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Attribution: Justice for Sale by Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune, UT
Author: patd
“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
View all posts by patd
“In his response, Roberts also attached a three-page Statement of Ethics Principles and Practices “to which all of the current Members of the Supreme Court subscribe.”
mr. durbin responds according to same CBS link:
In a statement Tuesday, Durbin said the committee will still hold a hearing on Supreme Court ethics reforms next month.
“I extended an invitation to the Chief Justice, or his designate, in an attempt to include the Court in this discussion,” the statement said. “But make no mistake: Supreme Court ethics reform must happen whether the Court participates in the process or not.”
Durbin, citing the Congressional Research Service, said Supreme Court justices have testified to Congress in at least 92 hearings since 1960 “addressing such issues as the constitutional role of judges, judicial security, annual appropriations for the courts, and judicial compensation.”
Congress first enacted legislation to structure the Supreme Court in the Judiciary Act of 1789. Under the 1789 act, the Court comprised one Chief Justice and five Associate Justices. Congress enacted legislation to change the size of the Court multiple times during the nineteenth century. In 1801, Congress reduced the size of the Court to five Justices. The 1801 statute did not eliminate an occupied seat on the Court; instead, it provided that the change would take effect after the next vacancy. Congress repealed the 1801 law before any vacancy occurred, leaving the size of the Court at six Justices.
In the early years of the Republic, Supreme Court Justices were required to ride circuit, spending part of their time hearing Supreme Court cases in the capital and part of each year traveling to hear cases in the lower federal circuit courts. For a time during the 1800s, the number of Supreme Court Justices tracked the number of judicial circuits, facilitating the division of circuit-riding duties. At its largest, during the Civil War, the Court had ten Justices, with the addition of the tenth seat on the Court coinciding with the establishment of the Tenth Circuit. In 1866, Congress reduced the size of the Court to seven Justices, a change widely viewed as one of the Reconstruction Congress’s restrictions on President Andrew Johnson. In 1869, under a new presidential administration, Congress expanded the Court to include nine Justices. The 1869 legislation was the last time Congress changed the size of the Supreme Court.
applicable cartoon from 10 years ago might explain from whom clarence got advice on friends with benefits
For nearly two years beginning in 2015, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch sought a buyer for a 40-acre tract of property he co-owned in rural Granby, Colo.
Nine days after he was confirmed by the Senate for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, the then-circuit court judge got one: The chief executive of Greenberg Traurig, one of the nation’s biggest law firms with a robust practice before the high court. Gorsuch owned the property with two other individuals.
On April 16 of 2017, Greenberg’s Brian Duffy put under contract the 3,000-square foot log home on the Colorado River and nestled in the mountains northwest of Denver, according to real estate records.
He and his wife closed on the house a month later, paying $1.825 million, according to a deed in the county’s record system. Gorsuch, who held a 20 percent stake, reported making between $250,001 and $500,000 from the sale on his federal disclosure forms.
Gorsuch did not disclose the identity of the purchaser. That box was left blank.
Since then, Greenberg Traurig has been involved in at least 22 cases before or presented to the court, according to a POLITICO review of the court’s docket.
At the end of the Roman republic everybody (‘cept Cato lol) had ONE thing on their mind……Cashing In.
Everybody busy cashing in.
The most gold makes the rules.
“Some Alabama Republican lawmakers are trying to increase restrictions on conversations and confidentiality regarding gender identity and sexual orientation for kids from kindergarten to eighth grade in public schools across the state.”
The whole Feinstein thing is being blown up by the supporters of Barbara Lee particularly Rep Ro Kahanna.
If Feinstein steps down Newsome said he would appoint a black woman.
Let Feinstein finish her term She does not have any reason to resign. Let’s remember she is the senator who got an national assault weapons ban It did have an impact but was not renewed due to the NRA.
She would have made a better governor but all in all she has been a decent if not brilliant senator. Let her finish her term on her own term.
full disclosure I support Rep Katie Porter
She is recovering from a bad case of shingles Everyone should get vaccinated.
Some changes to the Derby horses with six days to go before the post draw. For hunch bettors, Jace’s Road managed to go from 21 to 19.
