“To me, the #flag issue is much simpler. The fact is that, regardless of its legality, displaying the flag in that way, at that time, shouldn’t have happened. To put it bluntly, any #judge w/reasonable #ethical instincts would have realized immediately that flying the flag then & in that way was improper. And dumb.”
#SCOTUS is hearing a challenge today to a federal #law prosecutors used to charge >350 people who attacked the Capitol on #Jan6.
>100 have been convicted & sentenced under the statute for obstructing or impeding an ofcl proceeding—the joint session that convened to confirm Biden’s victory.
The case could impact #Trump’s federal trial in DC for trying to remain in power, 2 charges he faces are based on the same #obstruction statute.
#SCOTUS Justice Samuel A. #Alito Jr., in suggesting that the #obstruction charge is being read too broadly & covers normal political protest, proposed thinking specifically about a demonstration inside the building where the argument was taking place.
“For all the protests that have occurred in this court, the Justice Department has not charged any serious offenses,” he said.
That appears to be the attitude of the #SupremeCourt of the #UnitedStates, which for the 2nd time in a wk did nothing to dispel the notion that it is the #billionaire-bought #lapdog of #Trump, committed to doing literally anything to elect him.
…this morning #SCOTUS ruled — per curiam, meaning the whole court, not just the #conservative majority — that Trump can remain on the ballot in #Colorado.
Cowardly #SCOTUS Justices Appear Skeptical of Arguments to Kick #Trump Off State Ballots
The #SupremeCourt heard arguments about whether TFG’s attempts to subvert the #2020election#disqualify him from again holding office. Justices across the ideological spectrum questioned several aspects of a ruling from the #Colorado Supreme Court.
#SCOTUS on Thurs seemed prepared to keep #Trump on the #Colorado ballot, expressing deep concerns about the ability of a single state to disqualify a candidate from seeking national office.
#SCOTUS won’t fast-track ruling on #Trump’s claim of immunity
#SpecialCounsel#JackSmith had asked the justices to short-circuit the normal appellate process & quickly settle the question of presidential #criminal#immunity, which the #SupremeCourt previously has not been called upon to resolve.
“This case involves — for the first time in our Nation’s history — criminal charges against a former President based on his actions while in office,” #SpecialCounsel#JackSmith said in a filing to #SCOTUS. “And not just any actions: alleged acts to perpetuate himself in power by frustrating the constitutionally prescribed process for certifying the lawful winner of an election.”
by Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott & Alex Mierjeski @ProPublica
#Thomas has attended at least two #Koch donor summits, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a #political network that has brought multiple #cases before the #SupremeCourt.
During the summit, the justice went to a private dinner for the network’s #donors. #ClarenceThomas has attended #Koch donor events at least 2x over the yrs, acc/to interviews w/ 3 fmr network employees & 1 major donor. The justice was brought in to speak, staffers said, in the hopes that such #access would encourage donors to continue giving.
The #SenateJudiciaryCommittee is expected to vote Thursday on a new #ethics code for the #SupremeCourt, an attempt to respond to recent revelations about justices' interactions with wealthy donors & others
When your home burns, floods, or is destroyed in an extreme climate weather event, when someone in your family dies from heat waves, or when crops fail and people starve—come for these three people: Wael Sawan (Shell CEO), Darren Woods (Exxon CEO), and Patrick Pouyanne (TotalEnergies CEO). They knew what was coming and did it to you anyway. Sue them, shame them, heckle them, despise them. These are choices. They are to blame, not society.
A Federal Judge Asks: Does the Supreme Court Realize How Bad It Smells?
By Judge Michael Ponsor, snr judge on the US District Court for the District of MA.
“You don’t just stay inside the lines; you stay well inside the lines. This is not a matter of politics or judicial philosophy. It is ethics in the trenches.”
Justice #Sotomayor's staff urged schools & libraries to buy her memoir or kid's books
The Associated Press
It’s not the $300k vacations Thomas or Alito took, but it’s still not just unacceptable, but also an easy call. You have a publisher, a publicist, they handle the publicity for your books, not your #SCOTUS staff.
“Several lawyers who have had business before the supreme court, including one who successfully argued to end race-conscious admissions at universities, paid money to a top aide to Justice Clarence Thomas, according to the aide’s Venmo transactions.”
The #transaction is the first known instance of #money flowing from Crow to the #SupremeCourt justice. The sale netted the #GOP#megadonor two vacant lots & the house where Thomas’ #mother was living (& still is).