#the purchase of the SCOTUS

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

 The real choice isn’t “pragmatism” or “idealism.” It’s either allowing these trends to worsen – destroying what’s left of our democracy and turning our economy into even more of a playground for big corporations, Wall Street, and billionaires – or reversing them. And the only pragmatic way of reversing them is through a “political revolution” that mobilizes millions of Americans. 

Robert Reich (via azspot)

+

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAR 2, 2024

On February 25, 1901, financier J. P. Morgan’s men filed the paperwork to incorporate a new iron and steel trust, and over the weekend, businessmen waited to see what was coming. Five days later, on March 2, the announcement came: J. P. Morgan was overseeing the combination of companies that produced two thirds of the nation’s steel into the United States Steel Corporation. It was capitalized at $1.4 billion, which at the time was almost three times more than the federal government’s annual budget.  

While the stock market was abuzz with news of the nation’s first billion-dollar corporation, Vice President–elect Theodore Roosevelt was on his way from New York to Washington, D.C., where he and his family arrived at 5:00 in the evening. The train was an hour behind schedule because the crowds coming to see the upcoming inauguration, scheduled for Monday, March 4, 1901, had slowed travel into Washington. 

Two days later, President William McKinley took the oath of office for the second time, and Roosevelt became vice president.

McKinley was a champion of big business and believed the role of government was to support industry, dismissing growing demands from workers, farmers, and entrepreneurs for the government to level the economic playing field that had tilted so extraordinarily toward a few industry leaders. McKinley had won the hard-fought election of 1896 handily, but by 1900, Republicans were so concerned about the growing demand for reform that party leaders put Roosevelt, who had won a reputation for standing up to business interests, on the ticket, at least in part because they hoped to silence him there.

Roosevelt hoped he could promote reform from the vice presidency, but he quickly discovered that he couldn’t accomplish much of anything. His only official duty was to preside over the Senate, which would not convene until December. He was so bored he asked the chief justice of the Supreme Court if it would be unseemly for him to enroll in law school to finish his degree. (Horrified, the justice offered to supervise Roosevelt’s studies himself.)

But then, in September, an unemployed steelworker assassinated McKinley, and Roosevelt became president. “I told McKinley it was a mistake to nominate that wild man at Philadelphia,” one of McKinley’s aides said. “I told him what would happen if he should die. Now look. That damned cowboy is president of the United States.” 

Two months later, on November 13, J. P. Morgan and railroad magnates brought together the nation’s main railroad interests, which had been warring with each other, into a new conglomerate called the Northern Securities Company. Even the staunchly big business Chicago Tribune was taken aback: “Never have interests so enormous been brought under one management,” its editor wrote. 

Midwestern governors, whose constituents depended on the railroads to get their crops to market, suggested that their legislatures would find a way to prohibit such a powerful combination. Northern Securities Company officials retorted that they would simply keep all business transactions and operations secret. When Roosevelt gave his first message to Congress in December, industrialists watched to see what the “damned cowboy” would say about their power over the government. 

They were relieved. Roosevelt said the government should start cleaning up factories and limiting the working hours of women and children, and that it should reserve natural resources for everyone rather than allow them to be exploited by greedy businessmen. 

But Roosevelt did not oppose the new huge combinations. He simply wanted the government to supervise and control corporate combinations, preventing criminality in the business world as it did in the streets. He asked businessmen only for transparency. Once the government actually knew what businesses were up to, he said, it could consider regulation or taxation to protect the public interest. 

Senators and businessmen who had worried that the cowboy president would slash at the trusts breathed a sigh of relief that all he wanted was “transparency.” According to the Chicago Tribune, the “grave and reverend and somewhat plutocratic Senators immediately admitted in the most delighted fashion that the young and supposedly impetuous President had discussed the trust question with rare discrimination.” 