If I were still living in California, I would be voting for Katie Porter as well.
So ok on feinstein. But if i were 89 yrs old I think I’d have to think just a little about kicking back some. But i got a ways to go on dat, so whadda I know.
lol. Nothin’
Jamie
It was a hard choice. Barbara Lee is wonderful and has a lengthy record of always being on the right side. Even when she is the only one standing there, as she did during the Iraq disgrace, but Katie Porter is going to get my vote because she is perfect for these times.
KGC
About the same here. I truly like Lee, but think Porter has what it takes to handle the Senate better.
Feinstein should go one her own terms. You know there wouldn’t be this much noise about an elderly, ill male Senator.
If you are going to insist all the old farts retire –what about Chuck Grassley? And a host of others. The issue of her stepping down is a purely political issue in California she is not running again. She should not be run out of office in aid of Barbara Lee’s senate campaign
It’s a long list of Senators who for reasons of health or/and age couldn’t fulfill their duties and no one was
suggesting they resign. Strom Thurman If Feinstein were to resign early she should do it when they know who her successor is to give them a leg up
Her husband of many years died in February. Give her a break.
The initial shingles attack can be painfully debilitating, my pain was on the order of a kidney stone. But that is over in a week. What happens with some cases is permanent nerve damage. For me it on the order of having a permanent sunburn. Irritating but not debilitating and it will never get better. If her shingles is still so severe that she can’t function then by this time it is permanent she will never get better. I suspect her problem isn’t shingles.
As long as she is out all federal judicial appointments are on hold. This is a big deal.
Jack
Disney has filed a lawsuit against Ron DeSantis, alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” over “protected speech” that “threatens Disney’s business operations” and “violates its constitutional rights.” “Disney regrets that it has come to this.”
“Disney finds itself in this regrettable position because it expressed a viewpoint the Governor and his allies did not like.” “In America, the government cannot punish you for speaking your mind.”
Love the framing: Disney Defends America
If I lived in California… I too would be voting for Katie Porter. IMO… she’s da bomb!
Good for Durbin for wanting to go ahead with Senate hearings on SC ethics!
and speaking of ethics and Faux news…
today’s meme…
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Tucker_Carlson
Did Tucker Carlson get a college degree?
He then attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, graduating in 1991 with a BA in history. Carlson’s Trinity yearbook describes him as a member of the “Dan White Society”, an apparent reference to the American political assassin who murdered San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.
a lifelong asshole
I’m a Katie Porter fan, too. She gets wonky with the charts, which I love. She studied under Elizabeth Warren, who also endorses Porter.
“Judge Kaplan warned Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina that the statement and any further statements about the case could open Trump up to “a new source of potential liability.”
“Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, outside the presence of the jury, flagged to federal District Judge Lewis Kaplan a post Trump made on his social media site Truth Social earlier Wednesday about the lawsuit. The post called the suit a scam and mentioned DNA on Carroll’s dress that she alleges she was wearing at the time Trump allegedly forcibly raped and groped her in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.”
Please, just this once, I actually want tRUMPsky to spew about something.
Can Joey Pudding stop him?
Complications from shingles in the elderly can lead to serious, long-term health problems. They range from bacterial skin infections that can cause scarring and narcotizing fasciitis to hearing and vision loss, encephalitis, transverse myelitis, peripheral motor neuropathy, and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).Nov 30, 2018
Sens. Angus King (I-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have introduced a bipartisan bill to require the Supreme Court to create a new code of conduct for itself after ProPublica revealed that conservative Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose luxury trips he accepted from Texas billionaire Harlan Crow.
The bill would require the Supreme Court to implement a code of conduct within one year of its enactment into law and publish the new code on its website so it’s available to the public.
It would further require the court to name an individual to handle any complaints of violations of the code and give the court authority to initiate investigations to determine if justices or staff have engaged in conduct affecting the administration of justice or violating federal laws or codes of conduct.
It would empower the court to draft its own code of conduct to preserve the separation of powers between the legislative and judicial branches, thereby deflecting any criticism that members of Congress would be interfering in the court’s affairs.
