Very well written and it should be a letter to Roberts, delivered by WaPo and NYT! So now that Thomas has been released from the hospital after having a so-called “infection” called Ginni’s Big Mouth, you think Roberts will find his balls and encourage Clarence to resign?
The present composition of the SC (R vs D) may well be the single most devastating legacy of TFG and Moscow Mitch. That there is a beer-addicted white guy and a bible-thumping white woman on the court is bad enough, but add to that a justice who has no problem with overturning an election makes the future of the country a grim one.
I'm almost 79, and won't have to put up with this shit for much longer. Can't believe that I volunteered for Bobby in 68. It's all been downhill since then.
I spent 4 hours with him and four others in a home in Mississippi late Spring of ‘68. Was ready to join his campaign, when!!! No one like since. Toughness, intellect and compassion, each in large measure.
I admired him even as a kid then, and looking back, I see how this country started its long fall in 1968. RFK would have turned this nation around. There has been no one since to take his place.
I have always wondered why , particularly of late, it is called "The Roberts Court." Rightfully and correctly it should be called "Mitch's Court." Yes, historically, for example The Warren Court, the Supreme Court has been known by the name of the Chief Justice who has presided over it when often momentous decisions are made which impact our imperfect Union but of late such a designation has fallen onto hard times.
Since his appointment by Bush II Roberts has been described as a "moderate" yet as the Court has become stacked with Federalist Society approved uber conservative justices he has veered to the right with his own opinions most notably his written opinion on how provisions of the Voting Rights Act have become "obsolete" because racism is no longer "obvious" in our country. With that opinion Roberts showed his true stripes and signaled open season on a whole host of individual liberties as Thomas and Alito were joined by Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett.
So, yes, John Roberts has a problem. He is presiding over a Court which has made it clear this nation is on a backward journey to the not so good old days when old white men in business and politics made the rules for everyone else and if you didn't like it, too bad. That is what we saw in the confirmation hearings of Judge Jackson. The heart and soul (?) of the modern Republican Party simply went on the record what is coming in the elections of 2022 and 2024 and thereafter when this nation will be in a permanent culture war and the not so good guys have the levers of power including the ultimate lever, the Supreme Court , in their hands.
I would not hold my breath expecting John Roberts to do anything to publicly or privately wipe the stain from the institution he is supposed to preside over. Why not? Simple. He is in on the fix. He has been since the day he was appointed. Now he sits on our judicial Olympus looking down on the nation surrounded by five other judicial midgets who share his judicial , but worse, religious beliefs.
Ginny Thomas and Marcia Blackburn are not the problem. They are the symptom of a much deeper illness on the Supreme Court which John Roberts feels no urgency to cure.
Indeed. My immediate thought was: does John Roberts really think these things? Does he even have a soul? Thomas and Alito are tag team (1) and Kavanaugh and Barrett: tag team (2). Roberts is thrilled to be able to pretend that he is thoughtful and moderate. Ha! When he was the vote that allowed passage of humane decisions, I had an image of the conservative justices tossing a coin to give him a pass! I’m not holding my breath that anything will be done about Thomas and his Toxic Wife. Justices Kagan, Sotomayor and Kennedy must have to live on anti-nausea medicine to get through the day. I do just reading the transcripts.
I have been calling it the Stench Bench for a while now, stealing the "stench" from Sotomayor. I agree that Roberts is and has always been "in on the fix."
A Catholic friend used to insist that Roberts would be fair, just—and very cognizant of his legacy. Well, forget “legacy” and in order to believe in legacy, one would have to believe: 1. This country has a future; 2. That God exists and there is an EverAfter.
I don’t think Roberts or ANY Repug believes in either. Lemmings racing for the cliff’s edge aren’t capable of higher thinking.
The only footwear action from this court will be a soft shoe tap dance by the Chief and a steel-toed drop kick to the nation’s gut supplied by Alito, Thomas, et al.
One thing Chief Justice Roberts can do is ... resign. Yes, he can give Joe Biden another progressive voice on the court, returning some balance. When Clarence Thomas goes away (sooner rather than later, I hope) Biden would get another pick. That would be the only way to wrest control of the court from the right-wing - by surrendering his spot for the sake of the institution.
