SCOTUS Watch

[Grifman]

Yeah, saw that too late, would have deleted the post but you responded!!!

[Paingod]

You've maybe done some stupid shit in your youth. Maybe some horrible shit. Maybe some absolutely criminal shit with lots of potential witnesses, most of which are also complicit and might remain quiet to save their own asses. But you've got victims. #MeToo is in full swing and you're sweating bullets, hoping no one ever speaks up.

Someone offers you a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. You're going to publicly scrutinized and people are going to dig deep into you like no one ever has. Your whole life is on trial.

"Sure," you say "I got this" ... said no one ever.

It doesn't make sense from Kavanaugh's perspective either. It was a vile clusterf**k when it was one accuser with some background supporting it. There's not even words for what this has turned into. I'm just going to hide under my desk until this ends.

[Skinypupy]

You've maybe done some stupid shit in your youth. Maybe some horrible shit. Maybe some absolutely criminal shit with lots of potential witnesses, most of which are also complicit and might remain quiet to save their own asses. But you've got victims. #MeToo is in full swing and you're sweating bullets, hoping no one ever speaks up.

Someone offers you a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. You're going to publicly scrutinized and people are going to dig deep into you like no one ever has. Your whole life is on trial.

"Sure," you say "I got this" ... said no one ever.

It doesn't make sense from Kavanaugh's perspective either. It was a vile clusterf**k when it was one accuser with some background supporting it. There's not even words for what this has turned into. I'm just going to hide under my desk until this ends.

Difficulty: You've been told all your life - and you firmly believe - that those horrible things you did were just fine, that the girls deserved it, and that the behavior was just "boys being boys".

After all, everyone in your social circles did the same thing and they never faced any consequences. Why should you?

[Smoove_B]

Oh boy.

Avenatti is a third rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations, like he did on me and like he is now doing on Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He is just looking for attention and doesn’t want people to look at his past record and relationships - a total low-life!

[Paingod]

Wait, wait, wait. False claims? Like the ones that landed his personal lawyer in jail and has him listed as an un-indicted co-conspirator?

Surely, he makes the funny. He hid the entire time Avenatti was parading around Stormy, but now that it's another woman, he's on the attack?

[Captain Caveman]

Trump just infused Avenatti with the blood of a thousand virgins.

[Combustible Lemur]

Trump just infused Avenatti with the blood of a thousand virgins.

Ew, phrasing.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Paingod]

toddler fight club

[LordMortis]

Difficulty: You've been told all your life - and you firmly believe - that those horrible things you did were just fine, that the girls deserved it, and that the behavior was just "boys being boys".

After all, everyone in your social circles did the same thing and they never faced any consequences. Why should you?

And you've also been special and afforded the luxury of not having your life ruined because you've still got your whole life ahead of you. Why should your past (or perhaps "your private life") get in the way now?

White Privileged, elevated to mansplainging, elevated to affluenza. I'm not saying he did anything. I don't know but when you are vying to become one of nine people capable of passing judgement at the highest level of the land, if you don't see these factors in play and want to rush through confirmations or even just want to get along the establishment denying these factors to rush through the confirmations, then I don't think you are qualified.

That's me. JustUs is a defining characteristic of the contemporary US IMO, and denying even a discussion of the topic? Nope.

I came the conclusion recently, I will not vote a GOP politician at any level of government no matter how local, until the party disavows McConnell. That's my line in the sand. If you can't say openly what a piece of shit that man is how much he has harmed all of the institutions of US governance, then you need to go. I don't care if who you are, if you tacitly align yourself with an organization that aligns itself with him, then you can't have my vote.

I only pray there is no situation where I have to eat crow and alternatives are worse...

[Paingod]

It seems clear that the Senate needs term limits - like 16 years, and you're out - so people can't rot to the very core of their being and spread it like a plague.

[hepcat]

Well, as mentioned before, the original reason for lifetime appointments was to eliminate, or at least lessen, the chances of judges being compromised by political maneuvering that held their jobs over their heads as a bargaining chip to control rulings. Also, the whole "with age comes wisdom" thing probably played a part.

[Max Peck]

toddler fight club

Avenatti has one hell of an ego and loves the limelight (not unlike Trump), but I don't see him as a toddler (unlike Trump).

[Fireball]

toddler fight club

Avenatti has one hell of an ego and loves the limelight (not unlike Trump), but I don't see him as a toddler (unlike Trump).

Avenatti and Trump are opposite sides of the same coin. They deserve each other. Avenatti's on the side of the angels a lot these days, but if the money were on the other side of the argument, he'd flip in an instant. He needs to be kept far, far away from elected office.

[Skinypupy]

It's worth noting that the accuser's affidavit was signed before Kavanaugh released his calendar from 1982 that showed "BEACH WEEK" in giant, bold letters.

Whoops.

[Fireball]

It seems clear that the Senate needs term limits - like 16 years, and you're out - so people can't rot to the very core of their being and spread it like a plague.

The Senate is a badly designed, democracy-destroying institution. But term limits would make it worse.