“Under the package, childless, able-bodied adults ages 18 to 55 could get food stamps for only three months out of every three years unless they are employed at least 20 hours a week or meet other criteria. Currently, that mandate applies to those ages 18 to 49…”
“In an analysis released Monday, the Congressional Budget Office said that 275,000 folks, on average, would lose benefits each month because they fail to meet the requirement and are not otherwise exempt.”
“Others project a potentially larger impact. The provision would put about 900,000 folks between the ages of 50 and 55 at risk of losing their food assistance unless they work sufficient hours and record that employment with their state agencies, receive an exemption or live in an area where the mandate is waived…”
“Another 19,000 people would receive small benefits because of the new income they earn.”
“This largely targets low-income adults who qualify under Medicaid expansion, an Affordable Care Act provision.”
“The debt ceiling package does not go as far as some Republicans would like. South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson floated a bill earlier this year that would mandate recipients up to age 65 and those with children age 7 and older to work. That legislation would have put at risk the food stamp benefits of more than 10 million people, including millions of children, the center found.”
“There are almost 10 million open jobs across the US, and wages for many entry-level jobs have risen in recent years, said Tarren Bragdon, CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability, a conservative think tank that advocates for work requirements. So this is a good time to implement work requirements. And when the economy sours, states can request waivers to temporarily suspend the mandates.”
Are folks qualified for those jobs?
Do they have a way to get to those jobs?
Do they have someone to watch their kids when they aren’t in school (or their parents who may need care)?
Republicans neither understand nor care for human beings because, I am beginning to suspect, they are soulless creatures rather than being human themselves.
Republicans are not pro life nor pro family.
Great GOP House plan for losing 40 seats at least in 2024. After losing young voters, why not blow off seniors too.
From David’s press release:
“The bill will cut 22% of the Social Security Administration’s budget, forcing local Social Security offices to close and lay off their staff. That means seniors will have to wait even longer to get answers to questions about their earned benefits.
“The bill also slashes food assistance for more than 1 million low-income seniors — many of whom rely on government food programs to get their only meal of the day.
“It will cut oversight of nursing homes, putting thousands of the most vulnerable seniors at risk of living in alarming and unsanitary conditions. This is reckless and irresponsible.
“In addition, this bill jeopardizes millions of Americans’ multi-employer pensions that are guaranteed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
“Finally, it would lead to the eviction of at least 430,000 low-income families from Section 8 housing, 80% of which are headed by seniors.
No reason to trust Republicans with protecting Social Security when they pull stuff like this, either.
They sure like those tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, though.
Those seniors don’t pull their weight. Who needs ‘em?
-Clarence Thomas is sleazy and now it turns out the rest of the goopers on the court are pretty much like that too
AL.com’s exposé of predatory policing for profit which prompted the Alabama legislature to pass a measure restricting towns across the state from using revenues from fines and fees to supply more than 10% of their budgets
AL.com wins a Hillman Prize for reporting that shut down the predatory Brookside Police Department, and the first-ever Hillman for a podcast goes to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra, a gripping and deeply researched podcast about a dramatic chapter of American history, nearly a century old, but with themes that echo loudly today.
mr. roberts respectfully declines the invitation [Letter to Chairman Durbin 04.25.2023.pdf (senate.gov)] and per CBS:
“In his response, Roberts also attached a three-page Statement of Ethics Principles and Practices “to which all of the current Members of the Supreme Court subscribe.”
mr. durbin responds according to same CBS link:
a little history from Supreme Court and Congress | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress that might become relevant to that future hearing:
applicable cartoon from 10 years ago might explain from whom clarence got advice on friends with benefits
KO on Court Corruption
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-countdown-with-keith-olbe-99705496/
What the fickety-fuck is wrong with Feinstein? Didn’t she learn anydamnthing at all from RBG?
You Got to MOVE
this latest makes 2 justices blind (to reading forms), how many more can’t fill them out properly?
Law firm head bought Gorsuch-owned property – POLITICO
At the end of the Roman republic everybody (‘cept Cato lol) had ONE thing on their mind……Cashing In.
Everybody busy cashing in.
The most gold makes the rules.