But they were wrong to think Roosevelt did not intend to reduce the power of big business. In early January 1902, Minnesota sued to stop the Northern Securities Company from organizing on the grounds that such a combination violated Minnesota law. While the Supreme Court dithered over whether or not it could rule on the case, the Roosevelt administration put the federal government out in front of the issue. In February, Roosevelt’s attorney general told newspapers that the administration believed the formation of the Northern Securities Company violated the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act and that he would be filing a suit to keep it from organizing.

Businessmen were aghast, not only because Roosevelt was going after a business combination but also because he had acted without consulting Wall Street. When J. P. Morgan complained that he had not been informed, Roosevelt coolly told him that that was the whole point. “If we have done anything wrong,” said the astonished Morgan, “send your man [the attorney general] to my man [one of his lawyers] and they can fix it up.” The president declined. “We don’t want to fix it up,” explained the attorney general. “We want to stop it.” 

“Criticism of President Roosevelt’s action was heard on every side,” reported the Boston Globe. “Some of the principal financiers said he had dealt a serious blow to the financial securities of the country.” For his part, Roosevelt was unconcerned by the criticism. “If the law has not been violated,” he announced, “no harm can come from the proposed legal action.”  

In late February, the Supreme Court decided it would not hear the Minnesota case; on March 10, the United States sued to stop the organization of the Northern Securities Company.

In August 1902, Roosevelt toured New England and the Midwest to rally support for his attack on the Northern Securities Company. He told audiences that he was not trying to destroy corporations but rather wanted to make them act in the public interest. He demanded a “square deal” for everyone. As the Boston Globe put it: “‘Justice for all alike—a square deal for every man, great or small, rich or poor,’ is the Roosevelt ideal to be attained by the framing and the administration of the law. And he would tell you that that means Mr Morgan and Mr Rockefeller [sic] as well as the poor fellow who cannot pay his rent.” 

In 1904 the Supreme Court ruled that the Northern Securities Company was an illegal monopoly and that it must be dissolved, and by 1912, Roosevelt had come to believe that a strong federal government was the only way for citizens to maintain control over corporations, which he saw as the inevitable outcome of the industrial economy. He had no patience for those who hoped to stop such combinations by passing laws against them. Instead, he believed the American people must create a strong federal government that could exert public control over corporations.

In a famous speech at Osawatomie, Kansas, in 1912, he called for a “new nationalism.”

“The citizens of the United States must effectively control the mighty commercial forces which they have called into being,” he said. He warned that “[t]here can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains…. We must have complete and effective publicity of corporate affairs, so that the people may know…whether the corporations obey the law and whether their management entitles them to the confidence of the public.”

Roosevelt had come to believe that a strong government must regulate business. “The absence of effective State, and, especially, national, restraint upon unfair money-getting has tended to create a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men, whose chief object is to hold and increase their power,” he said. 

After all, he said, “[t]he object of government is the welfare of the people.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[wilwheaton]

Thomas expects the nation to take seriously his views on the subtlest contours of the Constitution. He also expects us to believe he cannot understand a clear and simple instruction on a disclosure form; that he sees no distinction between “personal hospitality” and trips halfway around the world by private jet; and that he sees nothing wrong about having a member of the board of the conservative American Enterprise Institute purchase and fix up his mother’s house.

Clarence Thomas's disclosure form explanations are laughable

Thomas is thoroughly corrupt, not impartial at all. He is an activist judge who has abused his power on SCOTUS to exact revenge against an endless list of people he hates, the law and the constitution be damned. He is married to a seditious activist who participated in a coup against the very government and country her husband swore an oath to protect.

They both belong in prison for the rest of their lives. At the very least, Thomas should be impeached and removed from SCOTUS. He never should have been confirmed, and President Biden should acknowledge his role in allowing Thomas to be seated. President Biden should make amends to America for this by expanding the Court to nullify Thomas and the illegitimate justices nominated by and seated during Trump’s stolen presidency.

