists as an opportunity to buttonhole Supreme Court justices. His comments were recorded by Lauren Windsor, a liberal documentary filmmaker. Windsor attended the dinner as a dues-paying member of the society under her real name, along with a colleague. She asked questions of the justice as though she were a religious conservative.

The justice’s unguarded comments highlight the degree to which Alito makes little effort to present himself as a neutral umpire calling judicial balls and strikes, but rather as a partisan member of a hard-right judicial faction that’s empowered to make life-altering decisions for every American.

(continue reading)

[thelawsofdaylight]

I'm sorry if this isn't approriate, but I don't really understand why you find Les Mis a good target for a climate protest? I get that the musical has themes that align with the protesters but like... what was the good outcome? Are there really People in that audience that don't know climate change is happening? How Will this change their mind? What action is meant to be brought on by trowing soup at paintings or disrupting a performance? Does that actually help the cause of combatting climate change at all? Does it help make people more aware, does it have an effect on the mechanisms of polluters? Isn't there anything more focused that these resources (both money and the incredible bravery and drive of the People themselves) could be better focused on. These protest feels so different from like, people chaining themselves to a private jet or the schoolchildren going up to parliaments by the thousand to demand policy chances to better their future. All of the JSO actions feels so performative, I just don't see how they are actually doing anything of even the mechanism by which they are meant to accomplish anything? Which doesn't mean that the people involved aren't great people or that the reaction of the Les Mis crowd wasn't fucked up. Just... what was even the goal?

Hey! I know it's been a while since I made that post supporting the JSO protestors but I've gotten a few asks like this in the time since (and am still getting them) so I'm responding to this as the most good-faith one in my inbox and hopefully it answers others that have been asked to me in the past couple weeks as well. Disclaimer: If I'm responding to things outside the remit of this ask, it's likely that it's because someone else sent an ask about it and I've been juggling them all in my head as I've been thinking on a response.

I think in order to answer the first part of the ask we have to tackle the second. 'What has this action achieved' only works as a comprehensive criticism if we look at it in isolation to all of JSO's other actions. What I mean by this is: JSO launched by blocking oil refineries for days on end. In the two years they've been active they've done similar actions, including but not limited to disrupting fuel distribution centres, petrol stations, interrupting fossil fuel conferences, and, most recently, trying to stop the relocation of asylum seekers to prison barges. Their actions go far beyond blocking roads and disruption of public events. I think this is important to establish as I don't know how much of a working knowledge anyone not in the UK Climate movement actually has about JSO and I think it's good we're all on the same page.

But if they do all that (effective, important) direct action, then why target Les Mis? What does a West End show have to do with fossil fuel companies and climate change? And in response to these questions I'll ask one of my own: were you aware of the fact that JSO tried to stop migrants from being deported until I mentioned it just now? A lot of these actions, the ones that actually target infrastructure and confront those directly responsible, get little to no media coverage. When news of the Les Mis action first broke out, I saw so many people on Twitter with the same reactionary takes: why target Les Mis when the Conservative Party Conference literally happened the same weekend? And that's a fair and valid point- if it wasn't for the fact that JSO were at the conference. I know this because I was there too. They had a huge bloc in the march and went on to do other actions in the city after the march had ended. The whole thing, the entire 10,000+ strong protest, got maybe 30 seconds coverage on the local news and not even a mention of JSO's presence (or of climate change in general for that matter.) JSO's previous actions directed at fossil fuel companied themselves get very little, if any, coverage compared to their big flashy sports/awards show/performance interruptions.

So yeah, some of JSOs actions are 'performative'. But I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that even performative actions have their place within the wider struggle. I understand not liking public disruption as a tactic and I understand the issues with it, but I also think it's worth reflecting on why groups like JSO use it.

Editing my draft here to report that earlier today they smashed the frame of a painting that was previously vandalised by the Suffragette movement in 1914. That's a performative action, sure, but you have to admit it makes a point. Just like the tageting of Les Mis, a play about an unjust society and the people striving to change it, makes a point about hypocrisy. It gets the media coverage. We can debate all day about the usefulness of that coverage and if chasing media headlines should be our goal in the first place... but at the end of the day, it's been proven that JSOs membership grows every time they do something like this. It gets more people to join, which means next time it comes round to blocking key infrastructure, they'll be in a stronger position to succeed.

