US Supreme Court

Will Women Decide The Abortion Controversy In The Midterm Elections Of 2022?

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A major question facing the future of women in American society is whether they will vote in sufficient numbers to decide the balance of power in the upcoming Midterm Elections of 2022.

Women, as with any defined group, of course are divided, but the number of women registering to vote has skyrocketed, and one would think that would favor action on preserving abortion rights taken away by the US Supreme Court in late June.

A key factor in the fight for Congress is to prevent the concept of a national abortion ban, as promoted by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and supported by many other Republicans.

This potential national abortion ban can only come about if the Republicans win substantial control of both houses of Congress, so the fight for the US Senate is of massive importance, for this and many other reasons.

On the state level, the battle for election of Governors who will veto any action by state legislatures on abortion is also crucial.

As it is, the percentage of women voting has been higher than men in every Presidential and midterm election cycle since 1984.

No wonder some right wing extremists would wish for the 19th Amendment, women’s right to vote, being added to the Constitution in 1920, to be repealed!

Voting Rights Case About Alabama Gerrymandering A Threat To Destroy Voting Rights Law!

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THe Supreme Court is hearing a case about Alabama gerrymandering, that could eliminate “black districts” for US House Of Representatives seats, diminishing representation for racial minorities.

If the Court ruled in favor of Alabama, we could be back to the era of “Jim Crow”, where African Americans were not represented in any way where they would have impact and influence.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been extensively weakened since Shelby County Alabama V Holder in 2013, and it now seems likely that a major reform initiative of President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society is in danger of being eliminated!

The Supreme Court Opens Its Most Controversial Term In Decades!

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Today is the opening day of the Supreme Court term, and it likely will be its most controversial term in decades.

With a solid right wing tilt of six Justices, the Court seems likely to go against public opinion on many areas of constitutional law, including

Affirmative Action
Gay Rights
Voting Rights
Environmental Regulations
Religion
Free Speech
The Powers of State Legislatures

Public opinion image of the Supreme Court has dropped dramatically, and there have been massive negative reactions to the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in late June which declared abortion unconstitutional, nearly 50 years after Roe V Wade was decided in 1973.

The minority liberals on the Court, specificially Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, have been very outspoken in their criticism of the extremist agenda of the present Court, the most conservative, by far, since the 1920s!

There is much to fear as basic constitutional rights are being eliminated, it seems, with glee, led by Justice Samuel Alito (appointed by George W. Bush) and Clarence Thomas (appointed by George H. W. Bush), but joined in by the three Donald Trump appointees (Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett) in most decisions, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts almost as an outsider, having little impact on trying to tame, to some extent, the rightward swing of the Court!

The only good news is the coming to the Court of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first African American female in the history of the Supreme Court, and the fact that all three liberals now on the Court are women, along with Amy Coney Barrett.

But the future of constitutional law is in danger from the extremist agenda of the majority, an alarming situation!

Constitution Day: 235 Years And Counting, But Question About Its Survival In Future!

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Today is Constitution Day, the day in 1787 when the Founding Fathers signed the Constitution.

No one in their right mind would think that those who signed the Constitution believed there should be no changes ever made, or that what was in the Constitution was cement that could not be altered.

And yet, today, we have a majority Supreme Court which thinks we should go back to 1787, what is called “Originalism”.

This is pure insanity, and undermines the ability of government to adapt to changing times.

Most of what is considered “normal” today in constitutional terms is far from just the original document, and reflects the changing times.

And we are faced with a threat, greater than the Civil War or the Great Depression and World War II, to our ability to maintain a constitutional government based on the rule of law, as Donald Trump and his minions are a dire threat to America’s democratic future!

Democratic Party Fundraising Overwhelms Republican Party Fundraising: Donald Trump And Abortion Rights Effect!

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The Democratic Party is on a roll, mostly caused, it seems, by the outrage over abortion rights being taken away by the Supreme Court in Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Hospital in late June.

The Republican Party is in serious trouble regarding financial efforts to back their candidates for the US Senate and for the Governorship races.

It seems as if the Republican Party will have to be vanquished to move them away from the insanity and craziness of the Extreme Right Wing and Donald Trump!

The Supreme Court Reputation In Tatters, And Chief Justice Roberts Seems Clueless!

