Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Corrupt Supreme Court Justice Thread

Seems like there’s plenty to discuss on this topic these days:


"I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
«13

Comments

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 33,850
    I need to do some independent searching on this latest reveal.  We have not plumbed anywhere near the bottom of this rot and that is disturbing at a minimum. 
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,169
    All nine rejected the idea of formal or external oversight this week and Roberts said he has complete faith in each Justice to know when to recuse themselves, "they're pros."  That may buy some time, but I can't imagine this will go away now that the investigative journalists have the scent.
    Love you bro!
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    Legume said:
    All nine rejected the idea of formal or external oversight this week and Roberts said he has complete faith in each Justice to know when to recuse themselves, "they're pros."  That may buy some time, but I can't imagine this will go away now that the investigative journalists have the scent.
    What I guess we need is a liberal justice caught in addition to Roberts and Thomas in order to get some bipartisan laws passed.

    Noteworthy that any law passed may have to go through the supreme court.

    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    You'd think that given all that's been happening the last few years that it would be difficult to have your jaw hit the floor but when I read that yesterday well... my jaw hit the floor. It's just unbelievable how much money she earned over such a short period of time for what exactly??
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 32,476
    HeavyG said:
    You'd think that given all that's been happening the last few years that it would be difficult to have your jaw hit the floor but when I read that yesterday well... my jaw hit the floor. It's just unbelievable how much money she earned over such a short period of time for what exactly??
    Yep.  Corrupt AF
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 16,196
    It bothers me how much the SC sc is upset by a "leak" of obviously truthful information, but not upset whatsoever that their most recent three members outright lied to the congress, on the record.  
    ___________

    "When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set."

    - Lin Yutang


  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 32,476
    Botch said:
    It bothers me how much the SC sc is upset by a "leak" of obviously truthful information, but not upset whatsoever that their most recent three members outright lied to the congress, on the record.  
    That 2016 election sure is looking fairly consequential in retrospect, isn’t it?
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 33,850
    A statement submitted to Congress by J. Michael Luttig:

    And some condensed comments: (not mine):

    J. MICHAEL LUTTIG, the conservative former federal judge who advised MIKE PENCE of his limited role in the counting of Electoral Votes on January 6, and liberal Harvard Law professor LAURENCE TRIBE. Both men declined to appear in person but they agreed to submit written statements to the committee. Playbook obtained copies of both statements ahead of today’s hearing.

    Luttig’s public commentary on the suddenly fraught issue of Supreme Court ethics is particularly noteworthy, because he is a longtime friend of several conservatives on the court, including the one at the center of recent controversies: CLARENCE THOMAS.

    Luttig sticks to broad constitutional arguments in his statement, empathizing that the Court’s “power is greater or lesser as respect for its judgments by the American People waxes and wanes, ebbs and flows.” While he doesn’t mention the details of recent opinions and ethical controversies, the context is clear.

    “It is the Supreme Court’s duty to acquit itself in the discharge of its judicial responsibilities so as to continually assure and reassure the American people that its judgments are deserving of respect,” Luttig writes. The justices, he adds, have a duty “to conduct themselves in their non-judicial conduct and activities in such a manner that they are individually deserving of respect — indeed, beyond reproach, not only in fact, but also in appearance. This, at all times and places, in both public and in private.” Read Luttig’s full statement

    On the key question of whether Congress can legislate standards for Supreme Court Justices, Luttig thinks there is little debate.

    Congress “indisputably has the power” to “enact laws prescribing the ethical standards applicable to the non-judicial conduct and activities” of SCOTUS, Luttig writes, adding that “it would hardly be a constitutional crisis or anything of the sort” for Congress to do so.

    Close watchers of the small and clubby world of federal judges on the right will take note of this somewhat dense line that hints at how the recent ethical questions swirling around Thomas and others are degrading the authority of the court:

    “[T]o whatever extent the Court does not subject itself to the highest possible professional and ethical standards — or only grudgingly does so — to an even greater extent does it depreciate not only its power to preserve, protect, and defend the institution of the Supreme Court, it also depreciates its power to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, which is the high charge that the American People have bestowed upon  the Supreme Court.”

    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    This SCOTUS ethics issue could become very interesting. Contra Luttig there are other legal beagles that feel the Constitution is clear in that the SCOTUS is a coequal branch and the Congress cannot force their behavior. The Congress can decide the size of the court, its jurisdiction in some cases, and to impeach court members if/when the Congress feels they have acted badly.

