June 13, 2018
TODAY IN HISTORY
|On this day in 1967, PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON nominated THURGOOD MARSHALL to the United States Supreme Court. Andrew Glass with POLITICO reports that when he announced his nomination, LBJ said it was “the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place.”
NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT
|There isn’t a Supreme Court vacancy yet, but why wait when there’s money to spend? Zoe Tillman with Buzzfeed reports on the new liberal nonprofit, Demand Justice, that rolled out a digital ad campaign Tuesday targeting judges on Trump’s short list of potential Supreme Court nominees. She reports, “The initial mid-five-figure digital ad campaign is pennies compared to the millions of dollars that liberal and conservative groups are prepared to spend when a seat does open up on the Supreme Court. But Demand Justice executive director Brian Fallon said his group wants to take advantage of the opportunity now — before Trump’s supporters have a nominee to rally around — to give liberals the tools to attack whomever Trump chooses from day one.”
TOP-ED
|In The Hill, REP. TIM RYAN from Ohio opines on the Supreme Court upholding his state’s practice of purging voter registration rolls — a ruling he says undermines the right to vote. “Our public officials should be fighting to protect our right to vote, not preventing it. Any party or movement willing to suppress the voice of the people for political gain is an affront to our democratic ideals, and those who fought to secure our freedom and this very right.”
ON DECK
|Valerie Strauss with The Washington Post notes the Supreme Court is likely to oppose unions in a forthcoming decision this month, and she explains why that matters so greatly for the 22 states that allow public sector unions to charge and collect “fair share” fees from employees who aren’t members.
SOME THINGS ARE WORTH WAITING FOR
|Ten years later and New Jersey finally gets to cash in on sports betting. Joe Hernandez with NPR reports, “The atmosphere has public officials and gambling houses alike feeling like they just hit the jackpot.”
PODCAST DU JOUR
|The Heritage Foundation’s SCOTUS 101 has one very simple question on its mind: Is JUSTICE ANTHONY KENNEDY ghosting the Supreme Court? In Episode 236 of the podcast, hosts Elizabeth and Tiffany discuss this week’s “win for election integrity and a loss for one of the Constitution’s lost clauses.”
WAIT WAIT, THERE'S MORE
|Gird your loins — it’s possible we will get more Supreme Court opinions tomorrow. As always, we’ll have all the SCOTUS coverage and commentary in your inbox after the news hits. Until then…