JUSTICE KENNEDY RETIRING

WSJ alert... looking for article link...

BUT HER EMAILSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!

well fuck

No problem. Democrats will filibuster any Trump nominee and it’ll be a 4-4 Court. Right? RIGHT???

You shouldn't be excited OP since is has been liberal in a lot of cases.

*he

WASHINGTON — Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced on Wednesday that he would retire, setting the stage for a furious fight over the future direction of the Supreme Court.

Justice Kennedy, 81, has long been the decisive vote in many closely divided cases. His retirement gives President Trump the opportunity to fundamentally change the course of the Supreme Court.

A Trump appointee would very likely create a solid five-member conservative majority that could imperil abortion rights and expand gun rights.

R4, McConnell took the filibuster away from SCOTUS votes

FUCK. FUCK all those fucking lazy liberals who didn't feel like voting in Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan as well as the Bernie Bros who wouldn't vote for Hillary.

We're FUCKED. Trump is going to pick some super healthy early 40s judge to replace him and the fuckwit repubs will put anyone he picks through

We're never going to get control of the Supreme Court now.

This will also energize the repub base in the midterms

You can’t filibuster Supreme Court nominees thanks to Mitch.

Some consolation: He sided with the conservatives on all the major decisions just announced. Status Quo, except for gay rights.

WE

ARE

SO

FUCKED

FUCK

From AP

FUCKING HELL

I. Want. To. Die. I know it's Kennedy and he can be unreliable but who is this asshole president going to nominate, Jeanine Pirro?

Evangelicals kept their eyes on the prize.

Ah shit.

WE ARE ALL SO FUCKED. GOODBYE!

and guess what? The liberal judges in the Supreme Court aren't young either. There's a chance Trump could fill in MORE seats before his first term is even over.

I don't understand why liberals don't think the Supreme Court is as important as conservatives do . Too many liberals say "oh I don't care about politics!1!1!1! I just want to live my life and be a free-lover and follow celebrity news!1!1!

Pick a fork in the Supreme Court. It will be solidly right-wing for a generation.

Whoever Trumps appoints will be to the right of Kennedy. That is a solid 6 hardcore right votes.

CNN etc. coverage now.

Why can’t he wait til 2020?

gah, 5* I can do math.

Strangely enough I saw a poll on the Supreme Court yesterday or today and to the democrats the Supreme Court wasn't important to them whereas to the repubs it was.

Isn't he same judge who gave us SSM and Obamacare?

We are so fucked!

So much winning.

Why R26.?

No R9, how about fuck Barrack CAPITULATION Obama for not lifting a finger to get Garland appointed. How about fuck every person who supported loser Hillary (who never had chance of winning) instead of Bernie who totally dominated Trump in every poll.

R24, I saw that this morning on MSNBC - one that was from the 2016 election.

They’ll declare Medicare, Medicaid and social security unconstitutional.

FUCKING KJLL ME NOWWWW!!!!

[quote]Isn't he same judge who gave us SSM

Yes, Kennedy was the swing vote on gay marriage.

If his ratings are lower near the 2020 general election, expect a Court-approved "emergency" measure that suspends future elections.

[quote] How about fuck every person who supported loser Hillary (who never had chance of winning)

Except she won.

Not just the popular vote. Voting machines were hacked. Exit polls never lied until recently. Wonder why?

Well said R29

R24 too many dumbass liberals who don't care about the most important part of government. Presidents and Congress come and go. Supreme Court rulings can last forever.

I don't understand our side sometimes

Coming soon - redux.

Ruth Ginsburgh isn't going to last much longer, either.

Well, I told y’all so. Why are y’all acting like it’s a shock?

[quote] You can’t filibuster Supreme Court nominees thanks to Mitch.

Mitch following the lead of Harry Reid's idiotic nuking of the filibusters for lesser judges. And Tim Kaine's promise to do the same for Supreme Court Justices following Hillary's inevitable victory.

Here's the letter:

Why can't these fuckers retire when a Democrat is in office?

And, was Hillary REALLY THAT bad folks?

We're going to see DECADES of advancements wiped out.

He is a republican R43.

I tweeted on election night something like 'don't you idiots realize he's going to get his hands on the Supreme Court?'

How can I leave the country? I am married to a British citizen. I guess we'd better start looking into that.

WASHINGTON — Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced on Wednesday that he would retire, setting the stage for a furious fight over the future direction of the Supreme Court.

Justice Kennedy, 81, has long been the decisive vote in many closely divided cases. His retirement gives President Trump the opportunity to fundamentally change the course of the Supreme Court.

A Trump appointee would very likely create a solid five-member conservative majority that could imperil abortion rights and expand gun rights.

Justice Kennedy’s voting record was moderately conservative. He wrote the majority opinion in Citizens United, which allowed unlimited campaign spending by corporations and unions, and he joined the majority in Bush v. Gore, which handed the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. He also voted with the court’s conservatives in cases on the Second Amendment and voting rights.

But Justice Kennedy was the court’s leading champion of gay rights, and he joined the court’s liberals in cases on abortion, affirmative action and the death penalty.

In April 2017, Mr. Trump formally appointed Justice Neil M. Gorsuch to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016, replacing one conservative justice with another and maintaining the basic balance of power on the court.

The replacement of Justice Kennedy with a reliable conservative would be far more consequential and would move the court markedly to the right.

The bitter 14-month battle over Justice Scalia’s seat, during which Republican senators refused to consider President Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland, will most likely pale in comparison to the coming fight over Justice Kennedy’s seat.

[quote]Ruth Ginsburgh isn't going to last much longer, either.

Honestly it will matter less than you think.

Kennedy leans right. His replacement will be hardcore right. That means a solid right-wing majority. Period.