[bellwitchfaggot]

Doing my duties as a powwow war general rn while tipsy all American spirits come w a regulated amt of peyote . U can purchase American spirit loose-leaf and cut ur handrolled cigarettes w any amt of peyote that comes in the loose leaf regardless of regulation and if ur me and kit u CAN then dose any number of ppl for any number of reasons w any amt of peyote in the handrolled cigarettes

detrimentally tipsy on 2 beers smoking white woman cigarettes

[odinsblog]

🗣️ Please pay attention

Amazon argues that national labor board is unconstitutional, joining SpaceX and Trader Joe’s

Amazon is arguing in a legal filing that the 88-year-old National Labor Relations Board is unconstitutional, echoing similar arguments made this year by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the grocery store chain Trader Joe’s in disputes about workers’ rights and organizing.

The Amazon filing, made Thursday, came in response to a case before an administrative law judge overseeing a complaint from agency prosecutors who allege the company unlawfully retaliated against workers at a New York City warehouse who voted to unionize nearly two years ago.

In its filing, Amazon denies many of the charges and asks for the complaint to be dismissed. The company’s attorneys then go further, arguing that the structure of the agency — particularly limits on the removal of administrative law judges and five board members appointed by the president — violates the separation of powers and infringes on executive powers stipulated in the Constitution.

The attorneys also argue that NLRB proceedings deny the company a trial by a jury and violate its due-process rights under the Fifth Amendment. (source)

ICYMI, this is a case of corporations going, “7th Amendment Protections for me, but not for thee.”

It is strongly worth noting that in 2018 the John Roberts Court ruled 5-4 that companies can use forced arbitration clauses to stop people from joining together to fight workplace abuses - in effect denying individuals their 7th Amendment protections.

Subsequently, binding arbitration clauses used by corporations has proliferated; sneaking into all manner of common legal documents: personal banking applications, ordinary car loan applications, furniture purchases, and more. This is, unsurprisingly, a direct violation of the 7th Amendment that guarantees HUMAN BEINGS AND PEOPLE the right to a jury trial in certain civil cases and inhibits courts from overturning a jury's findings of fact. Republicans and SCOTUS are perfectly okay with corporations having more rights than workers and using forced arbitration to block people from having access to jury trials—but God forbid if corporations don’t have their right to a jury trial.

This legislative push to bestow corporations with more rights than people, while simultaneously taking away rights from human beings, has been nothing if not thoroughly and methodically done. At this rate, no corporation will ever need to fear a class action lawsuit again.

Amazon, SpaceX and Trader Joe’s are union busting.

But this latest case against the NLRB isn’t just an attack on labor and worker’s rights, it’s a fascistic attack on the very heart of fairness and democracy itself.

[appro880]

Our Democracy is Disappearing, Right Before Our Eyes...

The U.S. Supreme Court Ruled Last Week That, Donald Trump, Has Immunity From Prosecution for Official Acts, While in Office, Illegal or Otherwise…

The Vote Came Down with 6 Conservative Justices, 3 of Them, Trump Appointed, (Affirming). And 3 Dissenting (Opposing) Justices, (Liberal).

What This Effectively Means is That a President is Now Immune From Criminal Prosecution for Official Acts Committed While President. A President Can Order the Murder or Detention of Political Opponents, Can Arbitrarily, Eliminate Dozens of Government Agencies, Fire Thousands of Government Employees Who Are Not Loyal to His Administrative Policies and Agendas… Use the Military to Stop Opposing Protesters, Deport Thousands of Immigrants… Arrest Opposing Journalists and the Like… And This is What They Are Admitting to…Why Is This Beginning so Sound More and More Like a Dictatorship?

Moreover, The Former President Will Have No Other Civil or Criminal Trials Will Take Place, Prior to the November Election. The Court Has, Effectively Thrown a Huge Boulder in the Road to Bringing, Donald Trump, to Justice, with Regard to His Numerous Offenses.

