Gratuities! You know, gift cards, lunches, plaques, books, framed photos, or *disguising the phrase with a yawn* thick envelopes full of cash. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23p...
It’s wild to think about Justice Jackson working her whole life to be on the Supreme Court and arriving to find she has to write stuff like, “Bribery is not okay” (as a dissent!)
What often becomes clear is that Alito et al make rulings based on some BS FOX propaganda about the case, not what actually happened.
Make a ruling that justices can’t watch FOX News all day. I’m kidding but yeesh. Right-wing media has rotted the brain of the US, and right to the top.
Man, something screwy with them reversing the conviction rather than vacating and remanding. Makes one think that Snyder has some significant political connections.
The way they did it, the case is over, there is no retrying the guy. And this is explicitly after the underlying district court judge found that the conduct would have met the test for bribery as well as a gratuity.
From the Menendez docket on June 23:
They're already trying to paint the co-conspirators not as bribers but as people who has a habit of giving "gifts"
This is the Supreme Court. Facts don’t matter. Evidentiary records are for lesser courts.
TBF to the Roberts Court, it’s been that way for a longer time
No. This ruling is entirely different!
It's about whether you can tip your politicians and judges for excellent service AFTER they've provided it,
and in Thomas's case, most of the gratuities were provided upfront BEFORE agreeing on what services would be desired,
plus a few later like the Bali trip
many wealthy people and european tourists abandoning their influence operations in disgust now that it’s a tip instead of a bribe - why don’t these officials simply make a living wage?!?!?
Are they saying it’s not a kick-back for his actions as mayor, because he was actually working directly for the company at the time he took those actions?!
Not a lawyer, but it looks like they are saying congress can't make kickbacks illegal, only the local and state officials that are getting kickbacks can make them illegal.
I read it not as congress can't make kickbacks illegal but that congress only made bribes illegal but not kickbacks and left it to states/local govt to make kickbacks illegal?
What they’re actually saying is that there is no such thing as law, only the exercise of power. And that they will defend your exercise of power if they favour you.
