Remember when Brett Kavanaugh was embroiled in controversy during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing and we all thought the powerful and seismic testimony of Christine Blasey Ford would move the needle, but then Lindsey Graham started screaming his head off like an absinthe-besotted wood elf, Kavanaugh did his whole oppressed white man shtick, and the…
Category: AnthonyKennedy
The most important issue for Democrats in 2020? The courts
As the 2020 election season heats up, voters’ priorities are coming into sharper focus. As in years past, there is a great divergence in what each party ranks as its top issues. Earlier this year, the Pew Research Center found that Republicans identify terrorism, the economy, Social Security, immigration, and the military as their five greatest…
What Did Trump Say to Anthony Kennedy After the Swearing In That Stopped Him Dead in His Tracks?
Many of us at this site assume that there was some sort of quid pro quo reached when Justice Anthony Kennedy bartered his SCOTUS seat away to Trump. Whatever deal was allegedly struck, it now appears that it is likely that something has gone awry between quid and quo, as evidenced by this snippet of…
A 'Plumber' on the Supreme Court
In the wake of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, Americans will long debate whether he was the first (or, arguably, the second) member of the nation’s highest court to have engaged in sexual misconduct. But what is indisputable is that Kavanaugh is the Supreme Court’s first Plumber. By “Plumber,” I’m not referring to Mario or even Joe…
Abortion, free speech, and the right to lie
In a recent episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver led a 20-minute deep dive into the world of “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs). With more than 3,500 such locations around the nation (more than double the number of facilities providing abortion services in the United States), CPCs exist to dissuade women from choosing to terminate…
Abortion rights and free speech wrongs
The United States Supreme Court this week announced it would soon hear a major case that could redefine the legal landscape at the critical juncture where abortion rights meet free speech. In National Institute of Life and Family Advocates v. Becerra, the plaintiffs are challenging a California statute regulating so-called “crisis pregnancy centers.” After concluding…
Trump administration unveils the 'Fetal 14th Amendment'
Campaign Action While most eyes this week were on the carnage in Las Vegas, the catastrophe in Puerto Rico, or the dangerous provocations towards Pyongyang and Tehran, the Trump administration was hard at work deconstructing the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. While that bulwark of American civil rights promises “due process of law” and…
