"Friends of the Court," ProPublica's investigation into Supreme Court justices' beneficial relationships with billionaire donors, has been awarded the #Pulitzer Prize for Public Service!
Here are the highlights from the reporting (THREAD)
It still feels unnerving to some, even those caught in the crossfire, to see injuries invented wholesale and lies accepted by the highest court in the land.
Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
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.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published in 2021, two of the Moores’ lawyers also declared unambiguously that the lawsuit “stands to slam shut the door on a federal wealth tax like the one Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to enact.” They made a direct pitch to “the courts” to hear the Moores’ case “now” to make it...
Clarence Thomas’ 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the #SupremeCourt Justice to Luxury Travel
The fullest accounting yet shows how Thomas has secretly reaped the benefits from a network of wealthy and well-connected patrons that is far more extensive than previously understood.
#Idaho Banned #Abortion. Then It Turned Down Supports for Pregnancies and Births.
Since the #SupremeCourt overturned Roe v. Wade last year, the state’s GOP-led Legislature has disbanded a maternal mortality committee, failed to expand postpartum #Medicaid coverage and turned down federal grants for child care.
In the years after the undisclosed trip to Alaska, Republican megadonor Paul Singer’s hedge fund has repeatedly had business before the Supreme Court. Alito has never recused himself.
Sharing this again to get the word out…
Click the link below to send a message to the #SupremeCourt. It only takes a minute or two out of your day so make your voice heard. #SCOTUS
Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court
In the years after the undisclosed trip to #Alaska, #Republican megadonor Paul Singer’s hedge fund has repeatedly had business before the Supreme Court. #Alito has never recused himself.
Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About #Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign
Interviews and newly unearthed documents reveal that #ClarenceThomas, facing financial strain, privately pushed for a higher salary and to allow #SupremeCourt justices to take speaking fees.
#SCOTUS will hear arguments in a case designed to kill the wealth tax. I'll say again... there is nothing that you care about that the #SupremeCourt cannot destroy while you aren't watching.
Of course we are now debating the definition of the word "income" based on studies of "law & linguistics." :( Textualism is so fucking stupid sometimes.
Jackson asks the right question: "Why are we talking about the common meaning of income instead of the legal meaning?" #legal
Periodic reminder that #Brazil stared into the abyss of fascism just like us and came through because:
Voting is not only not suppressed, it is compulsory from the ages of 18-65, and it is made accessible.
and
Brazil's #SupremeCourt has steadfastly defended their Constitution.
Remember that Bolsonaro had help from Bannon et al. to try to stage his own "big lie" when he lost, and Brazil had their own version of January 6 that fortunately failed.
“NEW: #ClarenceThomas’ 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the #SupremeCourt Justice to Luxury Travel
The fullest accounting yet shows how Thomas has secretly reaped the benefits from a network of wealthy and well-connected patrons that is far more extensive than previously understood.” #SCOTUS
#BREAKING#SupremeCourt adopted binding code of conduct for the first time, responding to a stream of ethics controversies that have undercut its public standing and shined new light on the justices’ friendships and financial dealings.
The high court has been under pressure for months to act amid the revelations, which included reports that Justice Thomas received lavish vacations, private jet flights and other gifts funded by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow #SCOTUS
The brains behind Trump's stolen #SupremeCourt have detailed plans: they didn't just scheme to pack the court with judges who weren't qualified for - or entitled to - a SCOTUS life-tenure, they also set up a series of cases for that radical court to hear.
--
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
👀 Canada's premier political cartoonist Michael deAdder is pushing back..
"I'm sick of these tactics. I see journalists [& cartoonists] bullied by the right. Conservatives are bullying their way into power."
"When I draw a #Conservative cartoon you don't realize that I've drawn almost the same number of Liberal cartoons. I've probably drawn more Liberal than Conservative because they are in power. You just see the Conservative cartoons and cry unfair."
The Supreme Court Doesn’t Care That the Gay Wedding Website Case Is Based on Fiction (newrepublic.com)
It still feels unnerving to some, even those caught in the crossfire, to see injuries invented wholesale and lies accepted by the highest court in the land.
Young Americans blame SCOTUS, GOP for unforgiven student loan debt (www.axios.com)
Young Americans are piling the blame for their student debt balances on conservatives, according to a poll by Generation Lab....
The Supreme Court May Preemptively Ban a Federal Wealth Tax (newrepublic.com)
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published in 2021, two of the Moores’ lawyers also declared unambiguously that the lawsuit “stands to slam shut the door on a federal wealth tax like the one Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to enact.” They made a direct pitch to “the courts” to hear the Moores’ case “now” to make it...
Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court (www.propublica.org)
In the years after the undisclosed trip to Alaska, Republican megadonor Paul Singer’s hedge fund has repeatedly had business before the Supreme Court. Alito has never recused himself.