RBG dying will just turn a reliable 5-4 to a reliable 6-3.

Trump says he has a list of 25 judges he'll choose the replacement from.

And of course the obligatory "We're so fucked" posts have to chime in. Doom and gloom trolls who have been masturbating furiously at every bit of bad news for the last year and a half.

It's your country too in case you haven't recognized. Stop letting 27% of it have the last word. Call your democratic represntatives and let them know how you feel. Go to their offices if you can and try to meet with them in person.

Stop fucking giving up at every bump in the road.

Stuff can only change if you allow it to.

Gays aren't really fucked by this, women are. I know some don't like to hear it, but I'm from the deep South. Evangelical Trump voters voted Trump because of abortion rights. They believed Trump would nominate someone to the SC who would help enforce stricter abortion laws, or abolish abortion. This is what evangelicals wanted. They turned a blind eye to Trumps actions and rhetoric and the allegations against him, and turned their eyes to the SC. Now they may possibly get what they wanted.

Why are these guys allowed to be on the Supreme Court for life? We need term limits for everyone

Liberals' worst nightmare: a second supreme court pick for Trump

A future conservative nominee could affect issues ranging from women’s reproductive health to LGBT rights

[quote]Gays aren't really fucked by this

We just lost the swing vote who gave us gay marriage in the first place.

RIP Roe vs Wade

R52 They are on the bench for life in theory so they can just rule on the law without caring about politics. But none of the 9 really do that

Why is his letter (at R42) all wrinkled? Just what the hell did Trump do with that piece of paper?

The list

We are so fucked

Gays are fucked too R51. They hate you just as much as they hate women.

R50 there's optimism, then there's being willfully ignorant and delusional, and you've crossed the bloody line.

Kennedy became a big supporter of gay rights and was the swing vote in most such cases.

[quote]Trump says he has a list of 25 judges he'll choose the replacement from.

Given to him by Pence.

Very soon this will be an unlivable hellhole. This fucking place is going to be hell on earth.

[quote]Trump says he has a list of 25 judges he'll choose the replacement from.

Trump has nothing. The Heritage Foundation made that list.

[quote]Gays aren't really fucked by this,

LOL! What an idiot you are...

Maxine for the Supreme Court!!!!

[quote]Kennedy became a big supporter of gay rights and was the swing vote in most such cases.

Exactly. Kennedy was conservative in a lot of ways but he was a friend to gays, and an important swing vote on cases that concerned us.

The Supreme Court will no longer be a place gays can look for help.

R64, the Federalist Society made the list.

One step closer to Giliad...scary day with the worse to come

It's times like this when I'm glad I'm old.

I wish he would have waited until after the November elections.

[quote] It's your country too in case you haven't recognized. Stop letting 27% of it have the last word. Call your democratic represntatives and let them know how you feel

My DEMOCRATIC MINORITY MEMBER of Congress and the senate hon? The ones who have no fucking power?

The ones who can’t stop a SCOTUS nomination?

Suuuure, Jan.

We’ll call our democratic representatives and say, “Um, I know you have no power but like um, I don’t like this Supreme Court nominee, ok? Just letting you know even though you have no power to prevent it.

...Kennedy’s absence will mark a sea change in American jurisprudence. Without him, the Supreme Court may well rule that women have no constitutional right to abortion access. Courts may chip away at same-sex marriage or overturn it altogether. Voting rights plaintiffs will have little hope of winning their battles against voter suppression. Victims of race and sex discrimination will face much rougher sledding at the court.

This retirement sets up a huge battle in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority. Trump is nearly certain to pick a doctrinaire conservative approved by the Federalist Society, the group that has selected most of his lower-court appointees. Democrats abolished the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees during the fight over Justice Neil Gorsuch, so they cannot blockade Trump’s pick. It seems inevitable that Trump will eventually get his candidate on the court. Once there, he or she will have an opportunity to overrule myriad liberal precedents and reshape constitutional law for decades.

[quote]I wish he would have waited until after the November elections.

The money was too good to wait.

Yep, this is the end. Some very dark times are coming for this country. Gay marriage will be reversed, abortion is done, hell even Brown Vs. BoE could go down. Time to look for the exits. I can’t believe That Trump has such unfettered power. We are doomed.

Kennedy wasn't hugely liberal so this could be worse.... But not by much.

Yup, abortion is as good as gone after this. But whatever, we'll hunch down for a decade or two before balance is restored again. This is their last hurrah and not even an ultra-conservative SC can help them.

But her emails!

Bernie should have gotten the nomination!

Jill Stein! HRC is corporate evil!

I'm special - I "GET IT" - I'm a libertarian.

McConnell, who held open a SCOTUS seat for an entire election year, will now decide this seat MUST be filled before November and anyone who says otherwise hates America.

And the press will ho-hum and "both sides!" in response.

R50, you're wrong about this, this is probably the second most devatestaging news that Democrats/liberals/non-rightwingers could get (first being the "election" of Trump). A pure 5 right wing majority on the Supreme Court will transform the judiciary for a generation or more.

And you're absolutely wrong too R51. Gays are not safe. Not from being stripped of marriage or civil rights and gays can't hide from other awful rightwing shit either things that will empower corporations, and the 1%, rulings against environmental protections, etc.

Paging Susan Sarandon

That's not going to happen R4 since democrats lost their balls decades ago, and care more about being offended at everything that's not politically correct.

[quote]Kennedy wasn't hugely liberal

Of course he wasn't, but his replacement will be worst. Far more to the right.

R78 is right. The Times will be all about the new nominee. Humble upbringing, dedication to the law, unique take on history and language, etc.

Fawning. They're going to fucking FAWN over him - probably a him.