The Ruling is Akin to, Forcing a Home Buyer or Car Purchaser to Sign a Contract, Without First Walking Through the Property or Test Driving the Vehicle. Furthermore, the Seller Takes No Legal Responsibility for Any Malfunction or Flaws in the Said Properties.

Who in Their Right Mind Would Willingly Participate in Such a Transaction? Yet, This is What We as the Citizenry Has Been Asked, No Told to Do.

Now the Lower Court Has to Hold a Series of Hearings to Determine Whether, Trump’s, Alleged Crimes Were Manifested Through Official Acts or Personal Acts. If Deemed, the Former; They Must Be Stripped From the Indictments.

Trump Has Already Told Us What He Plans to Do Once He is in Office... He Can Run for President, Be Elected President and Then Pardon Himself and All the January 6th, Rioters...

If Barack Obama, Had Committed 1/10th of Crimes of This One Man Crime Spree; What Do You Think Would Have Happened to Him? If You or Me Were a Convicted Felon, Do You Think a Corporation Would Hire Us or Allow Us On Their Board of Directors?

This Election is Truly About the Preservation of Our Democracy…

Start Paying Attention Folks! This is Only the Beginning...

The Long Held Tenet That: “No One is Above the Law”, is a Joke!!! Donald Trump and The SCOTUS Has Just Proved It

The Revolutionary War Was Fought, in Fact this Nation Was Supposedly, Created with the Intention of  Avoiding  the Possibility of Allowing a Tyrannical Leader (i.e., dictator, king, emperor) to Assume Power. We As a Nation, Have Long Held Our Democracy as a Shining Example For the Rest of the World to Follow, Yet We Are Now on the Brink of Having Our Own Now Crumble Before Our Very Eyes…

Ironically, The Alt Right and the Right Wing Evangelicals Are Using, Trump, to Further Their Agendas, While Trump is Using Them to Stay Out of Jail. The Rest of the Trumptards are Just Along for the Ride… And Ultimately, America, Itself Will Be Caught in the Crossfire…

It Is Up to You, and You, and You to Right These Wrongs, Before We Reach the Point of No Return…

You Must Vote on November 5th; Our Very Democracy and Way of Life Depends On It…

The Justice System, May Be a Joke, But "Project 2025" is No Joke! Look It Up!

[pnrwrites]

 In light of the SCOTUS ruling last year, @arndtezra had the brilliant idea to put together a pro-choice charity anthology, My Say in the Matter, with all proceeds going toward abortion rights. My Say in the Matter is comprised of poems, short stories, and flash fiction from various authors (myself included) with a focus on bodily autonomy. 

My Say in the Matter will release February 13, 2023. If you would like to help support abortion rights, please consider reblogging, adding My Say in the Matter to your Goodreads list, and purchasing a digital or physical copy on its release date! (Official purchasing link to come)

You can also donate and keep up with news regarding abortion rights and procedures at the National Network of Abortion Funds website.

[yzuposts]

You reap what you sow.

— refusal to ban dangerous weapons like AR-15s

— SCOTUS overturned the bump stock ban

— in PA, open carry w/o a permit is legal

What the fuck do you think is going to happen— that if you let people have dangerous guns willy-nilly that it would make America safer? The 2nd Amendment is part of a document created centuries ago. This is why we need to rewrite the Constitution & the Bill of Rights! It would have been valid back when settlers were getting attacked by Native Americans during Manifest Destiny or during the Revolutionary War or during the time of the Wild West maybe. But we do NOT need civilians to have guns anymore! It does not make anyone safer. By promoting gun freedom you enhance and create more freedom to commit violence. Remember the Las Vegas massacre which used BUMP STOCKS? Trump’s admin banned it but only because they were in the eye of the public — then the Supreme Court overturned it. There was a great hullabaloo about not having illegal machine guns on our streets! But we shouldn’t have guns in the first place. Even if the shooter was 20, and therefore could not have legally purchased a gun yet, he was still able to get his hands on a gun and shoot. Now Corey Comperatore, who had a wife and two daughters, is dead. It doesn’t matter what age a shooter is, because they can always get their hands on guns. Remember Ethan Crumbley, who killed people with a gun his parents got for him? Every year in America hundreds more shootings take place. There are thousands of people dead, families torn asunder, because someone with a gun took away lives. We should not have guns.

