"... The very idea of questioning birthright
citizenship under the 14th amendment had been deader than Marley, either
Jacob or Bob, for more than 130 years, which isn’t surprising given
that the amendment establishes it in unambiguous language. Even the
180 proof racist nativism of 19th century federal judges didn’t deny
this reality.
"But nothing — absolutely nothing — is
ever good enough or off the table for our own racist nativism, which has
managed to achieve escape velocity from all social and legal reality,
as it marinates in a poisonous atmosphere of resentment and hatred.
"That these people can’t even see that
the Supreme Court is the very best friend right wing reaction has ever
had in this country — and not merely at present but for about 93% of
that ignominious institution’s existence — is a testament to how the
reactionary right in this country can’t be bargained with, can’t be
reasoned with, doesn’t feel remorse or pity or fear, and absolutely will
not stop, ever, until anything like cultural pluralism, religious and
intellectual liberty, and even any semblance of liberal democracy in
America, are dead." -- law professor Paul Campos, LGM, in "Terminating America With Extreme Prejudice" yesterday.
____________________
"... The Constitution is not a functional document if it can be
swept aside so easily at the behest of a fascist sitting atop the
executive branch. The Constitution is not a functional document if it
can be overruled by a simple majority in Congress. The Constitution is
not a functional document if it can be gutted based on a handful of
members of the nation’s highest court so eagerly deciding to abdicate
their duties.
"As constitutional law professor Evan Bernick put it yesterday, 'Nothing
bad in the United States is ever over, including constitutional things.
These were the same arguments rejected over a century ago, and they’ll
be back again and we’ll have to kill them again.'” -- attorney Lisa Needham, today in "Public Notice" Substack, on "A Vote Away From Undoing The Civil War."
____________________
“Today’s campaign finance ruling is part of the Roberts Court’s 16-year drive to destroy anti-corruption laws. From Citizens United forward, these justices have ushered in an era of massive money in politics. If you don’t like the way the political system is working, blame the Supreme Court.
“Here, the Court again overrode the law passed by Congress, going against the wishes of the vast majority of the American public who want reasonable campaign finance limits. The questions at the heart of this case were for Congress to answer, not nine unelected justices.
“The Court’s campaign finance vendetta has given wealthy donors outsized influence, resulting in a fusion of private wealth and political power unseen since the Gilded Age. Public trust in our institutions is plummeting. Congress must act to curb corruption arising from the flood of money in elections and restore Americans’ faith in government. Ambitious reform is long overdue.” -- Michael Waldman, president and CEO at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, on the Republican SCOTUS' dismantling campaign finance anti-corruption laws to benefit their rotted-out party in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission.
We have a lot to do to undo the damage these rats-in-robes have done to our country and its Constitution. We must undo it with the same zeal and commitment that they've employed over the past two decades, and make sure that our reconstructed system won't allow for their anti- democratic, un- Constitutional, un- American radicalism to hold sway over the American majority again.