The evangelicals sweetest dreams have just come true. But they will only alienate more and more people with their radical agenda. In the end, this will paradoxically accelerate their demise more than anything else ever could.

Don’t forget legalized marijuana. SCOTUS will side with the rightwing DoJ.

Kennedy for YEARS blocked the other conservatives from overturning Roe v Wade. It absolutely will be now. Most red states will outlaw abortion completely

R10 - WRONG - it was King Dufus HARRY REID that took it away!!!!

Bullshit, r19. The election was stolen. Blame McConnell, Bernie, Comey, Putin, you name it. Stop blaming liberals.

[quote]The evangelicals sweetest dreams have just come true. But they will only alienate more and more people with their radical agenda. In the end, this will paradoxically accelerate their demise more than anything else ever could.

LOL! The religious still hold Saudi Arabia and Iran. They will not go away easily. After all, "God" is on their side.

Just yesterday, Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz said that the Democrats should've shut down the Senate when McConnel wouldn't let Garland get a hearing/was stealing Obama's pick for the Supreme Court.

Another Dem, Senator Murphy from Connecticut quickly poured water on that, but it's worth noting that some Senators are on board with the idea. So everyone should contact their Senators and demand that they do anything they can to slow down and/or stop the process.

R50 is a complete and utter fucking moron. You’re why Trump was elected in the first place. And I really don’t want to hear from the “stop overreacting queens” troll. This is a time to overreact. We are in serious danger. The most serious in decades.

Female millennial took their own right to control their reproductive decisions away.

I cannot tell you how many minority friends did not vote because "there's no difference between the Dems and the Repugs" any longer.

I tried to explain that even if you feel that way, you do not want them to be able and stack the court.

They wouldn't hear it, and I would bet upwards to 20 black Floridians I know personally passed on voting out of this "they are the same" apathy.

Maybe they will see the hard way what a difference party makes now.

r89 Who cares about those shitholes? We're talking about America here. Besides, good luck fighting one cancer with another.

Depressing as hell

Anyone who didn't see the big picture and wanted to bitch about Hillary shares blame in this.

Elections have consequences. This is THE serious consequence.

A D victory would have meant a reliably progressive Supreme Court for the next generation. A Trump victory means a backwards right-wing court for a generation.

Anyone who stayed home or voted third party in November, this is a legacy you helped build. This is your America.

I think the idea of civil war/civil unrest just became even more real.

R87, fuck off. McConnell would have done it with or without Reid's precedent. McConnel is a weasely motherfucker.

Are you fucking kidding me, by giving Mitch the benefit of the doubt? Wake up asshole, the Republicans don't play fair. I'm fucking glad Reid did what he had to do to help Obama. Reid was a fucking fighter unlike Schumer who's too concerned about playing nice and is therefore next to useless.

[quote]McConnell would have done it with or without Reid's precedent. McConnel is a weasely motherfucker.

Preach. 100% true.

R50 is probably one of our right-wing trolls. P&D

R93 Minority turnout wasn't particular low in 2016. Young voter turnout was. Hillary got many more minority votes than Gore or Kerry. Only person on the ballot ever to beat her at that was Obama

Chris Matthews: "The Democrats shouldn't even allow meetings with the eventual Supreme Court to happen. There's no way the Democratic base will stand for Supreme Court hearings four-and-a-half months before an election. If the Democrats don't play hardball, I think they're through."

Do not interact with R87 He's a troll, deplorable or russian. He is posting deplorable filth all over DL

[quote]I wish he would have waited until after the November elections.

Don't we all. I knew he was retiring soon, but I thought he would wait til after the midterms.

Well, this is a great way to kick off the summer

What will change are rulings on issues where Kennedy has helped maintain a shaky 5-4 center-left consensus. Because of the court’s longstanding principle of stare decisis, or obeying past precedent barring a compelling reason not to do so, some liberal Court achievements are likely to stay. But a Court without Kennedy is substantially more likely to:

Overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states (and maybe the federal government too) to ban most or all abortions.

Reject challenges to capital punishment and solitary confinement.

Rule in favor of religious challenges to anti-discrimination law, and perhaps, in an extreme case, reverse some past Supreme Court rulings on gay rights.

Bar government actors from engaging in explicit race-based affirmative action.

And there are likely to be more aftershocks that are hard to anticipate this far in advance.

An America after Anthony Kennedy looks significantly different from America before. The movement against mass incarceration could run into unprecedented resistance from the Court, and the anti-abortion movement could notch its greatest victories in a half-century.

This Supreme Court vacancy will give Donald Trump the power to shift jurisprudence on a range of critical issues. It could wind up being the most important part of his legacy.

Hope those Jill Stein voters enjoy driving 500 miles for abortions!

Nasty old fucker. He could have stuck it out for a few more months.

Whitney Houston we have a problem!

WOW! Chris Matthews is talking about revolution if the Democrats don't fight this.

[quote] Why are these guys allowed to be on the Supreme Court for life?

The United States Constitution. Ever hear of it?

[quote] The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝘽𝙚𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙧, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.

No term limit.

Evangelicals are giddy with victory. God won! Thank you Jesus for President Trump! We stuck with God against the liberal devils and God has rewarded us. You see? We are God’s chosen, the soldiers of Christ. We will march onward.

[quote]But they will only alienate more and more people with their radical agenda. In the end, this will paradoxically accelerate their demise more than anything else ever could.

Don't post common sense in this thread. Only ridiculous dramatic diatribes are allowed.

But no Abortion is not going to be repealed without a major fight (The women's marches are going to be a tea party compared to this) Segregatiion is not going to repealed without a major fight as well. (Black Lives Matter is just the beginning

Because people aren't going to just roll over.