Above, this is what Trump said in February of this year. Below, this is what he said in April 2023.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Trust no one. Question everyone. Including yourself. Especially yourself.

Huffington Post – Bruce Maiman, Guest Writer Jun 9, 2023, 02:38 PM EDT

“I don’t need to do research, only need to see the obvious.”

So wrote a friend, one of several in a group text where we banter about politics. My friend is staunchly conservative and often makes unsubstantiated assertions.

His message reminded me of a campaign button I had purchased years ago as a kid. It was the only one I ever bought. I wish I still had it, but I’ve never forgotten it. The button, brown with white letters, read, “Question Authority.”

You’ll find that phrase now on not only buttons, but T-shirts, hats and various tchotchkes. It has been attributed to everyone, from founding father Benjamin Franklin to ’60s counterculture figure Timothy Leary to Greek philosopher Socrates. You’ll even find a recent novel, “The Question Authority,” about the decades-long impact on several female characters who were victimized by their male teacher, a sexual predator.

Regardless of the phrase’s purported origins — which remain unsubstantiated, by the way — my childhood self was a defiantly independent little SOB, and the saying resonated with me.

It has served as a kind of North Star, albeit with caveats, as I eventually amended the phrase to where it has now stood for most of my life: Trust no one. Question everyone. Including yourself. Especially yourself.

I’ve always thought it wise to ask questions, seek answers and then seek them again, especially when wondering whether I might be wrong. Most would agree, I hope, that it takes a certain courage to admit when you’re wrong. But I would argue that it takes even greater courage to be willing to find out if you are.

I bring all this up as a prologue because I believe it to be at the heart of what’s dividing our nation. We seem to have retreated to corners that are not only ideologically defined, but also characterized by an intractable refusal to admit we might be wrong — or even worse, an unwillingness to find out.

...

ERIC is a nonpartisan organization comprising election officials from states that have opted into the voluntary partnership, which helps members maintain election integrity and prevent voter fraud. It’s not necessarily about intentional fraud, but inadvertent fraud — like someone who moved to a new state and registers to vote there without canceling a previous registration record elsewhere. Joining the ERIC collaborative helps states share information, correcting mistakes on voter lists when they occur.

ERIC’s origins can be traced to the 2000 presidential election, which was so chaotic that Congress required states to start keeping voter registration lists. But with their limited resources, state governments struggled to keep voter rolls current, let alone accurate.

...

The bottom line? ERIC has been a bipartisan success story in election administration, restoration and accuracy. It was lauded by officials in every state that joined the partnership — 32 at its peak, almost evenly divided between red and blue.

Then came the lies. ...

see link to read full article

__________________________________

NPR report:

The Supreme Court and 'The Shadow Docket'

The Supreme Court and its conservative majority "has been using unsigned and unexplained orders to a degree and in ways which really have no precedent in the court's history," professor Steve Vladek says.

____________

If you assume that additional majority-minority districts in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, & 1–2 other states would’ve been safe Democratic seats, then today’s #SCOTUS ruling strongly suggests that the Court’s 2022 shadow docket stays wrongly gave Republicans control of the House.