“Some Alabama Republican lawmakers are trying to increase restrictions on conversations and confidentiality regarding gender identity and sexual orientation for kids from kindergarten to eighth grade in public schools across the state.”
https://www.al.com/politics/2023/04/alabama-lawmakers-want-to-extend-limits-on-school-discussions-about-lgbtq-issues.html
The whole Feinstein thing is being blown up by the supporters of Barbara Lee particularly Rep Ro Kahanna.
If Feinstein steps down Newsome said he would appoint a black woman.
Let Feinstein finish her term She does not have any reason to resign. Let’s remember she is the senator who got an national assault weapons ban It did have an impact but was not renewed due to the NRA.
She would have made a better governor but all in all she has been a decent if not brilliant senator. Let her finish her term on her own term.
full disclosure I support Rep Katie Porter
She is recovering from a bad case of shingles Everyone should get vaccinated.
Some changes to the Derby horses with six days to go before the post draw. For hunch bettors, Jace’s Road managed to go from 21 to 19.
Derby Horses | 2023 Kentucky Derby & Oaks | May 5 and May 6, 2023
KGC
If I were still living in California, I would be voting for Katie Porter as well.
So ok on feinstein. But if i were 89 yrs old I think I’d have to think just a little about kicking back some. But i got a ways to go on dat, so whadda I know.
lol. Nothin’
Jamie
It was a hard choice. Barbara Lee is wonderful and has a lengthy record of always being on the right side. Even when she is the only one standing there, as she did during the Iraq disgrace, but Katie Porter is going to get my vote because she is perfect for these times.
KGC
About the same here. I truly like Lee, but think Porter has what it takes to handle the Senate better.
Feinstein should go one her own terms. You know there wouldn’t be this much noise about an elderly, ill male Senator.
If you are going to insist all the old farts retire –what about Chuck Grassley? And a host of others. The issue of her stepping down is a purely political issue in California she is not running again. She should not be run out of office in aid of Barbara Lee’s senate campaign
It’s a long list of Senators who for reasons of health or/and age couldn’t fulfill their duties and no one was
suggesting they resign. Strom Thurman If Feinstein were to resign early she should do it when they know who her successor is to give them a leg up
Her husband of many years died in February. Give her a break.
The initial shingles attack can be painfully debilitating, my pain was on the order of a kidney stone. But that is over in a week. What happens with some cases is permanent nerve damage. For me it on the order of having a permanent sunburn. Irritating but not debilitating and it will never get better. If her shingles is still so severe that she can’t function then by this time it is permanent she will never get better. I suspect her problem isn’t shingles.
As long as she is out all federal judicial appointments are on hold. This is a big deal.
Jack
Disney has filed a lawsuit against Ron DeSantis, alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” over “protected speech” that “threatens Disney’s business operations” and “violates its constitutional rights.” “Disney regrets that it has come to this.”
“Disney finds itself in this regrettable position because it expressed a viewpoint the Governor and his allies did not like.” “In America, the government cannot punish you for speaking your mind.”
Love the framing: Disney Defends America
If I lived in California… I too would be voting for Katie Porter. IMO… she’s da bomb!
Good for Durbin for wanting to go ahead with Senate hearings on SC ethics!
and speaking of ethics and Faux news…
today’s meme…
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Tucker_Carlson
Did Tucker Carlson get a college degree?
He then attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, graduating in 1991 with a BA in history. Carlson’s Trinity yearbook describes him as a member of the “Dan White Society”, an apparent reference to the American political assassin who murdered San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.
a lifelong asshole
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/26/politics/trump-e-jean-carroll-trial-warning-social-media/index.html
“Judge Kaplan warned Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina that the statement and any further statements about the case could open Trump up to “a new source of potential liability.”
“Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, outside the presence of the jury, flagged to federal District Judge Lewis Kaplan a post Trump made on his social media site Truth Social earlier Wednesday about the lawsuit. The post called the suit a scam and mentioned DNA on Carroll’s dress that she alleges she was wearing at the time Trump allegedly forcibly raped and groped her in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.”
Please, just this once, I actually want tRUMPsky to spew about something.
Can Joey Pudding stop him?