And call me whatever names you want, I don't give a shit. This same "Let's just give up, we're so fucked" mentality has trashed every bit of resistance people have shown this administration so far. Why stop at it now?

The Dems have to fight this. They just have to. If they don't, it'll affect turnout in the midterms and depress Democratic support.

They have to fight this.

It’s the Concern Troll Naming Troll trolling the thread.

We are on the titanic and hit the iceberg. Fuck every trump voter, every Bernie bro, every Stein voter.

Shillery coporate bot Hilary Clinton was right when she told us it was her or the apocalypse. Fuck every goddamn asshole who didn't listen because she gave a goddamn speech to Goldman Sachs

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes

Kennedy handing his seat over to Trump is the most perfect example *ever* about how it is all the party of Trump. All of it. Kennedy looks down from SCOTUS and sees the man in the White House and says “Yes. Him. I want him to be the one to choose my replacement.”

I hope the rumors about Tim Robbins beating Susan Sarandon are true.

And Ginsburg will be next. As much as she tries to put up a good front about not retiring, if you’ve ever met her (as I have a few times over the years) you would know that she is extremely fragile in person. Hunched over, barely moving and practically silent. She whispers. I was quite shocked when I met her in person. It might be partially an act, but I don’t think so. Her mind is clearly in order, but the vessel that carries it is scarily tenuous. I would be extraordinarily surprised if she makes it to the end of Trump’s reign.

The sky was so blue today...

She was right. I was with her.

"We will ensure all babies are born! And then live in poverty without proper healthcare, nutrition or education"

--Evangelicals

"I just didn't find her trustworthy."

"Because people aren't going to just roll over."

Exactly. Like I said, civil war/unrest just became very real today.

Democrats can fight all they want, they have no power. This is Trump’s second SCOTUS nomination in the bag. Kennedy is a Republican through and through.

Remember this feeling come the 2018 and 2020 elections.

You either support the Dem nominee, or you deal the the radical right running buckwild over America.

WHOEVER wins the Dem primary better have your FULL SUPPORT.

[84] The evangelicals sweetest dreams have just come true. But they will only alienate more and more people with their radical agenda. In the end, this will paradoxically accelerate their demise more than anything else ever could.

Do you have a weapon you're prepared to use?

The "Reagan Revolution" was the start of the "Right" arming themselves to the teeth.

A French style revolution is needed, but the wealthy have completely brainwashed half of this country. People who have been screwed over for nearly 40 years are armed and ready to defend the 'Trumps' with their lives.

You are a shit R50, R113! Where have you been? Without repealing Roe vs Wade, the State of Arkansas has whittled down its abortion clinics to only one in the entire State. Segregation will not happen again? Read about the baker and the gays? Discrimination against others isn't far behind.

[quote]Because people aren't going to just roll over.

People DID roll over and look what happened...

You can buy guns online, right?

We were warned all over the place.

Gilead, here we come

Can it get any worse?

Chris Hayes is 100% right. Kennedy is resigning ahead of the midterms to ensure that Trump can name his successor with a GOP majority in place.

The Dems need to fight like hell over this seat. And we need to brace ourselves for a slew of op-ed pieces about how Dems shouldn't play this game, that this is a poor way to govern as a minority party, and oh no does this mean the Dems are going to engage in petty payback if they take back majority status, because that would be really awful for America. And when we see this shit, we need to call it out, push back and make clear that Dems fighting back is governing properly because that is what we want.

Yes, r132. It will get worse.

[quote]Can it get any worse?

It can get better by the Dems taking control of congress in 2018.

They are capable of doing it, people just have to get to the fucking ballot box and stand against Trump.

We can't save the Supreme Court, but we can't take back control of who is writing the laws.

This is next.

Hillary warned us about this. The coming constitutional convention. It's in her book.

but we can* take back control

That was the first time in a long time I liked Chris R102. He gave me hope that the dems could do something to put off voting for Trump's supreme nomination. Lets hope they find their balls.

I’m done with people like R50. Just die. Blocked.

My opinion was (while a controversial statement) gays are more accepted today than a woman having an abortion. Reproductive rights is where the right, and their largest group of constituents, evanhelicals, have their sights set.

So maybe the repubs may come for the gays, but women are most at risk of the right's agenda because abolishing abortion gets them hard, and is what they'll aim at first. If you could hear what every Republican running for anything right now ALWAYS mentions in their ads during the primary season (my state's primary was yesterday), they always tout they are "pro-life". It is what holds the right together when Trump seems to do everything to tear us all apart. And now, there is basically nothing the left can do. I didn't want to piss anyone off with my previous comment.

*evangelicals

I just remembered. This would have been Loretta Lynch's nomination if Hillary had won. First one for Garland, second one for her.

So close.

I'm a man. I'm mixed race. I'm also adopted. If the woman that gave birth to me had chosen otherwise, I wouldn't be here.

I am 150% pro-choice. The pro-birth psychos scream: "Just put your baby up for adoption!"

Fact: Most Americans looking to adopt want white babies. Babies of color, like I was, are far more likely to bounce around the system for years, if not forever. I know how lucky I am to have ended up in a good home.

Fuck the Evangelicals and what they want to do to this country, to women, to queers, and everybody who isn't rich.

R102 but how much can the Democrats in the Senate really do? They're the minority. McConnell could bully his way to holding up the nomination under Obama because repubs controlled Congress

Oh you hysterical drama queens are just CONCERN TROLLS. Oh you're so concerned! Well listen but the real democrats are going to FIGHT this even though there's no chance of preventing this because FIGHT. And call your democratic representatives and tell them how glad you are they will FIGHT even though it's a losing game.

