130 Comments
Jul 2Liked by Jay Kuo

I have never feared for our democracy in my 80 years. However, after yesterday's decision by SCOTUS, I am afraid our country has been compromised and damaged beyond repair unless we can elect a vast Democrat majority in the house and senate AND WHITE HOUSE. The only way out of this mess is for congress to legislate term limits for justices, enforceable ethics rules for SCOTUS and method of member emoval if violated. Also legislation to prevent convicted felons from running for office at any level including POTUS.

Expand full comment

Yes, yes, and yes - all of the above. And the only way we can come even close to putting these measures into action is vote our a$$es off in November. Take control of the Senate and the House. Hold on tooth and nail to the White House.

Expand full comment

Please do NOT overlook the critical importance of removing the NAZIs from our state governments as well.

Expand full comment

Absolutely. I always study who is on the ballot across the board - not just at the federal level. State senate, state courts, governorships - everything matters.

Expand full comment

Well said, I could not agree more! There was one small bright light from Justice Amy Coney Barrett, she filed a dissent in support of her fellow Liberal Justices!

Expand full comment
author

Her concurrence wouldn’t have gone as far as the others did, but that was small comfort.

Expand full comment

She didn't vote for the majority ruling? It was a 6-3 vote. I'm confused.

Expand full comment

She did vote with the Majority, but thew some crumbs to the peasants.

Expand full comment

Thanks. I guess I consider those crumbs meaningless. I haven't read them, nor am I interested in reading them. It's the vote that counts.

Expand full comment

I couldn’t agree more! Fuck her for not standing up for the vote! Her “dissent” is completely performative and irrelevant!

Expand full comment

I agree. She just doesn’t like being unpopular

Expand full comment

But the Dems have controlled the Senate, House, and Presidency in the past and just pissed it away. I have lost all faith in our political system, but I agree that we must vote to get Dems in the majority, actually a SUPER majority, once again. And then we must hound them into doing the right thing.

Expand full comment

Yes. Without the constraints of law or precedent, President Biden must act expeditiously to arrest 6 members of the Supreme Court and imprison them at Guantanamo. Let their confinement serve as a catalyst to discussions, current trials, the consequences of their judgements, and the oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. No restraint required.

Expand full comment

I've been worried since New Gingrich and his “Contract with America,”

I have been warning about Project 2025 for months and months.

M fear is no matter how many votes Biden gets, it won' matter>the House will not accept the election and won't seat Dems who win.

Look at this>https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/1808507354310209711?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email>>JOYCE VANCE

JUL 4 Civil Discourse>>

" Kevin Roberts, the head of the Heritage Foundation and architect of Project 2025, when he learned Democrats were making plans to take on Project 2025. Roberts said, “Project 2025 will not be stopped,” and that Democrats are “more than welcome to try” to stop it. He concluded by saying, “We will not give up and we will win.”

"We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be,” Roberts told Brat".

Expand full comment

I am afraid that the right wing on SCOTUS is preparing the American people for increasingly outrageous decisions so that we can acclimate as a frog in water that is gradually turned up in temp. They are setting us up to accept them handing the presidency to Trump in case he does not win it outright, through some specious legal reason that is totally unconstitutional. Is there any mechanism for just ignoring the court. As the right-wing gets ready to implement Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation leader implies to us that things will not be bloody if the rest of the country accepts the court's illegal rulings and Trump's ascension back into leadership of our country. https://www.mediamatters.org/project-2025/heritage-foundation-president-celebrates-supreme-court-immunity-decision-we-are

Expand full comment
Jul 2Liked by Jay Kuo

The election is not just pivotal; it is now imperative that we win (even more than it was before). I sat last night crying most of the night, crying for my children - one of whom is transgender. Today I watch flashes of peoples lives across Facebook, and I realized I cried for everyone's children.

Expand full comment
author

My own nephew is transgender. I am fighting for him and the broader community, and for the little girl I will have in just two months. Their futures are all on the line.

