Expanding Justice: Organizing to Reform the Supreme Court – Netroots Nation
#Expanding the #Court has quickly entered the political mainstream as the surest way to restore ideological balance and save us from a generation of right-wing, minoritarian rule.
Over 60 members of Congress and 130 organizations have endorsed historic legislation to add 4 justices to the Court.
Featuring progressive champions inside and outside Congress, this panel will underscore how the progressive community can strategically organize to #rebalance the court to save #democracy and our #rights
Article- Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised the possibility that Congress should consider subpoenaing Chief Justice John Roberts if he stands by his refusal to testify about ethical questions hanging over the high court....
In their ongoing pursuit of so-called #religiousFreedom, the #court and like-minded people are stepping over the bodies of #LGBTQ#youth literally stranded on the street, and turning a blind eye to the horrible #injustice all around them, in order to maintain their false ideal of pretending they are fighting 'sin.'
3/ The Supreme Court should not be allowed to make decisions on HYPOTHETICALS.
▪️ The fact that the Supreme Court allegedly violated Article III of the Constitution by deciding a case based on hypotheticals and a fabricated name and we are barely hearing anything in the media regarding this anymore is beyond comprehension.
▪️This goes against the principle that the Court's jurisdiction is limited to actual cases and controversies.
▪️Recently, the Court ruled in favor of a Christian graphic artist, Lorie Smith, who claimed her freedom of speech allowed her to refuse to design wedding websites for same-sex couples.
▪️The case included a reference to a supposed request made by an individual named Stewart, which turned out to be fabricated. Stewart, who is not gay and has been married to a woman for 15 years, was surprised to see his name used in this context.
🧵I know I mostly toot about #Ukraine here, but the #SCOTUS has got me annoyed. More than they usually irritate me. People in my generation (elder #millennial), #GenX'ers, and #Boomers, mostly grew up with a court that's legacy was in many ways progressive. As a result, most folks respected & trusted the SCOTUS as an institution, especially when compared to the other branches of #government. #Watergate, #Clinton's #impeachment, & various #bribery & #misconduct scandals in #congress 1/n
Only reinforced this notion. #Justice's of the #SCOTUS have certainly been keen to portray themselves as "above the fray" of #Politics as well. As long as the #court continued to deliver rulings that were seen as working for the #rights, #liberty, and a more just #society, this mystique made sense. After all, it was the court that expanded the rights of #defendant's in court, #FreeSpeech, #RacialEquality, #womensrights, & #LGBTQ rights. The court of the latter half of the #20thcentury 2/n
It's not an accident that #reactionary forces in #USPolitics have spent decades and literally billions of dollars for the infrastructure to "recapture" the #Judiciary, especially #SCOTUS. #Liberal's, #Progressive's & esp #Democrats may be spooked by talk of major #reform or #amendment's to the #constitution because they seem #Radical, or somehow undermining the #court as an institution. Well the court is doing a fine job undermining the institution all by itself. 6/n
Between the rulings stripping #rights that generations of #American's grew up believing in & depending on, the junkets with #billionaires, & their hollow "trust us" rhetoric, more & more folks will come to see #Justice's of the #SCOTUS for what they are & always have been: #Politicians in robes. I hope my fellow citizens of this great republic will wake up & #vote appropriately. At this point anyone running for office NOT screaming about checking the #court won't get my vote.
Sam Alito accepted tens of thousands of dollars in lavish vacation gifts from a billionaire who lobbied to cancel the student loan forgiveness.
After the gifts, Alito voted to overturn case(s). This SCOTUS’ corruption undercuts its own legitimacy by putting its rulings up for sale.
As this retired federal judge and law professor point out, Judge Alito “misstated the law” in his self-serving defense of billionaire-funded travels. In court, you’d run into a “candor to the tribunal” problem if you tried that.
Ukrainian state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz announced on June 23 that it had filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Russia for property loss in Crimea, asking for $5 billion in compensation....
The Supreme #Court is laughably #corrupt and always has been. It’s not some special #institution detached from #politics, it’s just hidden behind layers of #technocracy and #institutional gate keeping so people can’t see that it’s just as corrupt as the other two branches of #government.
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.
For a moment, imagine future #court#historians
Digging into this #corrupt web of “bought & paid for Justices”.
I know I won’t live to read the future “#history#textbooks describing their infamy.
I’ll put my faith in the law, justice & the 4th Estate…as demonstrated by #propublica.
Propublica should be commended for the hard work & example of the undeniable…
Need for the 4th Estate.
AOC urges Congress to consider 'subpoenas' if Chief Justice Roberts won't testify about SCOTUS gift scandal (www.businessinsider.com)
Article- Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised the possibility that Congress should consider subpoenaing Chief Justice John Roberts if he stands by his refusal to testify about ethical questions hanging over the high court....
Mauritanian ex-president in court for landmark corruption trial (www.aljazeera.com)
The prosecution of a former leader is unprecedented in Mauritania and extremely rare in Africa.
Corrupt Court? You be the judge.
Justice Alito’s wife leasing land to oil and gas companies while he fights EPA in Supreme Court....
Naftogaz seeks to get $5 billion compensation from Russia via US court (kyivindependent.com)
Ukrainian state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz announced on June 23 that it had filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Russia for property loss in Crimea, asking for $5 billion in compensation....