Watch, everyone will be out on the streets like they were when trump announced the Muslim travel ban, remember? Now they can't ban Muslims from coming into the US.

And the separation of families in detention centers. Now they have to put children in military bases, where of course the media and democrats will make get inside and make sure familues aren't separated. Because we fought it and won, remember?

You make me laugh with your fake CONCERN

Some resistance.

[quote]but how much can the Democrats in the Senate really do?

They can pull some legislative tricks to delay the vote -- and they'll have to, to show voters that they're not just rolling over. But it will be of no avail in the end. Trump's nominee will be sworn in before the midterms.

Chris Matthews looks stricken. Like how most us feel.

I think it actually hurts Dems to dely the vote. Empty supreme court seat will galvanize republicans for the midterms, then Rs are guaranteed to win the senate and get the pick anyway.

We might be better off with this going quickly. And trying to use the outrage to get the senate

[quote]Chris Matthews looks stricken. Like how most us feel.

He realizes how serious and monumental this is.

See, R150 shows the kind of handwringing and tough decisions we have moving forward. Scared to move one way or the other...

Chris Matthews looks ̶s̶t̶r̶i̶c̶k̶e̶n̶ like he had his usual four highball lunch.

The Dem base never really understood and/or cared about the Supreme Court. Tragic.

It's a really bitter pill to swallow and quite frankly all these "But her emails!" and Jill Stein voters choke on it. Hard. Russia couldn't have made much of a dent IF US people had understood what was at stake and just got out to vote to make sure putting a knife in Trump's side and make sure he'd lose even higher

This could hold the US back for generations (just look how these judges hold on to their seat like their lives depend on it - which I don't mind in Ruth Bader Ginsberg's case).

Still haven't learned.

[quote]"The Democrats shouldn't even allow meetings with the eventual Supreme Court to happen. There's no way the Democratic base will stand for Supreme Court hearings four-and-a-half months before an election. If the Democrats don't play hardball, I think they're through."

Once in a blue moon, Chris Matthews is right. Millions of us are trying to get Dems to engage in a full-throat fight against Republican and Trump policies. This horseshit about playing nice and civility won't cut it.

I plan on faxing (via resistbot) Kamala Harris and Diane Feinstein and making it clear they need to fight and fight hard and they need a coherent message. Nixon didn't get to appoint any SCOTUS picks while under investigation, so why should Trump?

Dark future... ever more dystopian.

Good point R157. Why should Trump be able to appoint a Supreme Court justice when he is under investigation.

R118, you're terrible, but I laughed out loud. I needed that after the last couple of days.

What we are all thinking.

Well at least...er...emails?

This is why Republicans fall in line: they have their eyes on the prize.

Dems Melt Down Over Kennedy Retirement

The DNC rules committee was on a live call when the news broke that Justice Anthony Kennedy would retire at the end of July.

David Siders ‏Verified account @davidsiders

How it sounded inside a DNC committee meeting the moment Justice Kennedy’s retirement was announced

-------------------

Now we know where the Princess Di screamer went.

r159, same could be said about The Republican Party, the House, and the Senate. They seem for the most part implicated with Russia meddling with the US government.

R162, yes, but they also beg, cheat, and steal wherever they can. They've spent years and millions enacting voter suppression tactics to keep Democrat leaning voters from voting.

McConnell has already stated they will hold the vote this fall. That means he'll probably hold on voting until after mid-terms as a way to galvanize Republican voters. This was all coordinated.

I hope it bites him in the ass R166.

Doomsday

Nice knowing all of you

Chuck Schumer needs to battle, and battle hard. The whole Democratic contingent need to toughen up and stop the meekness. Except for a handful, none are showing energy in taking Bone Spurs and McTurtle on.

Meanwhile, Miss Lindsey is already tweeting and sashaying before the cameras on the Court issues and undermining the Mueller investigation.

I guess it can get worse before it gets better.

Are there any Canadian or European DL'ers willing to marry a handsome American? It can be purely a business arrangement, or we can learn to love each other. I can work from anywhere and have a well-behaved dog.

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT US TO DO, R169????

Schumer has never shown toughness R169. He really is a disappointment.

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

Gay rights is COMPLETELY on the line now. This court has NO PROBLEM overturning precedent. Kiss Gay Rights goodbye along with so many other rights. Kennedy sucked but was JUST GOOD ENOUGH on key issues. Now, that is GONE.

[quote]That means he'll probably hold on voting until after mid-terms as a way to galvanize Republican voters.

Absolutely -- Republican ads will be all about the Court and how conservatives must vote or the Democrats will be able to block our Supreme Court nominee. They're hoping to gin up the base enough to turn back the blue wave.

Trump will probably nominate Stephen Miller.

Sigh; every day, more bad news.

Not a chance in Hell they will wait until after the mid-terms.

Poor women won't be able to get safe abortion.

More executions - no more protections for the mentally disabled or the very young.

Corporations unleashed.

Constitutional convention - The Kochs have $61 billion.

I thought they said the vote was going to be in October not after the midterms.

We are fucked. Completely Fucked.

Thanks people who voted 3rd party or protest voted.

Those of you living in NY please contact Schumer and tell him to fight. If he doesn't at least try, he should be primaried and thrown out next time it's possible

McConnell said he wants the vote as soon as possible, and that he didn't mean midterm elections when he said no nominations should go through in election years.

Hw wants the vote before the midterms, but I'm sure if it's blocked they'll rally Evangelicals to show up in November.

So I see why it might be nice to have young, dynamic party leaders. Those who won't cave in the name of comity.

They may push it through quickly but there is no downside to them waiting. They wait to vote, use the thing as a rallying cry for mid-terms and even if the Senate changes hands Mitch just pushes the vote through during the lame duck session. The reporter, of course, didn't push him on what fall meant so we don't know if he meant October or after the election.