Complications from shingles in the elderly can lead to serious, long-term health problems. They range from bacterial skin infections that can cause scarring and narcotizing fasciitis to hearing and vision loss, encephalitis, transverse myelitis, peripheral motor neuropathy, and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).Nov 30, 2018
Senators unveil bipartisan proposal to require Supreme Court to adopt code of conduct | The Hill
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/24/texas-house-school-safety/
“Texas House votes to require panic buttons in every classroom and armed guards in every school”
If only there was a way to prevent the need for panic buttons and armed guards in schools.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/25/texas-democrats-joe-biden-reelection-2024/
“Texas Democrats rally around Joe Biden as he announces reelection bid”
I love POTUS Joe
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/26/politics/work-requirements-food-stamps-medicaid-debt-ceiling/index.html
“Under the package, childless, able-bodied adults ages 18 to 55 could get food stamps for only three months out of every three years unless they are employed at least 20 hours a week or meet other criteria. Currently, that mandate applies to those ages 18 to 49…”
“In an analysis released Monday, the Congressional Budget Office said that 275,000 folks, on average, would lose benefits each month because they fail to meet the requirement and are not otherwise exempt.”
“Others project a potentially larger impact. The provision would put about 900,000 folks between the ages of 50 and 55 at risk of losing their food assistance unless they work sufficient hours and record that employment with their state agencies, receive an exemption or live in an area where the mandate is waived…”
“Another 19,000 people would receive small benefits because of the new income they earn.”
“This largely targets low-income adults who qualify under Medicaid expansion, an Affordable Care Act provision.”
“The debt ceiling package does not go as far as some Republicans would like. South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson floated a bill earlier this year that would mandate recipients up to age 65 and those with children age 7 and older to work. That legislation would have put at risk the food stamp benefits of more than 10 million people, including millions of children, the center found.”
“There are almost 10 million open jobs across the US, and wages for many entry-level jobs have risen in recent years, said Tarren Bragdon, CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability, a conservative think tank that advocates for work requirements. So this is a good time to implement work requirements. And when the economy sours, states can request waivers to temporarily suspend the mandates.”
Are folks qualified for those jobs?
Do they have a way to get to those jobs?
Do they have someone to watch their kids when they aren’t in school (or their parents who may need care)?
Republicans neither understand nor care for human beings because, I am beginning to suspect, they are soulless creatures rather than being human themselves.
Republicans are not pro life nor pro family.
Great GOP House plan for losing 40 seats at least in 2024. After losing young voters, why not blow off seniors too.
From David’s press release:
“The bill will cut 22% of the Social Security Administration’s budget, forcing local Social Security offices to close and lay off their staff. That means seniors will have to wait even longer to get answers to questions about their earned benefits.
“The bill also slashes food assistance for more than 1 million low-income seniors — many of whom rely on government food programs to get their only meal of the day.
“It will cut oversight of nursing homes, putting thousands of the most vulnerable seniors at risk of living in alarming and unsanitary conditions. This is reckless and irresponsible.
“In addition, this bill jeopardizes millions of Americans’ multi-employer pensions that are guaranteed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
“Finally, it would lead to the eviction of at least 430,000 low-income families from Section 8 housing, 80% of which are headed by seniors.
No reason to trust Republicans with protecting Social Security when they pull stuff like this, either.
They sure like those tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, though.
Those seniors don’t pull their weight. Who needs ‘em?
-Clarence Thomas is sleazy and now it turns out the rest of the goopers on the court are pretty much like that too
Happy Birthday, Melania.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/nyregion/the-woman-at-the-center-of-the-case-will-speak-for-herself.html
nytimes has a recapof her testimony
guilty!
AL.com’s exposé of predatory policing for profit which prompted the Alabama legislature to pass a measure restricting towns across the state from using revenues from fines and fees to supply more than 10% of their budgets
https://hillmanfoundation.org/clearitwithsidney/2023-hillman-prize-winners-announced
AL.com wins a Hillman Prize for reporting that shut down the predatory Brookside Police Department, and the first-ever Hillman for a podcast goes to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra, a gripping and deeply researched podcast about a dramatic chapter of American history, nearly a century old, but with themes that echo loudly today.
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