This isn't to say don't criticise them at all! I actually think criticisms like this one are a key part of organising and, done with care, can only make our movements stronger. I have my own issues with JSO- namely, the carelessness with which arrest is actively encouraged/promoted as the only valid form of resistance- but that's a whole other conversation and one that doesn't undermine my support and solidarity for the activists who are doing those actions (and sacrificing a whole lot in the process.) I think mass direct action movements are rarely ever perfect but I also think we need to show solidarity first and foremost when people are trying to do the right thing, especially if how they're doing it is in conjunction with or as a response to other tactics.

[historyforfuture]

‏كيف ترتكب مجزرة مبررة؟

‏تدعي أنها اغتيال لشخصية كبيرة، فينشغل العالم بفحص نجاح الاغتيال من عدمه، ويخرج ناعقي حلفاء العدو من أبناء شعبنا، يطلبون من المقاومة ألا تختبئ بين المدنيين، ثم ترتكب مجزرة أخرى، فتُنسى المجزرة السابقة، وهكذا يستمر شلال الدم بلا توقف...

How to commit a justified massacre ?

U claim that it is to assassin a great person so the world is busy examining the success or the failure of the assassination , then the croakers of destructions who have interests and the agents of our nations come out to ask the resistance men not to hide between the civillians while all these are just lies to hide their crimes and the real criminal , So the people get confused and forget the previous massacre and so the blood sheds continue with no stop and the world is still watching and the politics participate the crimes .

netanyahoo is just a war criminal fascist loser = biden

[theindefinitearticle]

I've only read a few Discworld books so far but I'm obsessed with the way Terry Pratchett writes love interests. He will create the most insane protagonist and then introduce a woman who immediately has them Daffy duck explosion beak spinning around

[houseofbrat]

And in this week's edition of

On Wednesday, 02 October 2024, William did his first investiture since his last one on 04 June 2024.

Later in the day, those who were celebrating their honours had whatever minimal spotlight they get taken away when Kensington Palace released photos of Kate hugging an actual & verified cancer patient.

Kate released her end-of-"chemotherapy" video on 09 September, and only three-plus weeks later did she finally & publicly acknowledge the existence of other people's cancer via this photo op with Liz.

It's a photo op because Kate is not going to be able to count this as a work engagement in the court circular, according to Hannah Furness in The Telegraph.

Yes, it's a great story for Liz and her family, but why couldn't Kensington Palace just release the photo of Liz's family the day after the investiture? Just so those receiving their awards could enjoy their brief moment of sunshine?

I guess the KP comms team could not have waited a day because William had to spit out this bonmot the following day, when he did an engagement with actual Olympians.

But William responded: "No I was so keen to come but I have to say after reading someone’s interview about Covid [looking at Adam Peaty - who tested positive during the games] I decided, because my wife was obviously having chemo, that I didn’t want to risk bringing Covid home, so Adam very kindly reminded me that that was still a thing! But we watched the whole thing. We were glued to it every day."

Kate "was obviously having chemo," guys! That's why they couldn't attend the Olympics in Paris!

But Kate could go and sit at Wimbledon for multiple hours in the sun and hug Wimby athletes, who could be transmitters of viruses.

But Kate didn't need to separate herself from her school-age children, who are well-known germ carriers just like all other young children. No reports of that. Ever!

But also William doesn't do "work" appearances when his kids are out of school. It's not like William, who was president of the FA last year (2023), when the women's World Cup was in Australia could take the time to either a) travel to Australia for it or b) attend a public watch party to show his support. He doesn't want to cut into his copious vacation time by showing real-time support for UK athletes.

But, hey, good on William for staying on the pr message that Kate did chemo because she had CANCER! Just one day after Will & Kate's photo op with Liz's family.

But then there was the cherry on top of these pr shenanigans released by Tom Sykes of The Daily Beast yesterday. Within this article, which is kind of/sort of about assumptions regarding Charles's health, there is a lot of reframing of recent decisions by Will & Kate from the past 18 months.