[ecoeconomicepochs]

BITCOIN AS PROPERTY / LAND / Land Use Meme

PRECEDENTS: - Hong Kong Court ruling Bitcoin as property - IRS memo #1421 Bitcoin purchase is akin to land purchase - SCOTUS Alice 2014 ruling "claims may not direct towards abstract ideas" / physical is the opposite of abstract = rationale for baseball field (s) meme given fields are surveyed Thesis: Owning 1 BTC of digital real estate is equivalent to owning 1126 acres of the Earth's habitable land: - 15.77 billion acres of habitable land - 14 million coins of active supply (not lost or Satoshi's coins) - One 14 millionth of the 15.77 billion habitable acres is 1126 acres. - Owning 0.01 of a coin (1 million sats) is equivalent to 11 acres. This is your equivalent share of Bitcoin's total value in the form of digital real estate, with our Earth's physical land as the model Blocks created along a blockchain items #113, 123, 126, stored in a cube 131 USPTO 13/573,002 main graphic Source: Reddit: https://lnkd.in/gbCVAX7X #bitcoin #realestate #digital #bitcoinmining

[lboogie1906]

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) is known for her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. She was born to Leona and James McCauley in Tuskegee. Leona worked as a teacher and James as a carpenter. She began to attend Alabama State Teacher’s College High School, she dropped out to care for ill family members. She married barber and local political activist Raymond Parks in 1931, she became an active member of Montgomery’s NAACP, where she served as youth director and as secretary. She participated in the organization’s voter registration drives. On December 1, 1955, following the end of her shift as a seamstress for the Montgomery Fair department store, she boarded the Cleveland Avenue city bus. She and other African American riders were asked to give up their seats once the “whites only” section had filled. She refused, was arrested, and received a $14 fine. This was her second encounter with the bus driver James Blake. Within hours, the Women’s Political Council sprang into action. The WPC printed flyers and brochures, phoned potential supporters, and created carpools, marking the beginning of the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott. The SCOTUS declared bus segregation unconstitutional in 1957. She moved to Detroit with her husband and worked as a seamstress before taking a job as an assistant to Congressman John Conyers. She founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. She received numerous honors, including over 40 honorary degrees, the Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, and two NAACP image awards. The state of Michigan honors Parks each February 4 on Rosa Parks Day. Troy State University in Alabama honored her by constructing a museum and library. The Henry Ford Museum in Michigan preserved Parks’ legacy by purchasing the Cleveland Avenue bus. She authored several books. She teamed up to produce “The Rosa Parks Story.” She became one of only 30 Americans and the first woman to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. Her statue was added to Statuary Hall in the same building. She was the first African American woman so honored. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha https://www.instagram.com/p/CoPqQ75LuOV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thecrankiestofgremlins]

I really really hope this doesn't work for Disney. If they were going for the clause in the *tickets* that would be shitty but definitely make more sense. What it *seems* like they're trying to do is get the law to agree that anyone anywhere who has *ever* had any kind of interaction with Disney in any way that involved a user agreement or contract is denied their day in court no matter how long ago they purchased anything that came with those conditions attached.

I *want* to say they have no shot. That's an insane perversion of contract law *especially* when you're talking about a wrongful death suit. But. Um. I am concerned about the state of US law in particular and what this current SCOTUS would do with such a lawsuit, because you can be *damn* sure this is something they'll try to appeal up. There's no reason to try it with the Disney+ free trial conditions otherwise.

[mitigatingacademics]

{10.30.2024}

I baked Black Velvet Cupcakes as my Halloween Crew Offering and, despite the fact that we're less than 48 hours from November, had to run my air conditioning on my trip down to the station to deliver them. #HappyHalloween #GlobalWarmingIsReal

I’ve had a productive first week back from vacation. I even picked up an overtime shift Tuesday night.

I had been studying for the LSAT and working on essays/applications for so long that, having less than a week after completing everything before being accepted into my first choice law school (I'm not complaining!) kind of left me floundering with a general 'what do I need to be doing next?!' kind of feeling. 

There are a variety of '0L'/pre-law school courses out there that claim to prepare you for the main event and I decided to see if I could find anything I thought I might benefit from. 

Kaplan has a free module. Of course, Kaplan is horrible even when you pay for it (I say this from experience re: GRE prep), so I wasn't expecting much. …it's really bad. Like, even for free. I tried, but I was gaining nothing but frustration and my time is more valuable than that. 

