@DemocracyMattersALot Donald's 90 minutes of self-serving lies at the "debate" were the moments, when relieved Americans could sincerely say "No, I don't want a president, who's lying to my face all the time!"
🚨BREAKING: The Supreme Court just officially legalized bribery in a 6-3 decision. The ruling was engineered by the justices who have been accepting billionaire gifts.
The Lever did the definitive deep dive reporting on the Snyder case, way back in March.
When Adam Kinzinger launched his career, he welcomed Sarah Palin's and Tea Party groups' backing. The idea that he'd end up endorsing a Democratic president 14 years later seemed far-fetched.
@CarlG 💯% Unlike craven enablers like Bill Barr, Nikki Haley, etc… Kinzinger & Liz Cheney are true patriots who put USA, #RuleOfLaw & #democracy ahead of their self-interests.
"[E]xperience shows us that history is on the side of liberty, that the strongest foundation for human progress lies in open economies, open societies, and open governments.
To put it simply, democracy, more than any other form of government, delivers for our citizens."
— President Barack Obama —
President Biden proved this statement more than right.
"[H]istory shows that, over the long run, democracy and economic growth go hand in hand.
And prosperity without freedom is just another form of poverty."
FLAG: Steve #Bannon, weeks before he goes to prison, says a 2nd Trump term will target Biden officials: "We're coming after Lisa Monaco, Merrick Garland, the sr members of DOJ that have prosecuted Pres Trump. Jack Smith. This is not about vengeance … it's not about retribution. This is about saving this republic."
"We're going to use the Constitution and the rule of law to go after you and hold you accountable. Nov. 5 is judgment day. Jan. 20, 2025 is accountability day."
It's a sad day for the Biden family, which like so many families has had to struggle with the addiction of a family member. But it's a good day for the rule of law. Presidents don't have to call prosecutions witch hunts & attack judges/prosecutors/witnesses/jurors. Our system still works — Joyce White Vance #quotes#quote#Justice#RuleOfLaw
Clarence Thomas belatedly admits luxury trips were paid for by rightwing billionaire
Supreme court justice amended his financial disclosure to confirm rightwing mega-donor Harlan #Crow funded travel
#Thomas’s relationship with Crow set off calls for more transparency by the justices and calls for more transparency.
ProPublica also reported last year that Samuel #Alito, another of the court’s conservative justices, flew on a private jet and vacationed with a billionaire who had business before the court.
Alito was granted a 90-day extension to file his report, something he has routinely sought.
Alito is also under scrutiny after reports from the New York Times that there was an upside-down US #flag flying outside of his home in Virginia as well as an Appeal to Heaven flag flying outside of a beach home in New Jersey.
The former is associated with the January 6 attack on the Capitol and the latter with #Christian#nationalism.
The supreme court’s nine justices all agreed to a code of conduct last year, though some experts have noted it does not go far enough and there is no way to adequately enforce it.
@cdarwin SCOTUS's Code of Conduct needs be drawn up by independent legal scholars, not the partisan "Federalist Society", to align with ethics rules normal federal judges are subjected to.
And every matter possibly corrupting justices' independence (optimistically taken as given) needs to be put on record & requires consequences relating to justices' participation in judicial processes involving actors contributing to possibly influence & corrupt justices' decisions.
@Nonilex The Rebellicans, like their slavering pre-1861 ancestors, realized they'll very likely never be a majority party.
Which would be the dumbest argument to deny majority rule & justify minority rule!
“The rule of a minority, as a permanent arrangement, is wholly inadmissible, so that, rejecting the majority principle, anarchy, or despotism in some form, is all that is left.”
— Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1861) —
"... The Confederate rebellion was an assault by a minority on the decision of the majority, as expressed in Lincoln’s own election, and in that way, it was really intended to question the entire principle of democracy...."
#Trump... he has aimed his vengeance-driven, full-force fusillade directly at the rule of law. Beginning immediately after the guilty verdicts, he and his #sycophants in the #RepublicanParty unloaded on our system of #justice, screeching out that it is time for revenge. The administration of justice, they falsely claim, has been “weaponized” and used as a “cudgel” like in “a banana republic.” That’s what a party does when it has no moral compass and is willing to follow its leader, lemming-like, over the cliff. And that’s what someone desperate like Trump does when he is staring down the barrel of his lifelong nemesis: accountability. No one is above the law — Dennis Aftergut #quotes#quote#AboveTheLaw#RuleOfLaw#FalseClaims#MAGALies
Bragg was unfairly maligned. He was vindicated Thurs:
"In light of the spectacular, methodical -yet understated & humble -work of DA Bragg culminating in the 34 guilty verdicts for #TFG:
Whether Bragg will continue to prosecute aggressively & fairly remains to be seen, but...
He may well be rising to the historic moment in which he finds himself, & demonstrating the backbone, temperament, & principles necessary to the task at hand."
Previously, Donald Trump was found guilty of defrauding the government. You or I, we'd be facing possible jail time, but for someone like Donald Trump, it was only ever a civil matter. More so, when he failed to pay the fine, he was given more time, plus given a discount.
Donald Trump has repeatedly, ignored court orders, suggestively threaten members of the court, shared information about the judge's daughter, and was given 12+ so-called "final" warnings, but never once was held in contempt or jailed overnight. You or I, the average American, would have been locked up.
Today, Donald Trump has been convicted of 34 felony charges. I do not doubt, he will not face any jail time, much less house arrest, even though technically those are options. Because, as Donald Trump continues to demonstrate, the wealthy and political experience justice "differently" than the average American citizen.
Donald Trump will likely be given a fine, which he can fairly easily pay off, as the cost of doing business, and if not, given all the time in the world, plus a possible discount, once again.
So many people have gone to jail or been completely financially destroyed for things they’ve done working for Trump, including this hush money affair, but Trump has always skated. His life remained a party while others paid the consequences, and he never lifts a finger to help those who are destroyed by working for him. And people want me to believe him getting convicted in a New York court marks the downfall of America? I don’t think so — Peter Henlein #quotes#quote#Trump#ConvictedCriminal#LawAndOrder#RuleOfLaw#Justice#TrumpCrimes#TrumpConvicted
#Alito, who is avowedly motivated by political and ideological considerations - per his own public comments as well as his many law-free judicial opinions - has no standing to insist either that the hypothetical “reasonable person” is supposed to be free from commitments to #RuleOfLaw. 2/ #LawFedi
So the good news is that the bill to exonerate the SubPostmasters gained Royal Assent last night, freeing up the fixed compensation scheme for those whose convictions are now quashed (or allowing them to apply to have their individual case assessed).
The, perhaps, not so good news, as much legal commentary has been focusing on is the (potential) precedent it sets for governments to reverse the decisions of Courts.
In this case it would seem pretty just, but in the future?