William also sprang into action. Just days after the news was made public he appointed a new private secretary, Ian Patrick, an experienced former diplomat who had worked for the Foreign Office for eight years. The implication was clear: William would be stepping up to a bigger, more global role. William’s plans, however, were then brutally knocked aside by his own wife’s cancer diagnosis which forced him to retreat from public life, and international travel, for several months.

LOL!! Nice try whitewashing that hiring, Tom!

Ian Patrick was hired because Jean-Christophe Grey quit or gave notice he was resigning in September 2023, and William had to find someone else to replace him.

After all, no one picked up that CEO job that Kensington Palace put out at the same time JCG said he was leaving! Was the CEO posting even real, given how the search was "suspended" eight months later? After another private secretary was in place? Did William ever truly want a CEO? Or was this just a face-saving cover because Jean-Christophe suddenly said he was done?

And hey, let's not forget that Will & Kate haven't done a tour since 2022! They made it known after Charles's coronation in May 2023 that they weren't going to do another tour until 2024. William isn't going to do a tour solo. When will this "more global role" be happening? 2025? 2026? 2027?

Now, of course, with Kate’s recovery, William is back and has a much higher profile than his father, who has spent the last few weeks gathering and conserving his strength for the Australia tour.

William barely works and is scheduled to go on VACATION for two weeks on 18 October. And then William is going to do "work" for six more weeks until he can go on vacation for another 3.5 weeks.

William will resume long haul international travel when he travels to South Africa in early November for the Earthshot Awards. It promises to be a high-profile affair.

Is William actually going to South Africa? Is this a confirmation, Tom? Or is this statement just an assumption by you?

The king’s other brother, Prince Edward and Edward’s wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who are neither great friends nor enemies with Charles, have successfully won the trust and affection of William and Kate and they are likely to be rewarded with a promotion when William’s reign begins.

Convenient, Tom, how you don't mention that Sophie wore a new (to her) tiara in June. Or that Sophie will likely get The Order of the Garter next year, either on her birthday in January or in the honour's list. What are you going to do, Tom, if Sophie wears another new tiara by the end of the year? Are you still going to play this game of Ed & Sophie just being neutral ("neither great friends nor enemies") to Charles?

This whole article is pure, adulterated spin on The Wales family pr blunders for the year. All the moves have happened because they had a grand plan. No mention of THAT MOTHER'S DAY PHOTO or other pr disasters from the spring. No, it's all going to a grand plan.

Executive power and influence is already flowing William’s way. Anyone who doubts that only has to look at the glossy Instagram video William and Kate published last month to announce her recovery from cancer. It wasn’t signed off by the king, and featured not Charles, but Kate’s parents, Mike and Carole.

William is walking around looking like shit terrible. So terrible that KP already gave quotes to InTouch Weekly to spin his gaunt & haggard frame. There's a stark difference in how he looks today versus how he looked when he filmed interviews for his Homewards documentary just a few months ago.

Kate can only tweet or do photo ops that aren't going to count as work in the court circular. Her future schedule is blank except for Remembrance Sunday and her Christmas carol concert.

Totally examples of "executive power and influence."

LOL!!

Is David Beckham going to hold William's hand at other future engagements this fall? Sophie has her own work to do. She can't babysit William on a regular basis. She just picked up a new patronage.

A patronage that would have been right up Kate's alley, if Kate was still going to "work" in the future.

Perhaps we should be asking if parliament needs to rectify that Kate's marriage should be morganatic in the future, if she's not ever going to do regular royal duties again.

[coochiequeens]

Babies are not props to be used to validate gender feelz. And unfortunately this is just the start of a long list of why this guy should not be around kids

By Genevieve Gluck February 26, 2024

A trans-identified male residing in Canada who claims to be HIV positive and inserts progesterone rectally has been allegedly “breastfeeding” his child with the support of established medical clinics. Former men’s rights activist Murray Pearson, 52, who uses the name Margaret (Margie) Fancypants on social media, has been criticized after he shared an image of himself at a lactation clinic holding a young infant.

The photo was first posted three months ago on Reddit community titled r/TransLater, a board dedicated to males who transition later in life. In a post titled, “Milk, baby, milk! MTF 52,” wherein Pearson appears ecstatic that one “benefit of being transfemme” includes “that you can be pregnant and get drunk” with no undue problems.