Expand full comment

😭😭😭I fought for this country in the Navy; I did it to preserve our Constitution and Democracy. Now I'm fighting for it again.

Expand full comment

Thank you, Chris, for your services and your willingness to keep fighting!

Expand full comment

Solidarity, Chris. I have a teenage cousin who's just come out as transgender. She lives in a very red state. I am so afraid for her.

Expand full comment

I had a niece whose life was miserable under her right wing father , my brother but only by blood. My former niece is now my nephew and appears to be living a better, productive life.

Expand full comment

I'm happy for him, Jim. I hope life continues to be sweet for him.

Expand full comment

Thank you Paula.

Expand full comment

Yes. Everything you said. Yes.

Expand full comment

I have a transgender niece and a transgender nephew, as well as a daughter who loves her wife (as we do), so I’m concerned for their safety and happiness. I am a certified nurse-midwife, so I’m concerned over reproductive rights. I am an American citizen, so I’m concerned for our democracy. I live on Earth, so I am extremely concerned about the health of our planet. I’m right with you in your tears! It’s all so heartbreaking.

Expand full comment

Bless you. For what it's worth you have my support and my thoughts are with you.

Expand full comment

I look forward to reading your piece later today.

I will offer here my own opinion about yesterday's Supreme Court ruling. I will make it brief so as to retain control of my emotions, which are running fairly strong at the moment.

In handing down its ruling yesterday, the Supreme Court violated the "separation of powers" inherent in the constitution, and in so doing has in fact written an amendment TO the constitution. Amending the constitution in this fashion from the SCOTUS bench, granting broad presidential immunity where none has heretofore existed and is NOT specifically spelled out in the constitution itself, violates the separation of powers by arrogating to the court the power of the legislative branch. Instructing the Department of Justice that they may not even attempt to obtain information about a possible criminal act by a sitting president, or by a former president from the period of his/her time in office, similarly arrogates the power of the executive branch to the court.

This action is not conservative. This action is not even reactionary. This action is radical and revolutionary. The only way for it not to now become an irrevocable and permanent feature of our system of governance (I hesitate to use the word "democracy" in this context) is to return a Democratic trifecta to power of sufficient magnitude to write and pass laws and constitutional amendments specifically addressing this point of law, and appointing justices to the Supreme Court willing to revisit and overturn this heinous decision.

If this is the direction our nation is going to take, I would prefer that we simply resubmit to English rule and let Charles be our king under English Parliamentary rules. It would make sense since this decision is a tacit admission that our 250 year experiment in "democracy" has failed, and that King George III was actually entirely within his rights to send in his army and impose taxation, military rule, and English Parliamentary dictates with no rights of redress here in the colonies.

I will stop now. My heart is heavy and my thoughts are dark.

Expand full comment

Beautifully said, Douglas.

Expand full comment

Excellent analysis of the Rogue Justices.

Expand full comment
Jul 3·edited Jul 3

‘Legislating from the bench’ comes to mind with this absurd EXTREME ( not supreme ) COURT ruling. Wasn’t that considered a red line by conservatives in our government??? They railed & ran against such behavior by the left — it seems they can’t resist themselves…

Expand full comment
Jul 2·edited Jul 2Liked by Jay Kuo

I continue to be baffled by people who embrace authoritarianism. Except for a hardy few who profit -until they are cut down - everyone suffers from corruption, bigotry, mutual mistrust, and the breakdown of the rule of law and of the interdependent civic community.

I'm deeply grateful for the three Justices who are staunchly defending democracy against the arrogance and ideology of the other six.

Expand full comment

And Justice Sotomayor admits freely and fearlessly that she goes to her offices and cries as her colleagues are bigots, zealots, ultranationalists, religious conservatives who are “my or the highway” bullies and sadly, they make Justice Scalia look moderate

Expand full comment

I'd like to think Scalia would be horrified.

Expand full comment

I've said often that the ones who think they'll be better off have no idea how it can turn on them. Their opinions will not be sought. Their votes will not matter. All that is of concern is abiding by the whim of Dear Leader - whatever that may be at the moment. When he decides to nationalize your company those donations will be forgotten. When he shuts down your TV station because of something you said, all those friendly interviews will be forgotten. When he converts to a religion other than yours...