[hepcat]

I see Avanti as a lizard or a snake. It is possible to hate Trump and still see those fighting him as less than heroic. Hell, down right sleazy in this case.

[Fireball]

Well, as mentioned before, the original reason for lifetime appointments was to eliminate, or at least lessen, the chances of judges being compromised by political maneuvering that held their jobs over their heads as a bargaining chip to control rulings. Also, the whole "with age comes wisdom" thing probably played a part.

I think we need to restructure the Supreme Court. We can't really impose term limits, because the Constitution is unlikely to get amended, but we could make changes that decrease the importance of each justice, the variability of each's president's impact on the Court, and lower the temperature on these confirmation hearings. Here's what I've been thinking:

1) Every President gets an appointment in the first and third years of his or her term, with the law stipulating a measure for the President to force his or her pick onto the Court if the Senate tries to refuse to even consider a nominee;

2) No appointments are made when a justice retires or dies; and

3) This creates a variable size for the Court, which won't be a problem because all cases would be heard by a randomly-selected panel of five justices, with an appeal to the entire panel of seated justices possible.

If there were 15 justices on the Court, and thus only a 1-in-3 chance that any one justice would be on any particular case, the importance of each nomination would decline precipitously.

[Holman]

You've maybe done some stupid shit in your youth. Maybe some horrible shit. Maybe some absolutely criminal shit with lots of potential witnesses, most of which are also complicit and might remain quiet to save their own asses. But you've got victims. #MeToo is in full swing and you're sweating bullets, hoping no one ever speaks up.

Someone offers you a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. You're going to publicly scrutinized and people are going to dig deep into you like no one ever has. Your whole life is on trial.

"Sure," you say "I got this" ... said no one ever.

It doesn't make sense from Kavanaugh's perspective either. It was a vile clusterf**k when it was one accuser with some background supporting it. There's not even words for what this has turned into. I'm just going to hide under my desk until this ends.

What happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep. Also Yale. Up until now, this wasn't a joke but a way of life.

Elite white privilege is everything. Kavanaugh probably sincerely believes he's a martyr because kids he knows did even worse are now Senior Partners and CEO's, and no one is even thinking of looking into their backgrounds.

[Fretmute]

. . . randomly-selected panel . . .

That's how the Knicks end up with Patrick Ewing.

[Smoove_B]

Prepared Written Testimony of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh Nomination Hearing to Serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court September 27, 2018 (submitted September 26, 2018)

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Members of the Committee: Eleven days ago, Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing a serious wrong more than 36 years ago when we were both in high school. I denied the allegation immediately, unequivocally, and categorically. The next day, I told this Committee that I wanted to testify as soon as possible, under oath, to clear my name.

Over the past few days, other false and uncorroborated accusations have been aired. There has been a frenzy to come up with something—anything, no matter how far-fetched or odious—that will block a vote on my nomination. These are lastminute smears, pure and simple. They debase our public discourse. And the consequences extend beyond any one nomination. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country.

As I told this Committee the last time I appeared before you, a federal judge must be independent, not swayed by public or political pressure. That is the kind of judge I am and will always be. I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process. This effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. I am here this morning to answer these allegations and to tell the truth. And the truth is that I have never sexually assaulted anyone—not in high school, not in college, not ever.

Sexual assault is horrific. It is morally wrong. It is illegal. It is contrary to my religious faith. And it contradicts the core promise of this Nation that all people are created equal and entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. Allegations of sexual assault must be taken seriously. Those who make allegations deserve to be heard. The subject of allegations also deserves to be heard. Due process is a foundation of the American rule of law.

Dr. Ford’s allegation dates back more than 36 years, to a party that she says occurred during our time in high school. I spent most of my time in high school focused on academics, sports, church, and service. But I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now. But that’s not why we are here today. What I’ve been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior. I never did anything remotely resembling what Dr. Ford describes.

The allegation of misconduct is completely inconsistent with the rest of my life. The record of my life, from my days in grade school through the present day, shows that I have always promoted the equality and dignity of women.

I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation against me by Dr. Ford. I never had any sexual or physical encounter of any kind with Dr. Ford. I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time. But I have never done that to her or to anyone. I am innocent of this charge.

[Additional Testimony To Follow]

[Scoop20906]

The leaked his statement for tomorrow? Is the assumption is that hearing is going to get called off now?

[Chaz]

The leaked his statement for tomorrow? Is the assumption is that hearing is going to get called off now?

You must be new here.

[Scoop20906]

The leaked his statement for tomorrow? Is the assumption is that hearing is going to get called off now?

You must be new here.

[Sepiche]

. . . randomly-selected panel . . .

That's how the Knicks end up with Patrick Ewing.

Yeah, I definitely agree with you in principle Fireball that something needs to change, but I foresee nothing but trouble when the 5 Scalias on the court get randomly chosen to decide the next challenge to Roe v. Wade, or the 5 Ginsburgs are chosen to hear the next 2nd Amendment case for that matter.

[GreenGoo]

He did say that you could appeal to the entire panel.

I'm just not sure there is *any* case that wouldn't get appealed to the entire panel, at which point, why bother with a random 5 in the first place?