Harvard has a whole thing. You have to apply, but it looks like they accept just about all prospective law students. It's $200. Hell, taking the LSAT costs more than that. I set that aside to potentially come back to later. 

I've seen folks talk a lot about Barbri's free resources. I've looked on multiple occasions and haven't found much worth spending time on. I *did* save a list of suggested TedTalks to watch. Their 'Law Preview' class is $900. ...I'm sorry (actually, I'm not) but what could you possibly have to tell me in order to prepare me for law school that is worth the equivalent of a whole law school credit…that I can’t find elsewhere, probably for free? Ridiculous.

Then I remembered I still have an active LawHub subscription because LSAC makes you purchase it to take the LSAT. They have a few courses, and, if anyone should know what will be useful, it ought to be those folks, right? 

I completed 'Law School Unmasked.' It was decent. Nothing Earth shattering, but I'm glad I to have gone through it. Then I started 'Law School JumpStart.' I'm about a quarter of the way though, so far there’s been a solid introduction to the concept of Torts and multiple opportunities for case briefing experience. Good stuff. 'Legal Analysis Bootcamp' is another offered course. That one boasts a mock exam. So far, I’m as pleased with these resources as I expected to be with anything.

On the Con Law side project front, I completed Issue 6, discussing whether or not Congress should have broad Constitutional power to regulate the states under the Interstate Commerce Clause. 

This was the first of the issues presented in this book for which I didn't find myself, at least initially, favoring one side or the other. 

Ultimately, my conclusion was that the dichotomy approach wasn't an effective means of addressing the issue as 'Yes/No' isn't a useful response when *clearly* the only workable answer will be a matter of degree. The question, then, is one of scale, not affirmation or denial, and requires set parameters for determining what qualifies as 'broad power.'

Wickard v. Filburn (1942), is one of my favorite SCOTUS cases. I even made room in the love letter to Liz Cheney that became my law school personal statement to comment on the constitutionality of WWII era agricultural protocols. It's taken on that level of significance in my life. It's the first case that I can honestly say, even though I don't like the vast majority of the implications, I think the Court got it right and I don't see how it could have feasibly been determined otherwise.

United States v. Lopez (1995) is frustrating for me, personally, in that, as a person that would, generally, be supportive of the federal government acting to ban firearms in school zones, when you attempt to justify said ban in a ridiculous way, as here, you make us all look bad. It's clearly not commerce. ...and the state government was actually addressing the issue just fine itself before the feds took over. Again, in my opinion, the Court came to the correct conclusion. A few of its members really showed themselves in the dissent and the majority did not miss the opportunity to elaborate on the implications - this was, probably, the most valuable thing to come from these deliberations. That we have to take this case seriously at all, let alone consider it as potentially demonstrably representative of a rationally considered trend is just... 🙄

Anyway, never get me started on Wickard v. Filburn...

I took Robespierre all the way to Tennessee and back, but I never opened the book.

I fixed that this week by making my way through two chapters.

It's probably some level of civic blasphemy to admit this, but I’m enjoying this book a lot more than I did the one on Washington – and that was a *good* book…I just don’t seem to like Washington much? 😬

[graymanbriefing]

