That Thomas guy

[Recording Engineer]

The SCOTUS response is purely about separation of powers, don't take the bait.

I view their response more of a “we govern ourselves, we have no one to answer to but to ourselves” type of response. Unfortunately (in my opinion), they’re probably right. There’s pretty much nothing to stop any corruption once they’re in their life-time seat; nothing but the honor-system, since that’s pretty-much how they govern themselves. WTF?

 

[JohnRoberts]

Now that JR has veered into wacko conspiracy land, it seems like a good time to get back on topic:
===
Disgusting, but clever.

why do you have to make everything personal? didn't you mean to call me "extreme MAGA"?

===

how many millions of Chinese money has gone to Penn state Biden center? Reports vary between $50M and $70M. I guess they can use that Chinese money to keep the secret documents secure?

I wonder if that judge in AR asked to see the baby daddy's tax return?

JR

 

[AnalogPackrat]

The SCOTUS response is purely about separation of powers,

Of course it is.

don't take the bait.

What bait? I just reported on the latest development.

There is an active agenda to delegitimize the courts because they routinely thwart extra-constitutional government abuses (like regulatory over-reach). This has been going on for some time already so be a critical reader and thoughtful about such attacks on the judiciary.

Correct.

You will notice that one of the first branches of government gutted after authoritarian takeovers is the courts (often by packing the court, or even replacing all the jurists with hand picked replacements).

Yep.

We are not there yet but we need to remain ever vigilant.

As always.

JR

PS: yup it is unlikely that Epstein committed suicide, just like several others in the Clinton sphere of influence. Corruption is widespread in the swamp, and increasing the amount of spending just attracts more corruption to the government spending teat.

Which is why less government is better than more government in nearly all cases relative to where we currently are.

 

[AnalogPackrat]

Now that JR has veered into wacko conspiracy land, it seems like a good time to get back on topic:

Look in the mirror. Everything isn't caused by a "vast right-wing conspiracy" and every person or organization that disagrees with you is not extremist.

 

[pucho812]

Now that JR has veered into wacko conspiracy land, it seems like a good time to get back on topic:

How Scalia Law School Became a Key Friend of the Court

(This should be accessible to all.)

In short: Leonard Leo, of the Federalist Society and other right wing extremist groups, threw $30 million at a Virginia university. Said university now uses some of that money to pay right-wing SCOTUS Justices $30K a pop to teach 2-week "classes," often in exotic locales. (Clarence Thomas "teaches" at the university--he has 2 assistants, so I'm sure he almost never shows up--but he gets better vacations from Harlan Crow anyway.)

Leo is laundering his SCOTUS bribery through a public university. Clever idea. Disgusting, but clever.

Can you prove that laundering? If not it’s just a whako a conspiracy theory

 

[hodad]

their life-time seat

A single term, of 18 years, and then they're out. One new Justice every 2 years. While that might not be a perfect setup, it'd solve a few of our current problems.

Can you prove that laundering?

It's right there. Leo gives money. Money goes to select conservative Justices for "work." Essentially Leo is passing out $30K checks to his favorite SCOTUS stooges. Nothing terribly hard to grasp about that. The right-wing crowd will come forth with their usual excuses, but at the very least it has the appearance of impropriety, which is something that got discussed earlier in the thread.

Plain and simple: We deserve better from our Supreme Court Justices.

 

[hodad]

Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition.

 

[scott2000]

I don't get it. Is the ultimate Supreme Court justice a homeless person with no friends or belongings and who has a good heart and mind? It would be interesting to see the list of things you're not allowed to have or do.

It could be said that showering populations with gifts for influence happens all the time but it doesn't necessarily make it true.

 

[Matador]

I don't get it. Is the ultimate Supreme Court justice a homeless person with no friends or belongings and who has a good heart and mind?

The issue is less that of the gifts themselves, it is the fact that they weren't disclosed as required.

If a party goes in front of the court, and one side has showered one or more of the judges with gifts, the other side can rightly request that the judge(s) recuse themselves from the ruling. Anything else would be grossly unfair to the proceedings, not because it proves ill intent, but that it calls into question the legitimacy of the ruling.

 

[JohnRoberts]

We expect our jurists to appear holier than Caesar's wife. Not to deal in whataboutism but there is significant corruption elsewhere in government (congress, administration , etc) that deserves more attention.

The agenda to discredit the judiciary has amped up since conservative jurists were seated. Hint: it's not because conservatives are crooks, it might just be politics.

I applaud all investigations into corruption, this one looks like a dry hole.

JR

 

[Recording Engineer]

Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition.

Yep! More food for thought!

It’s looking more like he (and anyone else) did nothing wrong, legally, just morally wrong, pretty consistently, since that’s how they govern themselves; including no consequences.

These closer looks at these justices seem to be exposing what’s wrong with the system.

Just like so many things, true journalism investigates and reports it, 24-hour “news” gives endless “opinions” (really just spraying ammo for their sides), the public absorbs it and spits it back out at one another. It’s all just shelter to avoid fixing the problem; all for election-winning and so that their side can benefit when it’s their turn.

 

[Dreams]

Not to deal in whataboutism but

Rename the brewery to this

 

[hodad]

Is the ultimate Supreme Court justice a homeless person with no friends or belongings and who has a good heart and mind?

A good heart and mind would certainly be nice. They make $300K a year, so no one is asking them to be homeless. No one asks them not to have friends--just exhibit a little more integrity and transparency, please.

 

[hodad]

I applaud all investigations into corruption, this one looks like a dry hole.

Since you have an amazing track record of backing the investigations that turn up absolutely nothing, I'm not sure I'll be placing any bets based on your opinion of this one.

 

[scott2000]

If a party goes in front of the court, and one side has showered one or more of the judges with gifts, the other side can rightly request that the judge(s) recuse themselves from the ruling

isn't this already "grandfathered in" as it relates to Thomas and Crow? There were gifts already reported decades ago so it doesn't make sense he wouldn't recuse himself off that alone?

 

[hodad]

Conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo arranged for the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be paid tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work just over a decade ago, specifying that her name be left off billing paperwork, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/05/04/leonard-leo-clarence-ginni-thomas-conway/

The doodoo keeps getting deeper....

 

[fallout]

Tsk Tsk.. A liberal justice wouldn't do that, would they?

https://www.dailywire.com/news/libe...om-book-publisher-didnt-recuse-from-its-cases
The doodoo gets deeper indeed.

Plain and simple: We deserve better from our Supreme Court Justices.

LOL

 

[cyrano]

Mmmm...

Very clickbaity headline, isn't it? Bet you didn't read the article. She didn't "take" 3 million from her publisher. She was paid for the books she wrote.

And as such that is a problem. She should've been wiser and excused herself for the ongoing trial.

But very far from what the headline suggests!

 

[fallout]

She should've been wiser and excused herself for the ongoing trial.

Mmmmm...

Well that's the point, isn't it?

 

[Matador]

Well that's the point, isn't it?

Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, who joined the court in 2017 and also has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in book deals with the publisher, declined to disqualify himself from the more recent case when it came before the court for consideration.

When Budweiser has a case before the court, we can look to see if Kavanaugh recuses himself.