These are dark days indeed.

Expand full comment

There is a meme that applies to the our current predicament: "It gets worse, before it gets worse."

Expand full comment

“And then they came for me and there was no one left to speak!”

Expand full comment
Jul 2Liked by Jay Kuo

Courage and focus, friends. We have immense power, and they are bombarding us with distraction and despair to try to make us willingly give it up. Stay focused, stay hopeful. Together we will win.

Expand full comment

Thank you for that, Liz. I saw one particularly awful thing in the news today and wanted to scream (Trump threatening Biden on Bannon's behalf--can you imagine?) I had to talk myself down. You're helping.

Expand full comment

President Biden may have a "Lincoln moment" at which he must decide that in order to save the whole he must temporarily sacrifice a few of the parts. There is a rebellion in progress just as surely as there was in 1861. In order to put it down, President Biden would have to exercise power in a manner never before seen in this country. we will see if he is able to envision the consequences of acting versus not acting.

Expand full comment

I say let it play out. If things become desperate, Biden took an oath to protect the constitution. According to the Supreme Court, he’d be well in his jurisdiction to do that with an executive order.

Expand full comment

I would like Joe to do something that demonstrates his new power in a way that frightens Republicans, and maybe even us a little bit. I don't know what that would look like. Joe won't do it, not because he has no courage, but because he has a lot more honor than I do.

Because if it was me, I'd transfer Bannon to a supermax prison in the middle of the night. Although, with so many Aryan Nation type freaks there, I guess he'd feel right at home.

Expand full comment

Dismiss the Conservative justices on the Supreme Court and replace them with those who will protect democracy.

Expand full comment

good answer. Do it Joe while you can!

Expand full comment

Nope. This is a last resort. To do it now would hurt him.

Expand full comment

Biden needs to remain on the ballot; one poor performance must not undermine 3 1/2 years of an incredible performance in restoring democracy.

The convicted felon, rapist, despot must never have the opportunity to reenter the Oval Office.

Finally, the corrupt 6 SCOTUS must be impeached if America is once again to be the respected leader of the world stage.

We are in crisis and must act proactively immediately and in November particularly!

Expand full comment

I don’t know how or if possible, but Federalist Society has interfered in the judiciary process with quid pro quo. The outrageous amount of money and corruption on Thomas is proven. Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo defy subpoenas with impunity. Who actually is the President when McConnell calls the shots with big donors

Expand full comment

I couldn't live with myself if I took bribes. It's so degrading.How he can look in the mirror is beyond me.

Expand full comment
Jul 2·edited Jul 2

They've soiled the Court over a draft dodging, tax evading, decades long business fraud, sexual assaulting, multiple election interfering, pathological lying POS. What changed for Chief Justice Roberts, when just four years ago he penned this in his decision for the same plaintiff, same issue of Presidential immunity, in a different case?

The opinion he wrote in '20 tRump v. Vance ;

In our judicial system, “the public has a right to every man’s evidence.”1 Since the earliest days of the Republic, “every man” has included the President of the United States.

law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/19-635

Expand full comment
author

What changed, indeed.

Expand full comment
Jul 2Liked by Jay Kuo

When I taught in the CSU system, I had to swear an oath to defend the Constitution. I wish those in power took that oath as seriously as I did.

Expand full comment
Jul 2Liked by Jay Kuo

I have got to have faith that there are intelligent people in this country that realize what is happening and will not allow djt or any of his minions to be elected! I pray so.

Expand full comment

We will know for sure in Nov.

Not sure what more damage can be done by then?

Expand full comment

I fear lest we find out!

Expand full comment

Scores of his minions will be elected from gerrymandered districts and Tibout sorted red states and there's nothing we can do about it this decade.

Expand full comment

Steal Team 6 … Who’d’ve ever thunk it?

