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When (if ever) it's appropriate to make jokes before the US Supreme Court

scotusblog.com

41–50 of 76 posts

Re: When (if ever) it's appropriate to make jokes before the US Supreme Court

#41
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm unfamiliar with this, can you elaborate?

Analysis by Fix the Court identified 546 gifts valued at over $4.7 million given to 18 current and former justices, with Justice Clarence Thomas as the primary recipient. Judicial reform bills have tried to address the issue, but these bills have very little chance of success in the current political environment. From 2024: https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hol...

In some sense, it is quite remarkable that the institution has survived this long considering they control outcomes of such vast power while being indirectly elected, holding the post for life, and there being such a high standard for the legislature to remove them that it has never been used successfully.

Looking it up, Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned from office because he accepted $20k from a chap who he was judging a case on. It reminds me of Babe Ruth's life time earnings being under a million, while Shohei Ohtani's annual pay rewound to 1931 dollars is some 3 times that.

Re: When (if ever) it's appropriate to make jokes before the US Supreme Court

#42
post #5

The Supreme Court is the joke… it has lost all credibility with partisan inconsistency and overt bribery.

And you have only one party to blame for this, it also predates all the Trump unhinged cases/decisons and even his first mandate. Republicans simply suceeded in their plan to take over the federal judiciary branch from the top, in great part with the help of the Federalist Society. The only answer if Democrats ever take power back is to pack the court now, no amount of unwritten rules following and norms respecting c…

I wonder if a two-party race to the ethical bottom is the only way to fix things because if underhanded unethical tactics only benefit one party then they won't want to fix it.

Re: When (if ever) it's appropriate to make jokes before the US Supreme Court

#43
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Democrats, while better than republicans in this regard, are also to blame. It is not one or the other.

How so? The judiciary is stacked with compromised individuals. the republicans did this.

Clearance Thomas was confirmed 52-48, with 11 dems voting in favor [0]. He wouldn't have been confirmed without dem votes.

(The other five shitheads would have been confirmed without dem votes if I'm not mistaken.)

[0] https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1...

Re: When (if ever) it's appropriate to make jokes before the US Supreme Court

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How so? The judiciary is stacked with compromised individuals. the republicans did this.

Clearance Thomas was confirmed 52-48, with 11 dems voting in favor [0]. He wouldn't have been confirmed without dem votes. (The other five shitheads would have been confirmed without dem votes if I'm not mistaken.) [0] https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1...

I wasn’t aware of that - thank you.

Re: When (if ever) it's appropriate to make jokes before the US Supreme Court

#45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clearance Thomas was confirmed 52-48, with 11 dems voting in favor [0]. He wouldn't have been confirmed without dem votes. (The other five shitheads would have been confirmed without dem votes if I'm not mistaken.) [0] https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1...

I wasn’t aware of that - thank you.

No worries.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely blame the republicans for the state of the court. I'm just saying the dems have some shit on their hands too.

Re: When (if ever) it's appropriate to make jokes before the US Supreme Court

#46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How so? The judiciary is stacked with compromised individuals. the republicans did this.

Clearance Thomas was confirmed 52-48, with 11 dems voting in favor [0]. He wouldn't have been confirmed without dem votes. (The other five shitheads would have been confirmed without dem votes if I'm not mistaken.) [0] https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1...

Clarence Thomas was confirmed in a very different era of politics, when the long term right wing strategy was only just beginning to take root; the vituperative rhetoric was still on the comparative fringe of talk radio; and cooperation was still the norm from both sides.

Re: When (if ever) it's appropriate to make jokes before the US Supreme Court

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clearance Thomas was confirmed 52-48, with 11 dems voting in favor [0]. He wouldn't have been confirmed without dem votes. (The other five shitheads would have been confirmed without dem votes if I'm not mistaken.) [0] https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1...

Clarence Thomas was confirmed in a very different era of politics, when the long term right wing strategy was only just beginning to take root; the vituperative rhetoric was still on the comparative fringe of talk radio; and cooperation was still the norm from both sides.

It’s their job to spot the rotten ones and block them.

Everyone who voted for him is culpable.

Re: When (if ever) it's appropriate to make jokes before the US Supreme Court

#48

I'd prefer SCOTUS to blog about when it is appropriate for a justice to fly treason flags supporting insurrectionists or decline to recuse themselves from cases involving their insurrectionist family members.

Some people are always prepared to throw political talking points at you, even if you just want to talk about the weather or whether to swear at judges, or something. Can't imagine the perpetual stress of such mental state.

"Why are people discussing SCOTUS when the topic is SCOTUS, my goodness."

Yeah, unfortunately these days you have to choose between stressful awareness or (often deliberate) complete ignorance. Sometimes I do wish I was too unintelligent to understand what's wrong, I might be able to enjoy life a bit more.

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