GOLIKEHELLMACHINE: the chief justice’s legacy is that he will be remembered as too much of a coward to take a stand against ideological hardliners and too much of an ideological hardliner to vote against his inclination, a fool, a coward, a failure, and, most likely, the usher of the end of a credible court

paging john roberts, you fucking stupid son of a bitch

the chief justice’s legacy is that he will be remembered as too much of a coward to take a stand against ideological hardliners and too much of an ideological hardliner to vote against his inclination, a fool, a coward, a failure, and, most likely, the usher of the end of a credible court

When you read about the falls of various empires, there's always at least one instance of "some fuckwit in power for a few decades did something so obviously awful for so long that it ruined the credibility of a vital institution"

you’re right, causebon, i agree that a legislature and executive should ignore a court whose interpretation of law is subject to private lobbying

I think it's very much like the difference between removing a kidney and goin on a dialysis machine for a while and refusing to treat it because it's more "natural" and then dying.

*stares meaningfully at George W. Bush*

ah, I see you’ve heard of Kaiser Bill.

Chief Justice John Roberts

OTOH I think one could argue that the SC lost its credibility in 2000 with Bush v Gore and has been papering over that ever since.

I have never understood why the fact that three members of the legal team that helped W. steal the 2000 election are now SCOTUS justices goes almost entirely unremarked.

That's a good point. Sometimes I think it's because the decision was so bizarre that some people need to pretend it didn't happen.

That was the day everyone should have stormed the Capitol Building

I'll never understand why the Brooks Brothers "riot" wasn't engulfed by a real one. I don't remember a single talking head ever pointing out how breathtakingly corrupt it was to have the election be decided because of voting irregularities in a state governed by the candidate's brother.

I think we were all shocked. Then Gore said he wouldn't fight it and there was a collective sigh of resignation, like our leaders won't even fight this obvious bullshit. If Gore wasn't going to fight it, there didn't seem like any point.

I talked about it a lot! So did people I know, and we were all in London and not from the US. I had no idea about the legal team and where they are today though! It's crazy! But then I'm living in a country where everyone ignores interfered with elections too. Makes my blood boil 🤬

Well, they should've stormed the SC, but still. I'm embarrassed for my generation that nobody even tried.

I'm constantly embarrassed by the British public and their apathy, so I understand that feeling too

@ driftglass.bsky.social remembers, and occasionally mentions it, but mostly not. proleft.buzzsprout.com/229/13453606

Ep 738 No Fair Remembering Stuff: The Brooks Brothers Riot - The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Galproleft.buzzsprout.com We remember the Brooks Brothers Riot of November 22, 2000. More at proleftpod.com. Support the show:PayPal | https://paypal.me/proleftpodcastPatreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpodOur YouTube Chan...

This ruling is a personhood for fetuses or a "life begins at conception" run at SCOTUS, right?

yes, and very explicitly under the banner of “god”

The opinion itself is an establishment clause violation A lot of judicial opinions are very very wrong about the Constitution, not a lot of them are unconstitutional in and of themselves

Alabama God Damn, as Nina would have said.

Very. Like, wouldn’t be out of place coming from a church pulpit very…

$20 says the AL legislature seals that hole and Roberts gets a majority to decline due to being moot.

Hope so

It's been a cruel catholic joke for quite a while.

A man who had an exceptionally easy life and whose only hardship has come from not being primus inter pares now that Amy Crony Broodmare is on the court.

Also maybe the most corrupt court in maybe a century.

I'm not sure how much of that is Roberts's fault, and I'm not sure how much better prior Chief Justices would have handled a court deliberately packed with corruption. But it's still his court and his responsibility. Best case argument for him is that he's not the Chief Justice we need right now.

(Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if he was personally corrupt, either, though I'm not gonna assume he is. I suppose he's at least marginally better at hiding it than many of his colleagues, but, ultimately, who the fuck cares?)

I fell like if your approach to life is to turn a blind eye to graft you probobly are the type of person with skeletons in their closet.

Yep. For all that he thinks himself obsessed with the Court and its prestige and legitimacy, he's the man on whose watch what John Marshall built will have come asunder

That ship has sailed, caught fire, sunk, and opened a swirling maw of Charybdis under all of us. He helped make clear the supreme court issues *advisory* opinions, which states can disregard entirely as long as it takes to get a different opinion.

Robert's so dense I'm surprised it hasn't collapsed into a neutron star.

This has been Republican table talk for decades. Welcome to America.

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