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The US Supreme Court reputation is in tatters among all thinking, decent people, as the right wing extremist majority, made dominant by the appointments of Donald Trump, work to take away basic freedoms and rights!

The Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, taking away abortion rights from women after 49 years, reversing a precedent, is an outrage!

And the threat exists that contraception, gay marriage, and interracial marriage rights could be taken away in the near future, along with affirmative action, and environmental protections.

Chief Justice John Roberts seems clueless to this, and has lost control of his Court, and his name in history, as the leader of the Court, will be negative long term, unless he can bring pressure on other members to stop the extreme right wing tilt, which is making the Court look like a lawless institution!

Women And Young People Are Registering To Vote In Record Numbers, Due To Abortion Issue!

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Women of all ages and backgrounds, and young people in general, are registering to vote in record numbers, and the main reason is the denial of abortion rights by the Supreme Court in June.

That, plus the danger to American democracy represented by the “MAGA” Republicans, who are Fascist in orientation and empower Donald Trump, no matter what is emerging about his treason and sedition, are motivating Americans to realize that the Midterm Elections of 2022 are crucial for the future.

While the Democrats have a major problem historically, with the reality that the party out of power gains in the midterm elections that follow, this time, more than ever before, it is absolutely essential that Democrats keep control of both houses of Congress and do better in state legislatures and governorships, as otherwise, the Consitution and rule of law will be in danger!

Abortion Rights Gain Massive Victory In Kansas, Making It An Issue In November Elections!

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In the wake of the shocking Supreme Court decision in Dobbs V Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June, reversing Roe V Wade and abortion rights, yesterday Kansas, a strong Republican and conservative state, chose to continue to keep abortion rights in the state constitution.

The vote was 59 percent to 41 percent, and the turnout was twice the normal amount in a midterm primary in Kansas, 900,000 votes, instead of about 450,000 votes.

This gives hope that abortion rights will be a major issue in November, and help Democrats keep control of Congress and win many state election contests.

Women, young people, and educated suburbanites are seen as outraged by the Supreme Court taking away a right granted 49 years ago, and hopefully, abortion rights will be protected after the election, as pro choice people are going to fight tooth and nail in every state, as they just did in the “Sunflower State”!

The Situation Facing Attorney General Merrick Garland

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There seems to be enough grounds to have Donald Trump prosecuted by the Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland for the events leading up to the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection.

But indictment is the first step, while trial and conviction are much more complicated.

The charges that could be used to indict Donald Trump include:

Obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, the Electoral College vote by the Vice President of the United States

Seditious Conspiracy against the US government

Conspiracy to defraud the US Government, making fraudulent statements

The first two seem the most likely to move forward, but there is no certainty that such a case would be won in Court, and the Supreme Court, controlled by right wing conservatives, could rule in an appeal in favor of Donald Trump.

But if the thought is that prosecution would not succeed is the ultimate decision, then it sends a message to future Presidents that they can escape accountability.

It would set a standard that there are two systems of justice, so there are ramifications of prosecuting, including political turmoil, but also of choosing NOT to prosecute!

Joe Biden Must NOT Appoint Mitch McConnell Lackey To Federal District Court Lifetime Appointment!

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is the single most significant figure to have brought about the horrendous extreme right wing Supreme Court, which has reversed abortion rights, extended gun rights, and undermined the Environmental Protection Agency in recent Court decisions.

Now, there is evidence that President Biden was ready to appoint a Mitch McConnell lackey, Chad Meredith, to a Federal District Court Judgeship for the Eastern District of Kentucky, but the Court’s decision in Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization caused a delay in that announced appointment.

The Democratic Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, has publicly complained at the idea of picking Chad Meredith, who is described as a version of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on the abortion issue and so many others, and many other Democrats are protesting the idea of his appointment, supposedly to insure that McConnell does not block other Biden nominations in the last two years of his term in office.

Biden should rescind any such deal, as Mitch McConnell is unreliable, manipulative, deceitful, and making any so called deal with him is like dealing with the devil!

If Biden allows this nomination, he will lose the support of many Democrats and undermine his own Presidency, and this author and blogger will be furious with him, and wonder if it is time to move on and look elsewhere for the Democratic Presidential nomination contest in 2024!