Expand full comment

Spot on! It's a crazy & depressing week~ it's only Tuesday! Stay the course & vote blue 💙🇺🇸💙

Expand full comment

Thank you, Jay. We must.

Expand full comment

It’s not just this latest presidential immunity ruling from the SC, it’s Dobbs, Chevron, Citizens United, bump stocks are not machine guns (tell that to the 500 wounded and 64 dead in 11 minutes in LV) the weakening of every single rule of law for the past 50 years.

Time for Biden to WAKE up. Get over his institutionalism.

If he wins and holds the Senate, (I think we’ll flip the house) then fixing this radical, out of touch, imperial court MUST be a priority. Get rid of the filibuster.

Add 4 seats, limited terms and real ethics rules.

If he doesn’t do anything, we will witness the destruction of not only our administrative state(EPA, FDA, etc stripped of their power) (pregnant women stripped of their bodily autonomy) etc, but of our democracy.

Enough already.

Flipping do something about this corrupted, religious, lying, radical court.

Expand full comment

If you are speaking of limiting terms in the Supreme Court, that would require a Constitutional Amendment. However there are other ways to control these out-of-control rogue Justices. The Senate has a Judicial Affairs Committee--Durbin needs to hand over the Chairmanship to someone who will act. Then the Senate can help Congress prod SCOTUS into behaving if they exercise a little muscle. Congress possesses substantial authority to regulate how the federal courts exercise judicial power though the power is subject to certain consitutional limitations. The SCOTUS Justices have a "lifetime appointment" but only to 'the Federal Bench'...so Congress--or rather, the House--could require them to serve the last few years as a Judge in a lesser Federal court.

I do think we need to add enough seats so that each district has a Associate Justice to read the appeals from that District. Strict and enforceable ethics rules are very much needed, as well.

Expand full comment

I quite agree about Durbin. If this doesn't get him to act then what on earth is he good for? He seems to just be sitting there, cheerfully letting a venal SCOTUS steamroller over the very thing they swore to uphold.

Expand full comment

As I write this I know that it would never happen, but I can fantasize that Joe Biden, in his "official capacity" as protector and defender of the constitution, has the majority on the court who made this decision, arrested for violating their oath to the same constitution.

Expand full comment

Exactly. D'you think they've actually thought this through? I don't. Either that or they're extremely stupid. They may have made this decision to get Trump off the hook but they've also given Biden the same immunity. He could order those traitorous justices (and Trump) assassinated with impunity (the irony, hoist by their own petard!) and not without justification. The justices are a threat to the constitution, they're unelected and should not have executive powers which it looks like they're giving themselves and Trump is a threat to the planet¹. Of course I'm not seriously advocating any such thing, much less do I think Biden would even dream of it. The consequences don't bear thinking about. However, if I were Biden I would give serious thought to using the immunity the SCOTUS has just given him, although I'd wait until after November, we wouldn't want any drastic action to influence the vote. Joking aside, they've gone too far. They swore to uphold the constitution and they're blatantly ignoring it, making corrupt decisions for their own ends. Something needs to be done and they can't be allowed to get away with it.

¹ Latest climate predictions now estimate 1.7°C (3.06°F) warming which I think is optimistic. The way we're going (emissions are up) I those estimates will keep rising. I think we'll be lucky to stay under 2.0°C (3.6°F) which will be devastating enough but if Trump gets in it'll be nearer 5°C (9°F) which would be catastrophic.

Expand full comment

It sure is troubling a US Presidents actions are now only limited by the Presidents own restraint.

Not helping is that one of the two persons most likely to be President come January 20th 2025 has no restraint whatsoever.

Expand full comment

Since the president has so much power, I think he should jail Thomas and Alioto for accepting bribes, Gorsuch for lying under oath, and Trump for being a fascist ass. That would restore the Supreme Court and improve the decorum of the US. After all, those actions are approved.

Expand full comment

And here's something good that Biden didn't even have to do: Rudy Giuliani was just disbarred.

Expand full comment

Only from NY so he can still practice in Fl

Expand full comment