Glad to See the Supreme Court Was Never Politicized

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who worked as Ted Kennedy's counsel in the mid-1970s -- rushed from his vacation to Boston for tonight's memorial at the JFK library.

When I asked Breyer what it was like to work for Kennedy, he stopped and smiled broadly.

“For me, who was on the staff and I loved being in the staff, it was the most wonderful job of I’ve ever had.”

“Better than being on the Supreme Court?’ he was asked.

“Better than this, yes, in many respects,” he added.

Source: Glenn Thrush

ACLU Wants WWI-Cross Memorial in Mojave Desert Torn Down

Watch this video (the whole thing please).



E-mail it to your friends.

This is the most egregious attempt to use the establishment clause of the Constitution (meant to keep the government from establishing a state religion) to scrape all remnants of anything that smells of Judeo-Christianity from the nation, at penalty to all believers, not to mention the veterans involved in this case.

Look up more information on Salazar v. Buono here.

Sotomayor Confirmed 68-31

Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe (both Maine), Lindsay Graham (SC), George Voinovich (OH), Mel Martinez (FL), Dick Lugar (IN), Kit Bond (MO), Judd Gregg (NH), and Lamar Alexander (TN) joined a unified Democratic congress in confirming the first Hispanic and third female Supreme Court Justice.

As was the common reaction after Barack Obama's win in November: a great day for equality in America, a bad day for the law.

Interesting note: no Republican up for re-election in 2010 voted for Mrs. Sotomayor. Which seems to imply that there is not much fear of a hispanic backlash (though this post from yesterday shows that racial politics are still alive and well in America.)

Some Democrats Want Obama's Next Supreme Court Appointment To Be MORE Liberal

“I think I would be comfortable if a more progressive judge were appointed in the future by President Obama,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a Judiciary Committee member, said in an interview Tuesday. “And I just hope he doesn’t see her as his leftward boundary.”

While (soon to be) Justice Sotomayor is by no means outside of the liberal judicial mainstream, most people would hope that he would not go so far as to appoint a radical, open activist, which is what exists to Sonia's left. This is why it is important that 30ish Republicans oppose her. We can keep our ideals by not attempting a filibuster (not that it would matter) on a qualified appointee with clear majority support, but it sends a message that she is as far as he can go.

Fource: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25252_Page2.html#ixzz0M0y4VkcA

Leahy Plays The Race Card By Saying Republicans Played The Race Card

“You have one leader of the Republican Party call her the equivalent of the head of the Ku Klux Klan. Another leader of the Republican Party called her a bigot,” the Vermont Democrat said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “The leadership of the Republican Party came out against her long before we had the hearings, long before they looked at her record. I think that’s unfair.”

“I hope we don’t go back to the day when we used to have African-Americans up for confirmation and say yes, but you belong to the NAACP so we’re really suspicious of you,” said Leahy. “Come on, stop the racial politics. ...”

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, tried to jump in, saying, “Come on, Pat, I want to disagree ...” but Leahy continued

Sessions defended his party as simply conducting a vigorous investigation of Sotomayor’s background.

“No Republican leader said she was a bigot,” said Sessions. “There’s nothing wrong with us asking about her personal views about legal positions that she took as a member of any organization. That’s a normal thing to do.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25138.html#ixzz0LpDii6XZ

Tom Coburn Knows How To Get It Out Of Her!

Tom Coburn, Senator from Oklahoma and hero of hardcore small government conservatives, seems to have a knack at putting Sotomayor on the spot. Watch as he calls her out on a lesser known, but arguably more important, speech she gave where she stated that foreign law should affect American judges' reasoning, and watch how she struggles to wash those comments away.



Then, there is a great (if not that enlightening) exchange concerning gun rights, full with I Love Lucy reference.



Finally, here she is punting on a straight-forward, very specific question concerning abortion, something she has done quite a bit of during these hearings, which, in all honesty, is probably the right strategic move. Also, note Coburn being the Southern Gent that he is.



Source: The Politico

Tell Me Campaign Finance Regulations Don't Affect Free Speech

Seeking to explore the reach of regulation, Chief Justice John Roberts asked if the government could ban a book that at the end says to vote for a certain candidate. The government’s lawyer said yes, it could (and already has) banned such books.

Relevant Link: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24874_Page2.html#ixzz0LF14iwTF&C