“I have a baby almost 9 months old… I cannot wait to connect through feeding. And yes, I will stop drinking before it negatively affects anything they drink!” said Pearson

“This is a wish I have had for decades. My egg cracked a year ago on December 12 and I realized I could nurse my baby already on the way. That lit a fire under me, and I have gone from having lean pectoral muscle in March to full B-cups now and growing fast,” he added.

Pearson continues on to claim to have the assistance of “medical expertise,” including “five physicians in three clinics in two world class hospitals,” with one of the clinics named as the Goldfarb Clinic in Montreal.

“Two endocrinologists, Newman and Goldfarb, created a protocol to induce lactation in adoptive mothers,” Pearson explained in the comments. “It works for trans women as well, it works best when breast growth is mature but I am taking domperidone while my primary breast growth is underway. By an astonishing coincidence, I live right next to their breastfeeding institute!”

According to statements Pearson has made on social media, he began identifying as transgender in December 2022, and the following year, began taking progesterone. Approximately eight months ago, Pearson announced that he had found his “true self” as a result of performing in a drag show for a friend’s birthday celebration.

Earlier this month, Pearson described the first moment he believed he was a woman after trying on used women’s clothing at a thrift store. “I realized that the beautiful curvy woman in the mirror was the real me and I could be her every day… after more than two decades of stealth resistance. 87 days later I started spiro, 14 days after that estradiol, and now I am looooooving my boobs. Having curves without fakery is AMAZING.”

In a post made to the TransLater community last week, Pearson described how to insert the female hormone progesterone rectally, as a suppository, rather than swallowing it as a tablet.

“My breasts get a wonderful plumpness and pleasing jiggliness when I have had progesterone the night before…. You’ll need some lubricant (personal lube such as K-Y jelly or similar, or silicone personal lube which may be overkill, or some sort of non-irritating oil; I use my own mixture of cocoa butter and shea butter) to allow free clearance for the capsule… Some people simply pop the capsule in their mouth to use saliva, but I like a more effective lube,” he commented.

Pearson has also shared images of himself in a blue and pink wig attempting to eat ice cream containing the hormone in a seductive manner.

Disturbingly, Pearson has also revealed that he is HIV positive and is aware that the deadly virus can be transmitted through breastfeeding.

“I am HIV+, continuously controlled for 18.5 years now,” said Pearson in a Reddit post six months ago. “The viral suppression into undetectability [sic] makes sexual transmission impossible. But transmission through milk IS possible if viral load becomes detectable so I will test viral load monthly (opposed to semiannually) to keep a VERY close eye on that.”

In a shocking display of further disregard for the child’s health, Pearson speculated as to whether his experiment would qualify him as a candidate for the participation in academic research.

“Fortunately, Dr Lenore Goldfarb, creator of the protocol, has her clinic at the same hospital we birthed our baby in. I may even end up in the medical literature.” While again discussing his HIV status in relation to ‘breastfeeding’ a child, Pearson alleges that his case is being documented by infectious diseases researcher Dr. Marina Klein, who is affiliated with McGill University.

Pearson in a “before” picture posted to Reddit tracking his transitioning progress.

Reduxx reached out to Dr. Klein to request information on her involvement in Pearson’s experimental lactation, and she confirmed that she had been monitoring Pearson for his HIV infection at the Chronic Viral Illness Service of the McGill University Health Centre. However, she stated she had not been involved in his transition nor had she been consulted on his induction of lactation.

“It’s important to emphasize that we do not recommend breast feeding for people with HIV as this is the only way to be certain that no HIV transmission will occur after a baby is born,” Dr. Klein said in her response. “However, guidelines have evolved over time with the recognition that the risk of transmission is very low when HIV infection is undetectable with effective therapy … If, after informed discussion, a person expresses a wish to breastfeed they may chose to do so provided they are willing to follow a close protocol of viral monitoring and have their baby followed closely with pediatric specialists who would generally recommend that they receive preventive medication.”

Dr. Klein further states that Pearson had expressed a desire to breastfeed and then had been referred to an endocrinologist.