Everyone to the right of Roberts will shamelessly vote for authoritarianism including whomever Trump appoints. Roberts becomes the centre. The liberals will be irrelevant except as vociferous opposition.

"Hillary would be just as bad as a Republican. She's a corporate SHILL"

FUCK all you who said that before AND after the election.

FUCK YOU ALL TO HELL. GAWD damn Jill fucking putin lovin Stein.

Don't trust anything that comes out of McConnell's face hole.

Plus you think the Orange one is going to want to wait that long?

Can Prop 8 in California be reinstated now? This is some bullshit. I’ll be ready to riot

Thank you, R101; you said exactly what I was thinking, better than I could. And you, too, R98.

I'm so sick of people (on this board and others) trying to blame EVERYTHING bad in this country on blacks and/or Hispanics. Black people forgave Hillary for 2007/08 WAYYYYY more than white men and women did for "Benghazi"/emails/"OMG she THREATENED Bill's accusers!!!" We turned out in big numbers to vote for a very imperfect *person* who we realized would make a superb *President*.

If you want to sling blame, sling it at straight white women (sorry, I wrote off 80% of straight white men 20 years ago), Millennials, and Gen Z or whatever they call the 18-25(in 2016) year olds. I give the youngest voters a pass because so many of them get their news through social media feeds they have NO clue how to vet.

Blame Senate Democrats, Reid and Franken excluded (sorry, but I don't blame Reid--he FOUGHT). Where were our "lions," Sanders and Warren? Where was Schumer? Cory Booker?

And I love Obama, I really do, despite his flaws. But as I wrote on this board many times in 2016, I blame Obama BIG TIME for not fighting for his pick with everything he had. He knew how treacherous McConnell was, what the Federalist Society was and is. Apparently he also had trouble understanding BASIC FUCKING ARITHMETIC, as in 5-4. As I said, he should have gone on TV, radio, YouTube, FB, Livestream, and every other format every goddamn night, telling his fellow Americans how their Republican representatives were trying to subvert the Constitution and fuck them over. He should have posted in a screen crawl the contact info for the Senate Judiciary Committee, all Senate Republicans and Democrats, and the names of their largest donors. He should have whipped up his base. He should have educated the stupid, the time-pressed, the blissfully unaware among us. He should have, just this ONE goddammned time, let the people see, hear, and feel his righteous ANGER, not for himself, but for US.

Wonder if he regrets not fighting now?

[quote]Not a chance in Hell they will wait until after the mid-terms.

Definitely not, why on earth would you risk the Dems taking control over the Senate? It will 100% happen before midterms.

They'll just rally in November by pointing to Ginsberg - "we got our new guy, let's get the next one!!!"

Gay rights will be gone- all of it. This court will overturn previous rulings.

Clearly McConnell is trying to fuck with the US by demanding that the Democratic Party and the public remain civil while he pushes the nomination through within hours without any prepared backlash by the Democrats.

You can't just take away gay rights. Someone would have to have standing to bring a case to the court.

You will not be the only one, R189. I think the people who think people will continue to roll over are wrong. There is a lot of anger in this country.

r76, abortion will not be gone. The Federal law making it legal might be but states could decide on there own.

People can come to Blue states to get their abortions.

[R195] And they will. Watch. Gay rights is going to be taken away. Cases will be brought. They just overturned 40 years of precedent for union fees. If you don't believe it, fine, but when it happens remember this post.

The Supreme Court will now fall to chaos

Joshua Matz, publisher of the Take Care legal blog, was a law clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy from 2014 to 2015.

The Supreme Court teaches us about liberty, dignity and democracy. It safeguards those principles and helps make the Constitution real in our lives. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy has devoted his judicial service to that vision. But by retiring in this perilous moment, he has unleashed forces that will test the court like never before.

These are dark days in America. Tribalism, kleptocracy and intolerance stalk the land. The White House is besieged with credible accusations of criminality and corruption. Many have lost faith in their institutions of government. Democracy itself seems besieged.

Yet even in this cynical age, the court has maintained formidable public support. Kennedy is an essential part of that story.

For decades, as one of the court’s more influential members, he has worked to keep it on a (relatively) even keel. Whereas too many Americans demonize those with different views, he places civility, good faith and open discourse at the heart of his worldview. As bitter partisanship consumes Congress, he stands firm in his devotion to judicial independence.

Most importantly, Kennedy remained singularly open to a wide range of views on controversial issues. He recognized that the Constitution encompasses many values — some of them in tension with others — and that we must learn from experience. “The nature of injustice is that we may not always see it in our own times,” he once wrote. These are words he lives by.

Wrongly derided by critics as a lack of principles, this open-mindedness is one of Kennedy’s great virtues. More than most judges, he felt the force of competing constitutional values and institutional pressures. His judgecraft thus contained a distinct note of statesmanship. If his views evolved and admitted ambiguity, so be it: Rigid adherence to an all-encompassing orthodoxy is not the true test of a great jurist.

This character trait has benefited the court and the nation. With Kennedy as a frequent swing voter, Americans of all persuasions knew their voices and values would receive serious consideration by a key decision-maker — one who was not strongly inclined for or against them from the very outset. The outcome of many cases has been a mystery until the very end.

This can be maddening, no doubt. So can the fact that a single man wields so much power. But it is surely a good thing that on most issues, large swaths of the nation have not simply given up on the court as a forum in which their vision of the Constitution has a shot.

This will be a significant and overlooked part of Kennedy’s legacy. Plenty of his decisions have been unpopular with some or even most Americans. Together, though, they have charted a path that largely maintained the court’s public legitimacy.