Yep! You covered the entire games happening in the playground of the current Supreme Court. I do not see any corrections to the madness happening in the rest of my lifetime.
Ending the filibuster will happen as soon as McConnell is Senate majority leader again. The gop has no qualms about doing whatever gains power for them. Their reigning ethic is the ends justify the means.
So well said, Lucian. I know that SCOTUS is supposed to self-regulate when it comes to ethical conduct, but does the Chief Justice have the option of insisting that Thomas recuse himself, at the very least?
Justice Roberts has himself a righteous problem. He can solve one part of it, by 'suggesting' that it would behoove Thomas to resign/retire at the end of the term in June, but that would only make the prospect of having to listen to more Republican racism and whining about another candidate to fill that position worse.
I'm sure that there are days he wishes he'd not gone to law school and just become an insurance salesman. There are days when I wish the conservatives on the court had done the same. There are a few bright lights on it, but they don't make up for the flame outs.
It is unlikely the Supreme Court will radically alter or overturn Roe v Wade before the mid-term elections. The court is unlikely to overturn Gay marriage, The Hospitality industry benefit from Gay spending as does several important city's. Chief Roberts will probably stand with the three moderate judges. He might resign in 2023 because of age or weariness with the crazies. Judge Thomas has been humiliated, imagine dinner conversations with his wife.
Audiea, there was a time when I agreed that Roberts actually cared enough about his legacy to do the right thing for the law. Now, I’m more in the “absolute power corrupts absolutely” camp.
Very well written and it should be a letter to Roberts, delivered by WaPo and NYT! So now that Thomas has been released from the hospital after having a so-called “infection” called Ginni’s Big Mouth, you think Roberts will find his balls and encourage Clarence to resign?
Ginni won't give them back.
Thomas is out? That's too bad, I was hoping he'd never leave.
Me too, but then I thought tfg wouldn’t be around either after getting Covid. I gotta be careful what I wish for.
Hope springs eternal 🤞🤞
“ . . . so-called “infection” called Ginni’s Big Mouth.”
😘❤️❤️
Midterms midterms midterms …. Vote blue or die.
The present composition of the SC (R vs D) may well be the single most devastating legacy of TFG and Moscow Mitch. That there is a beer-addicted white guy and a bible-thumping white woman on the court is bad enough, but add to that a justice who has no problem with overturning an election makes the future of the country a grim one.
I'm almost 79, and won't have to put up with this shit for much longer. Can't believe that I volunteered for Bobby in 68. It's all been downhill since then.
RFK, the greatest President we never had. I have never ceased to mourn his loss.
I spent 4 hours with him and four others in a home in Mississippi late Spring of ‘68. Was ready to join his campaign, when!!! No one like since. Toughness, intellect and compassion, each in large measure.
I admired him even as a kid then, and looking back, I see how this country started its long fall in 1968. RFK would have turned this nation around. There has been no one since to take his place.
That year started with the Pueblo, remember?
I have always wondered why , particularly of late, it is called "The Roberts Court." Rightfully and correctly it should be called "Mitch's Court." Yes, historically, for example The Warren Court, the Supreme Court has been known by the name of the Chief Justice who has presided over it when often momentous decisions are made which impact our imperfect Union but of late such a designation has fallen onto hard times.
Since his appointment by Bush II Roberts has been described as a "moderate" yet as the Court has become stacked with Federalist Society approved uber conservative justices he has veered to the right with his own opinions most notably his written opinion on how provisions of the Voting Rights Act have become "obsolete" because racism is no longer "obvious" in our country. With that opinion Roberts showed his true stripes and signaled open season on a whole host of individual liberties as Thomas and Alito were joined by Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett.
So, yes, John Roberts has a problem. He is presiding over a Court which has made it clear this nation is on a backward journey to the not so good old days when old white men in business and politics made the rules for everyone else and if you didn't like it, too bad. That is what we saw in the confirmation hearings of Judge Jackson. The heart and soul (?) of the modern Republican Party simply went on the record what is coming in the elections of 2022 and 2024 and thereafter when this nation will be in a permanent culture war and the not so good guys have the levers of power including the ultimate lever, the Supreme Court , in their hands.