2nd Amendment Brief: National Summary  》In MA; A new referendum petition filed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) linked Gun Owners' Action League (GOAL) challenging a recently passed "gun control" law that bans most firearms. The NRA's petition seeks to overturn the law through a statewide referendum, allowing voters to decide whether the law s...  》In NM; recent reports indicate an increase in the utilization of the "red flag law" known as an Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order (ERPO) utilization. Debrief: There are ongoing discussions about "retooling" the ERPO to enhance its effectiveness at removing firearms from citizens that other citizens and official deem to be unsafe. Proposed changes include broadening the range of people who can petition for an ERPO and streamlining the process to ensure it is more consistently applied. The la... 》In MN; A new law has gone into effect that implement a 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases. Retailers began the mandated requirement this month. Debrief: This move comes in response to the mass shooting in Lewiston, which left 18 peo... 》In NY; New York City has made adjustments to its gun laws in response to SCOTUS's Bruen ruling. Mayor Eric Adams signed new legislation that now allows nonresidents to apply for concealed carry permits within the city. This change allows for individuals who do not reside in New York City to seek permission to carry firearms there. The law als...  》In FL; Gun Owners of America (GOA) is challenging Florida's ban on openly carrying firearms, arguing that it is a violation of Second Amendment rights. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, contends that the state's restriction on open carry is a "blatant infringement" on the right to bear arms. Florida currently allows concealed carry but remains one of the few states that prohibits the open carrying of firearms. GOA's legal action aim... 》In OR; the Oregon Firearms Federation and the Firearms Policy Coalition Inc have filed a suit challenging a law banning unserialized firearms arguing that self-made guns without serial numbers are in common use a...(CLASSIFIED, get briefs unredacted by joining at www.graymanbring.com)

[odinsblog]

Clarence Thomas is so far down in the sunken place that when someone accuses him of anti-Blackness, he probably lies and says he has a Black friend

SCOTUS has been purchased by oligarchs

[svgoceandesigns1]

I Stand With Texas SVG - SCOTUS Trending SVG PNG, Cricut File

I Stand With Texas SVG, SCOTUS Trending SVG PNG EPS DXF PDF, Cricut File, Instant Download File, Cricut File Silhouette Art, Logo Design, Designs For Shirts. ♥ Welcome to SVG OCEAN DESIGNS Store! ♥ ► PLEASE NOTE: – Since this item is digital, no physical product will be sent to you. – Your files will be ready to download immediately after your purchase. Once payment has been completed, SVG Ocean Designs will send you an email letting you know your File is ready for Download. You may also check your Order/Purchase History on SVG Ocean Designs website and it should be available for download there as well. – Please make sure you have the right software required and knowledge to use this graphic before making your purchase. – Due to monitor differences and your printer settings, the actual colors of your printed product may vary slightly. – Due to the digital nature of this listing, there are “no refunds or exchanges”. – If you have a specific Design you would like made, just message me! I will be more than glad to create a Custom Oder for you. ► YOU RECEIVE: This listing includes a zip file with the following formats: – SVG File (check your software to confirm it is compatible with your machine): Includes wording in both white and black (SVG only). Other files are black wording. – PNG File: PNG High Resolution 300 dpi Clipart (transparent background – resize smaller and slightly larger without loss of quality). – DXF: high resolution, perfect for print and many more. – EPS: high resolution, perfect for print, Design and many more. ► USAGE: – Can be used with Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Cameo, Silhouette Studio, Adobe Illustrator, ...and any other software or machines that work with SVG/PNG files. Please make sure your machine and software are compatible before purchasing. – You can edit, resize and change colors in any vector or cutting software like Inkscape, Adobe illustrator, Cricut design space, etc. SVG cut files are perfect for all your DIY projects or handmade business Product. You can use them for T-shirts, scrapbooks, wall vinyls, stickers, invitations cards, web and more!!! Perfect for T-shirts, iron-ons, mugs, printables, card making, scrapbooking, etc. ►TERMS OF USE: – NO refunds on digital products. Please contact me if you experience any problems with the purchase. – Watermark and wood background won’t be shown in the downloaded files. – Please DO NOT resell, distribute, share, copy, or reproduce my designs. – Customer service and satisfaction is our top priority. If you have any questions before placing orders, please contact with us via email "support@svgoceandesigns.com". – New products and latest trends =>> Click Here . Thank you so much for visiting our store! SVG OCEAN DESIGNS Read the full article

[ogcinco]

Commiefornia will certainly appeal the ruling. Let's pray common sense prevails when it reaches the 9th. If not, onward to SCOTUS until we kill this nonsense.