Of course, that isn’t to say that everything Kennedy has done is perfect. Like many lawyers (and former law clerks), I strongly disagree with some of his most important decisions.

And while Kennedy typically favors a cautious, stepwise approach, at times he quickly and unexpectedly reshaped the law. Uncertainty about how far and fast he would go — let alone in what direction — could elevate the national blood pressure around sensitive issues.

While Kennedy is indeed fair minded, on many issues he ultimately inclined rightward. Landmark rulings on LGBT rights, abortion, capital punishment and racial equality will define his legacy; but so will influential opinions about campaign finance, Miranda rights, religious freedom, commercial speech and federalism. Though the left has not been shut out, it has mostly played defense.

Still, especially in contrast to the turbulence of the 1930s and 1960s, there can be little doubt that Kennedy’s tenure helped sustain a fair measure of stability. He and the court have served as a bulwark for the rule of law in a world often set against it.

R195, they'll begin by chipping at them, slowly but surely, like they've done to abortion and to the Voting Rights Act, (and others I'm sure, but those 2 are the first to come to mind).

As a result, his retirement will spark chaos. Keen to reshape American life on a startling scope and scale, conservatives will race to confirm a reliable vote. Things will get ugly — very ugly. Roe v. Wade hangs in the balance. So do many other famous precedents.

Accordingly, the court’s very legitimacy is now up for grabs. Signs suggest that President Trump aims to move the court so far to the right that half the nation will inevitably deem it an avowed enemy.

The confirmation battle ahead will place the court under crushing pressure. And if the result is a muscular, immodest conservative majority, the center will not hold.

The future now rests with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who has shown sustained concern for the court’s legitimacy, but whose votes place him far to Kennedy’s right. Will his court truly remain open to all Americans? Or will it speak for only one viewpoint?

As Kennedy recognized, the court teaches us all about democracy. It can define how we live. We can only hope that Kennedy’s insight carries on as the court steps toward a newly uncertain future.

[quote]You can't just take away gay rights. Someone would have to have standing to bring a case to the court.

You don't know the history of this country do you? Rights can easily be gone with just a blink of the eye.

[quote]I guess it can get worse before it gets better

I fully expect the US will get better someday. Unfortunately I see that day as being 50 years off when I'll be dead.

[quote] You can't just take away gay rights.

Of course you can.

I’m with R63. I feel nauseas. I’m at a crossroads in my life and want out.

First, the Democrats need to get before the media big time in an orchestrated way, and have the best spokespeople out there.

Please, not just dragging out Bernie Sanders on CNN yapping with his twenty year old talking points. He's not even a member of the Democratic Party. Plus, he voted against sanctions on Russia and has a friendly past with the NRA.

Also, Dems in the Senate can use certain procedural tactics in Committee and larger body to irritate McConnell. Dems can't stop it, but can draw a pint of blood.

R198 I didn't say it couldn't happen. Some people on here think all of a sudden we won't have any rights and that is just not true.

There are already red state cases that have been challenging same-sex marriage rights.

But abortion is definitely the big target. Roe v Wade will be overturned, abortion will go back to being a "states rights" issue.

[quote] Some people on here think all of a sudden we won't have any rights and that is just not true.

Don't be an ass. People know it takes time to get a case before the court. But it starts today. People will fire people for being gay TODAY. People will be denied marriage licenses TODAY.

I give Republicans credit. Their voters with all of their hate and racism always keep their eye on the prize. Democrats or the left are in la la land. My friends wouldn't vote for Clinton because there's no difference between parties. What stupid assholes they were/are.

Kennnedy is also retiring at the perfect time. Everything in place for another conservative on the court. This was all inevitable once Obama couldn't get his pick through. Game was over then.

I think the loss of gay rights, women’s rights, minority rights is what needs to happen for the country to finally wake up. There are still people who believe that nothing bad is going to happen with archconservative justice

Longwinded asshole Yale Law professor on MSNBC kissing Kennedy's ass.

[quote]The future now rests with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who has shown sustained concern for the court’s legitimacy, but whose votes place him far to Kennedy’s right. Will his court truly remain open to all Americans? Or will it speak for only one viewpoint?

Is this copied and pasted from somewhere or is this your view R201? People love to say that Roberts gives a fuck about the court's legitimacy but too many of his votes tell me he doesn't. He bent over backwards to rule in favor of Trump's muslim ban for instance. A policy which 75% of Americans view negatively. If he cared how the Court was perceived, he wouldn't have done it. Ditto Kennedy. He looked around at everything that was going on, and he thought, yes, I want Trump to name my replacement. Unless he's literally dying and had weeks to live, he too, is just as awful as your average Republican.

[quote][R198] I didn't say it couldn't happen. Some people on here think all of a sudden we won't have any rights and that is just not true.

It doesn't bother you R207 that these hard won and rightful rights are even being challenged?

Gay rights will be taken away in short order. Except cases to start being brought in regularity to the courts and make it all the way up to the SC where they will overturn EVERY SINGLE CASE where gay rights were granted.

Our hope is this- No liberal dies before 2020. We elect a Dem. Thomas dies and we replace him. This is the ONLY option now.

[QUOTE]I give Republicans credit. Their voters with all of their hate and racism always keep their eye on the prize.

Why wasn’t their “eye on the prize” in 2008 and 2012?

Kennedy was mostly conservative but supported three more progressive issues: (1) Roe vs. Wade (a women's right to choose); (2) gay rights (eg. the right for gays to marry) and (3) affirmative action.

With any new appointee, all three of those areas are in danger. So, women, gays and blacks may be in big trouble. My prediction is that predominantly GOP run states will start banning abortion in the months ahead.

R201 is a continuation of the article at R199.