[Fireball]

He did say that you could appeal to the entire panel.

I'm just not sure there is *any* case that wouldn't get appealed to the entire panel, at which point, why bother with a random 5 in the first place?

The vast majority of Supreme Court cases are non-controversial or really just deal with interpretations of conflicting statutes. If you have 5-0 decision in the panel, what's the chance that the other 10 justices would split 8-2 in the other direction? Or that the full court would accept the appeal to the en banc?

[GreenGoo]

The vast majority of Supreme Court cases are non-controversial or really just deal with interpretations of conflicting statutes. If you have 5-0 decision in the panel, what's the chance that the other 10 justices would split 8-2 in the other direction? Or that the full court would accept the appeal to the en banc?

Is that rhetorical?

What's the split of the other justices along liberal/conservative lines?

Random produces plenty of outliers. Plenty.

[LawBeefaroni]

I never thought I'd say this about anything, but it's more likely there will be a consensus on a college football playoff system than on a revamped Supreme Court.

[Holman]

Trump closes press conf siding with Kavanaugh saying of tomorrow’s hearing: “It’s a very dangerous period in our country.”

"Dangerous" for whom?

[Skinypupy]

Trump: Accusations are a Democrat "con job"

Then there's this:

sked whether the three women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault are lying, he said, “I won’t get into that game,” saying instead that he would make up his mind upon hearing the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday.

“This is one of the highest quality people that I’ve ever met,” Trump said about Kavanaugh.

“It’s possible that they will be convincing,” Trump said. “I can always be convinced. I have to hear it.”

So you're saying that all Ford needs to do is convince the serial adulterer with multiple allegations of sexual assault himself to believe her account, then he'll withdraw the nomination he has hand-picked to ensure he remains above the law? Pffft, how hard could that be?

[Skinypupy]

Here we have accuser number four.

And accuser #5, for good measure.



Curious how these will affect the sham - er, hearing - scheduled for tomorrow.

[gameoverman]

Well, as mentioned before, the original reason for lifetime appointments was to eliminate, or at least lessen, the chances of judges being compromised by political maneuvering that held their jobs over their heads as a bargaining chip to control rulings. Also, the whole "with age comes wisdom" thing probably played a part.

I think we need to restructure the Supreme Court.

The only problem is that any system people can come up with can be gamed by other people.

I think our current system is fine, but the people are allowing the problems to slide by, in some cases encouraging it.

Example is what is going on right now. This guy is nominated, anyone who has something significant to say should be allowed to speak and answer questions. Then everyone can judge for themselves what's what. I'm highly suspicious of people who try to rush decisions, there is no reason to rush this if you're doing your job. The Supreme Court isn't going anywhere, it'll be there tomorrow, it'll be there next month.

There should be a massive backlash by all the people, regardless of political position, against any attempt to rush through this. But there are enough people supporting the Republican attempt that they aren't motivated to do anything other than what they are doing now. When the people are subverting the process by supporting the ones gaming the system, then a system redesign won't help.

[Defiant]

Here we have accuser number four.

And accuser #5, for good measure.

Wouldn't these be 5 and 6? At this point, I can't even tell.

[Enough]

I am curious about reporting it to Gardner, a hardcore Republican... I am not saying that this was done, but if they have some easy to disprove allegations perhaps filed by a Republican activists or internet pranksters it might make it also easier to throw out all the allegations with guilt by association.

Here we have accuser number four.

And accuser #5, for good measure.

Wouldn't these be 5 and 6? At this point, I can't even tell.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Skinypupy]

I am curious about reporting it to Gardner, a hardcore Republican... I am not saying that this was done, but if they have some easy to disprove allegations perhaps filed by a Republican activists or internet pranksters it might make it also easier to throw out all the allegations with guilt by association.

Here we have accuser number four.

And accuser #5, for good measure.

Wouldn't these be 5 and 6? At this point, I can't even tell.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

That exact concern has been raised.



If true, we can go ahead and re-define deplorable once and for all.

[Max Peck]

That's wouldn't be any sort of new-fangled deplorableness. It'd just be old-fashioned Roger Stone style ratfucking.

[Grifman]

Here we have accuser number four.

And accuser #5, for good measure.



Curious how these will affect the sham - er, hearing - scheduled for tomorrow.

Anonymous allegations should carry absolutely no weight, they are patently unfair to the accused.

[Skinypupy]

Here we have accuser number four.

And accuser #5, for good measure.



Curious how these will affect the sham - er, hearing - scheduled for tomorrow.

Anonymous allegations should carry absolutely no weight, they are patently unfair to the accused.

Gosh, if only there was a group, maybe even a bureau in the federal government that could be tasked with investigating the validity of the charges brought against him.

Nah, that’s just crazy talk.

[Zarathud]

Aside from the accusations, Kavanaugh's appearance on the talk circuit politicized his already political appointment of a former political operative to the SCOTUS.

He's not only toxic but willing to harm the Supreme Court to advance his cause. Disqualified.

[LawBeefaroni]

Absolute shit show.



"Highest Court in the land."