Prior to identifying as transgender, Pearson was involved in politically advocating for the US-based, anti-feminist men’s rights non-profit A Voice for Men (AVFM).

The organization was founded in 2009 by Paul Elam, who has said that there would no longer be “any place to hide on the internet” for “lying bitches,” and members associated with the group have previously published personal information about women who opposed their activities.

Pearson has linked to the organization’s website on his YouTube channel biography, where he has uploaded videos of himself advocating positions held by AVFM, such as accusing women of lying about sexual violence.

In one video shared in July 2013, titled “Rape, Posters, Traffic Lights and Consent,” Pearson claims that he was previously drugged and raped by a woman on the University of Alberta campus.

He also encourages discussion of posters produced by Men’s Rights Edmonton which featured the headline, ‘Don’t Be That Girl’, created with the intention of parodying an anti-rape campaign designed by a women’s rape crisis shelter, Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton (SAVE), which used the slogan, ‘Don’t Be That Guy.’

Pearson has also been active in a Facebook group for “trans lesbians,” a term which labels men who call themselves transgender as same-sex attracted women.

Criticism of Pearson’s claims to be “lactating” and “breastfeeding” have focused on concerns that he is “motivated… to experience sexual arousal from lactation,” as one X user, Lulu Solomon, said.

“Because it is not motivated by what is best for the baby it’s automatically risky because the baby becomes a prop in the fantasy,” she stated, alongside a photo of Pearson at the Goldfarb clinic.

This is not the first controversy that has involved trans-identified males breastfeeding babies, with a number of recent examples triggering concern over the past year.

Last year, a lactation professional in Australia along with a women’s rights campaigner were warned that they had broken the law after criticizing a trans-identified male who had boasted of breastfeeding his infant. Shortly after, a trans-identified male in the UK dismissed critics of the practice as “transphobes” after he posted images of himself with a baby latched to his nipple.

UPDATE 02/26/24: The article has been updated to include comment received from Dr. Klein.

[femaleboysblog]

reminder that the uk supreme court is gonna take a decision tomorrow on whether julian assange is gonna get extradited to the us or not. if he does, he's gonna get sentenced for at least a 100 years in prison for "treason" (even though he's australian), if any of that happens, it's another big step towards censorship in the united states. it will affect and scare even more journalists, reporters and people protesting for better rights and to know to truth.

[catgirltoes]

The funniest thing on Wikipedia is the timeline for the legalization of gay marriage, because the rest of the world is coloured in terms of individual countries but North America has separate dates for every Canadian province, US State, and Mexican State.

[whitesinhistory]

On May 9, 1961, 21-year-old John Lewis, a young Black civil rights activist, was severely beaten by a white mob at the Rock Hill, South Carolina, Greyhound bus terminal. A few days earlier, Mr. Lewis and 12 other Freedom Riders had left Washington, D.C., on a Greyhound bus headed to New Orleans. The Freedom Riders—seven of whom were Black and six of whom were white—sat interracially on the bus, planning to test a Supreme Court ruling that made segregation in interstate transportation illegal. 

[commiepinkofag]

U.S. Marshalls Spied on Abortion Protesters Using DATAMINR >

Twitter’s “official partner” monitored the precise time and location of post-Roe demonstrations, internal emails show.

DATAMINR, AN “OFFICIAL PARTNER” of Twitter, alerted a federal law enforcement agency to pro-abortion protests and rallies in the wake of the reversal of Roe v. Wade, according to documents obtained by The Intercept through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Internal emails show that the U.S. Marshals Service received regular alerts from Dataminr, a company that persistently monitors social media for corporate and government clients, about the precise time and location of both ongoing and planned abortion rights demonstrations. The emails show that Dataminr flagged the social media posts of protest organizers, participants, and bystanders, and leveraged Dataminr’s privileged access to the so-called firehose of unrestricted Twitter data to monitor constitutionally protected speech.

[Sam Biddle, The Intercept, May 15 2023]

[signpetitions]

The Supreme Court has lately made multiple rulings that undermine American democracy: expanding the rights of a president too far the latest one out of them. US citizens, click the link below and sign the petition to show you do not support this!