    Clarence Thomas, regardless of the issues surrounding him and his wife, is not going to be impeached cuz Red vs Blue.

    It seems that if the Congress were to pass a law establishing a code of ethics for SCOTUS that SCOTUS could just declare that law as unconstitutional. Then what?

    We need an amendment to set fixed terms and mandate a code of behavior for SCOTUS but that is usually a tough row to hoe.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • dmchicago
    dmchicago Posts: 4,516
    And nothing will happen. 
    Philly - Kansas City - Houston - Cincinnati - Dallas - Houston - Memphis - Austin - Chicago - Austin

    Large BGE. OONI 16, TOTO Washlet S550e (Now with enhanced Motherly Hugs!)

    "If I wanted my balls washed, I'd go to the golf course!"
    Dennis - Austin,TX
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
     I'm beginning to think there is something fishy about this Thomas fellow.

    Well... I'd say unbelievable but geeezus maybe they'll get Thomas on the tax fraud angle. It's unclear, at the moment, if he had reported all those "gifts" (or friendship tokens as Clarence thinks of them) on his income taxes.

    If he had any honor he would resign. 
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 32,476


    Conway here is KellyAnne Conway, otherwise known as Goebbels Barbie.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 33,850
    "Harlan Crow, a Republican megadonor, paid two years of private school tuition for a child raised by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who did not disclose the payments, Thomas’ lawyer acknowledged yesterday. The revelation of the tuition payments deepens the financial ties between Crow and Thomas. These ties have prompted questions about Thomas’ ethics and disclosure requirements. Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski, and Brett Murphy report for Pro Publica. "

    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,169
    I thought the deep state cabal was a lib thing?  Is this another one of those accusation/confession things?
    Love you bro!
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 32,476
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 33,850
    An article about Justice Alito and his fishing trip:

    "ALITO’S TURN — Just before midnight, ProPublica dropped its latest investigation into a Supreme Court justice’s questionable acceptance of lavish gifts from wealthy benefactors, another major scoop from reporters Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski that is well summarized by its headline: “Justice SAMUEL ALITO Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court.”

    But what’s especially notable about this new SCOTUS bombshell is what preceded it: An attempt by Alito himself to front-run ProPublica’s reporting and spin the story in his favor.

    The reporters requested comment on the June 2008 trip from Alito on Friday, and yesterday, according to their story, “the Supreme Court’s head spokeswoman told ProPublica that Alito would not be commenting.”

    Hours later, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed from Alitotitled “ProPublica Misleads Its Readers,” accusing the organization of leveling “false charges” about the nature of the trip and justices’ obligations to disclose gifts and recuse themselves from potential conflicts of interest.

    — Alito argues in the piece that he had no need to recuse himself because he had never “discussed the activities of his businesses” with the billionaire on whose plane he flew, PAUL SINGER, and that he was unaware that Singer had any connection to the corporate entities who later ended up before the Supreme Court (winning, with Alito’s support). He further suggested the plane ride was of no great consequence since Singer “allowed me to occupy what would have otherwise been an unoccupied seat.”

    — As for disclosing the gifts associated with the trip — which included not only the flight but room and board at Alaska’s pricey King Salmon Lodge comped by then-owner ROBIN ARKLEY, who like Singer is a prolific donor to conservative legal causes — Alito cited the court’s practice at the time and definitions from Black’s Law Dictionary and Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary to argue that transportation is encompassed in the word “facilities.”

    His defense is, in a word, lawyerly. ProPublica’s story, on the other hand, is devastating in its broad strokes.

    Like ProPublica’s previous SCOTUS stories, the core issue here is what rules the nine justices, who currently operate as the final arbiters on prickly issues that define American life, should have to follow themselves.

    Most any other federal employee is prohibited from accepting anything but the smallest of gifts due to ethical concerns. ProPublica’s revelations, particularly involving Justice CLARENCE THOMAS and his relationship with billionaire HARLAN CROW, have revealed in stark detail how the justices essentially answer to no one on ethical issues.

    In that context, Alito’s op-ed comes off as small and bickering, particularly in contrast to the facts laid out in the story: Experts told ProPublica that rules at the time clearly required disclosure for gifts of travel, and the reporters found at least six examples of other federal judges disclosing gifts of private jet travel in recent years.

    ProPublica declined to comment to Playbook on Alito’s op-ed ahead of their story’s publication."


    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,829
    It's just so disgusting -- and disheartening.
    Stillwater, MN
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk