ELIZABETH WARREN FED UP WITH SCOTUS ETHICS PROBLEM | McConnell Earning Back Bragging Rights | Alas, Clarence Thomas Speaks!
November 2, 2017
A BIG WIN FOR HOUSTON
|Yesterday, the Houston Astros clinched a Game 7 win, beating the Dodgers in the heart of Los Angeles and taking home their very first World Series Title. Billy Witz with The New York Times may have said it best: “If the Houston Astros had plenty on their minds — and the weight of history on their backs — it hardly seemed like a burden when they arrived at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.” Sure, the World Series isn’t actually SCOTUS news per se, but tell me the last time you watched a baseball game and didn’t think of the time CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS likened justices to umpires.
YOU SAID IT SISTA
|“Justices on the high court don’t have to follow the same code of conduct as they do in lower courts. That needs to change.” In POLITICO, SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN cracks the whip and calls out the Supreme Court for its “ethics problem.” She opines, “Federal judges are not supposed to be politicians or advocates. They are supposed to rise above the political winds of the day and demonstrate a single-minded commitment to one promise: equal justice under law. As judges of the nation’s highest court, it is time for Supreme Court justices to demonstrate that they can meet that standard.”
I DON'T WANNA BRAG, BUT I'LL BE THE BEST YOU EVER HAD
|In The Washington Post, Paul Kanenotes MITCH MCCONNELL finally has something to write home about: judicial appointments. And this is good news for Republicans, because as Kane points out, they could really use some bragging rights. Kane: “By close of business Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will have added a quartet of solidly conservative judges to the federal Circuit Courts, those critical venues a step below the Supreme Court with final say on most litigation. It will be McConnell’s most significant achievement since the confirmation of Supreme Court JUSTICE NEIL M. GORSUCH. It’s also a testament to how little else Republicans have accomplished this year that McConnell was under so much pressure to show progress in this area.”
SAVE THE PEACHES!
|Joseph Williams with U.S. News echoes the need for SENATOR MCCONNELL to bring home some victories, but he notes that need isn’t just about saving face – it’s about saving McConnell’s butt. Williams reports, “McConnell’s motivation comes from beyond Washington: Having no legislative accomplishments to show for GOP control of Congress and the White House, restless conservative donors have demanded some wins on Capitol Hill, or else Republican incumbents should expect zero campaign contributions during the 2018 midterms. A wealthy California donor delivered that message to McConnell, face-to-face, at an exclusive Los Angeles fundraiser a few months ago. With his majority leadership on the chopping block – and with tax reform, the next must-pass item on the Republican agenda, shaping up as a heavier lift than anticipated – judicial confirmations are McConnell’s best bet to appease GOP contributors.”
HOT TAKES ON HOT CAKES
|Early next month, the justices will hear arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The case hinges on the consideration of whether a state can constitutionally enforce a civil rights law against a baker whose owner refused, for First Amendment reasons, to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. Scott Bomboy with Constitution Daily delivers a preview of the case for us.
TAKING THE CAKE
|“In the pantheon of Supreme Court challenges, few have produced the outpouring of support and opposition as the Colorado baker Jack Phillips’ refusal to design a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Over the past two months, the high court has been flooded with nearly 100 legal briefs, equally divided between the two sides, that raise lofty legal arguments about free speech and religious liberty, equal rights and anti-discrimination laws. Only three issues in recent years come close to engendering as much emotion at the court as the continuing battle over same-sex marriage, now focused on a single cake that never got made: Abortion. Affirmative action. And the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.” Richard Wolf with USA Today explains why next month’s case takes the cake when it comes to the growing interest around its outcome.
HE SPEAKS!
|Not a man of many words — if any words at all, really — JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMASbroke his notorious silence for an interview with his former clerk Lara Ingraham, who now works with Fox News. CNN’s Ariane de Vogue reports on the interview in which Thomas said JUSTICE NEIL GORSUCH is “outstanding” and the Supreme Court is a “wonderful place to work.”
OTHER NEWS
Senate Confirms Trump Judge Opposed By 27 LGBTQ Rights Groups
HuffPost“The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Joan Larsen to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ― a nominee opposed by 27 LGBTQ rights groups with concerns about her views on civil rights.”