I would not hold my breath expecting John Roberts to do anything to publicly or privately wipe the stain from the institution he is supposed to preside over. Why not? Simple. He is in on the fix. He has been since the day he was appointed. Now he sits on our judicial Olympus looking down on the nation surrounded by five other judicial midgets who share his judicial , but worse, religious beliefs.
Ginny Thomas and Marcia Blackburn are not the problem. They are the symptom of a much deeper illness on the Supreme Court which John Roberts feels no urgency to cure.
Indeed. My immediate thought was: does John Roberts really think these things? Does he even have a soul? Thomas and Alito are tag team (1) and Kavanaugh and Barrett: tag team (2). Roberts is thrilled to be able to pretend that he is thoughtful and moderate. Ha! When he was the vote that allowed passage of humane decisions, I had an image of the conservative justices tossing a coin to give him a pass! I’m not holding my breath that anything will be done about Thomas and his Toxic Wife. Justices Kagan, Sotomayor and Kennedy must have to live on anti-nausea medicine to get through the day. I do just reading the transcripts.
I have been calling it the Stench Bench for a while now, stealing the "stench" from Sotomayor. I agree that Roberts is and has always been "in on the fix."
A Catholic friend used to insist that Roberts would be fair, just—and very cognizant of his legacy. Well, forget “legacy” and in order to believe in legacy, one would have to believe: 1. This country has a future; 2. That God exists and there is an EverAfter.
I don’t think Roberts or ANY Repug believes in either. Lemmings racing for the cliff’s edge aren’t capable of higher thinking.
The only footwear action from this court will be a soft shoe tap dance by the Chief and a steel-toed drop kick to the nation’s gut supplied by Alito, Thomas, et al.
The Republicans seem not to mind the inter-racial marriage of Clarence Thomas!
One thing Chief Justice Roberts can do is ... resign. Yes, he can give Joe Biden another progressive voice on the court, returning some balance. When Clarence Thomas goes away (sooner rather than later, I hope) Biden would get another pick. That would be the only way to wrest control of the court from the right-wing - by surrendering his spot for the sake of the institution.
Yep! You covered the entire games happening in the playground of the current Supreme Court. I do not see any corrections to the madness happening in the rest of my lifetime.
I'm 75, tomorrow, and never would have believed for one second that I would quite possibly see the Republic collapse so completely in my lifetime.
Also 75, and I feel the same way.
83. Ditto.
Expand the court. Now.
They can do it with 51 if they get rid of the filibuster.
If not, we can continue to watch our democracy die a slow death.
Ending the filibuster will happen as soon as McConnell is Senate majority leader again. The gop has no qualms about doing whatever gains power for them. Their reigning ethic is the ends justify the means.
So well said, Lucian. I know that SCOTUS is supposed to self-regulate when it comes to ethical conduct, but does the Chief Justice have the option of insisting that Thomas recuse himself, at the very least?
Justice Roberts has himself a righteous problem. He can solve one part of it, by 'suggesting' that it would behoove Thomas to resign/retire at the end of the term in June, but that would only make the prospect of having to listen to more Republican racism and whining about another candidate to fill that position worse.
I'm sure that there are days he wishes he'd not gone to law school and just become an insurance salesman. There are days when I wish the conservatives on the court had done the same. There are a few bright lights on it, but they don't make up for the flame outs.
Well said.
It is unlikely the Supreme Court will radically alter or overturn Roe v Wade before the mid-term elections. The court is unlikely to overturn Gay marriage, The Hospitality industry benefit from Gay spending as does several important city's. Chief Roberts will probably stand with the three moderate judges. He might resign in 2023 because of age or weariness with the crazies. Judge Thomas has been humiliated, imagine dinner conversations with his wife.
Audiea, there was a time when I agreed that Roberts actually cared enough about his legacy to do the right thing for the law. Now, I’m more in the “absolute power corrupts absolutely” camp.
I have lost all hope for our country. As I said to my daughter yesterday when we were discussing the state of our democracy, "I'm glad I'm old.".
Ditto!