[gettothestabbing]

The defendants were indicted for their participation in an October 2020 rescue action at the D.C.-based Washington Surgi-Clinic (WSC), the abortion facility run by Cesare Santangelo. Santangelo was featured in Live Action’s InHuman investigation stating that if a child was born alive at his facility during an abortion, “we would not help it.”

Two defendants – Lauren Handy and Herb Geraghty – cited Live Action’s InHuman video as informing their belief that abortion survivors might be being left to die at WSC, which in turn motivated their decision to participate in the rescue action at Santangelo’s facility.

However, calling the video “gossip from propagandists” (despite the fact that the video showed the abortionist in his own words) presiding Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly would not allow the video itself to be admitted into evidence. 

Bias on the part of the prosecution was evidenced by its own word choices. For example, government attorneys referred to a three-day abortion procedure as “care” and as a “treatment” that was “absolutely needed.” 

Government attorneys also made sarcastic, condescending remarks to and about the defendants, with one caustically remarking, “That’s convenient,” after a defendant said she could not remember a specific detail.

The judge herself was not above entering into heated exchanges. Sparks flew after defendant Herb Geraghty asserted under cross-examination that federal law prohibits certain types of abortion procedures nationwide:

(Gov. Attorney) Patel: You know that abortions are legal in the District of Columbia? Geraghty: I know that some abortions are, but partial birth abortion and abortion that a fetus survives outside the womb–  Patel: Sir–  Judge Kollar-Kotelly: Sir, as a practical matter, that’s not correct. There are no statutes in the District of Columbia that say anything about limitations on abortion.  Geraghty: There’s federal laws, Your Honor.  Judge Kollar-Kotelly: You are going to be the legal expert here? I suggest that you not get into that.

However, partial-birth abortion, or D&X, is indeed outlawed under the federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2007.

During deliberations on Friday, the jury sent three questions to the judge.

First, they asked: What do “oppression” and “intimidation” mean as defined by law?

Second, pertaining to a particular client of the abortion facility who was on the final day of a three-day abortion procedure and was experiencing labor pains when she arrived at WSC on the day of the rescue: What were the exact medical symptoms of the woman who collapsed in the hallway?

And lastly: What is the nature of ‘treatment’ for each of the different 3 days of ‘procedures’ at the Washington Surgi-Center?

There was a discussion about whether to define “oppression” and “intimidation” narrowly, as in the FACE Act, or more broadly, as it frequently is under conspiracy charges. Ultimately, the judge settled on a broad definition. With regard to the second and third questions, the judge gave the jury no answers; the second on the grounds that private medical conditions are not relevant, and the third on the grounds that there was no evidence given about specific abortion procedures during the trial.

More can be read about the trial at the links below:

Witness testimony in federal trial of pro-life rescuers begins, with court’s bias on display

Prosecution calls more witnesses in day two of pro-life rescuers’ federal trial

Arresting officers take stand at FACE Act trial in DC as judge warns religious pro-lifers on-site

FACE Act trial judge calls video of abortionist that motivated defendants ‘gossip from propagandists’

Defense and prosecution rest in FACE Act trial, as judge appears ignorant of federal abortion law

Defense in FACE Act trial closing arguments: Criteria not met for guilty verdict

[woolandcoffee]

Another WOTUS decision from an activist judge, and I just can't stress enough how much the U.S. is captured by an activist, right-wing judiciary. If the courts were ever neutral arbiters who's only existence was to settle disputes and occasionally interpret the law, that time is long past. Our government is, in theory, set up on a system of checks and balances. Except that there is no realistic check upon the court system. At least, there is no realistic check upon the court system if the federal government refuses to act (either by ignoring clearly biased rulings, removing activist judges from the bench, or packing the courts with more moderate jurists).

Unless the judiciary is meaningfully reigned in, judges will continue to take more and more power. If judges continue to overrule federal agencies - who are empowered to act by Congress and the President, and employ thousands of experts to make informed decisions - for no reason other than that particular judge disagrees personally with the agency's decision, then we're effectively letting judges run the government. It doesn't matter who the President is, or what Congress does, it matters what some Harvard grad who wears a polyester robe to work and hasn't every worked an honest day in their life is. And that's a fucking problem.