[quote]I give Republicans credit. Their voters with all of their hate and racism always keep their eye on the prize.

I hate to admit it but I agree with you. You can't blame them ie Mitch McConnell et alia for all that they have been able to accomplish. What's the saying? "Elections have consequences."

Just going to throw this out there, moving to a blue state is more important than ever. Lots of things under this upcoming court will be considered "state's rights" issues. Think of the state you live in.

[quote] I think the loss of gay rights, women’s rights, minority rights is what needs to happen for the country to finally wake up. There are still people who believe that nothing bad is going to happen with archconservative justice

You can't come back from this, you idiot. You lose all the rights you have, you can't do anything to reverse it. That's what happens when you allow fascism to take over.

Wait until Ruthie croaks. Bound to happen by 2024

Not true R202 and R204. R202 I'm very aware of our history. Name one person that would have standing to bring a case before the Supreme Court? The Supreme Court doesn't just decide one day that certain people shouldn't have rights. Lets just suppose someone brings a case and they decide gays don't have any rights. We still have a legislature that can do something about that.

Republicans made massive gains in Congress and State governments when Obama was President. The Democrats had control for his fist two years and have been playing catch up ever since. Once Obama was elected many of the people that voted for him stopped caring about politics.

R209 fuck off.

Stephen Breyer turns 80 in August.

R197 CA has abortion rights in its constitution already so it can't go away in CA. Many states won't allow more than one clinic in the state so rights have already been gutted in some areas of the country.

So gay marriage eventually gets overturned... it's not like I can even get a date anyway.

Republicans don't even need to wait for Roe v Wade to be overturned. They can start making the laws tomorrow. At which point the ACLU will sue, it will make it all the way to the Supreme Court, which will just let the law go through.

Actually overturning Roe v wade is a formality

You guys were told a year ago this was on the way.

[QUOTE]Republicans never take their eye off the ball.

[QUOTE]I hate to admit it but I agree with you.

Please. Donald Trump barely got in by the skin of his teeth. Republicans were preparing to block Hillary’s Supreme Court nominations figuring he’d lose in November. A few thousand votes in a couple key swing states and none of this is happening.

2016 has nothing to do with Republicans keeping their eye on the ball. How’d Trump steamroll their entire field of candidates if that’s the case?

I am just truly baffled at how you think this works, r223.

States have already argued that federal marriage laws don't apply to them. They deny gay marriages. People sue. States rule their laws are legal. People take it to the Supreme Court. SC rules gay marriage is not a right. Game over.

[R223] The way the court operated in the past is gone. You had true SC justices who cared about precedent and such. That is GONE now. The remaining SC justices are fucking nuts and care nothing about previous cases. They will allow cases to come forward and rights will start going away in no time. We cannot count on Congress because the fix is in. Russia GOT us. We have to vote in massive numbers to overwhelm their voting machine hacking and other shenanigans.

[quote]Kennedy was mostly conservative but supported three more progressive issues: (1) Roe vs. Wade (a women's right to choose); (2) gay rights (eg. the right for gays to marry) and (3) affirmative action.

Yes, with number (4) criminal justice.

Those are are the four areas where Kennedy tended to side with the left, those are the 4 areas we just took a massive hit on.

[quote]Just going to throw this out there, moving to a blue state is more important than ever. Lots of things under this upcoming court will be considered "state's rights" issues. Think of the state you live in.

I understand this. If you are in a blue state at this point in history, you are shielded a bit from Trump's policies. The problem with this, is that it would keep skewing control of the Senate to Republicans. The more liberals that are packed into 9 or 10 states, the better that is for Republicans to retain control of the Senate, to keep making more awful laws in red states through the legislature, etc.

[quote] [R209] fuck off.

Thanks for the well-reasoned reply. You have demonstrated how I was wrong brilliantly.

well , good bye to legal abortion , same sex marriage , Obamacare , voting rights for minorities ... .You're fucked for a generation .

R214 I'm 62 years old. I've been fighting for gay rights for a long time. I see people posting here about how hard it was coming out in the 80's or 90's. I have to laugh. The 80's and 90's were a picnic compared to the 70's. I've fought before and I will fight again if our rights are infringed.

I hope everyone shows up at a protest on Saturday. This just became much more than the immoral way the government is treating those at the border.

[quote] Id be happy to see affirmative action abolished by SCOTUS. Its a monumentally racist.

Learn English.

Not only will anything remotely like affirmative action remain, but no minority, including you will have any protections whatsoever. Prepare yourself for being made a slave to the oligarchs.

Thank you Jesus!!

It's proof! Our Savior sent us Mr. Donald J. Trump to rescue the babies, cleanse the genders and prepare us for the kingdom of salvation!

I'm surprised how ignorant you are R232.

We're becoming Russia. Oligarchs, xenophobia, kelptocracy, threats to press freedoms, strongman, resurgent church bent on theocracy.

I hate all the people who didn't bother to vote. I just hate them.

Collins will probably flip if Trump nominates an anti-choice candidate. That will make the Senate 49-49 (no McCain). However, Pence would still cast deciding vote unless another Republican peels away.

[quote] I'm surprised how ignorant you are [R232].

Thank you for the enlightening response.

We Will win. We Will Survive.

“Do not go gentle into that dark night. Rage rage against the dying of the light.” ........Dylan Thomas

Your comment to me wasn't enlightening R247.

There won't be a free and fair election in 2020. At all. If he loses, he'll claim emergency powers, and the court will approve.

[R244] Yes, absolutely.

[R243] Umm, he isn't ignorant about this. You are. The old rules about how the SC operates are over. Challenges to precedent will start now. The new SC will overturn a slew of rights.

The old rules have not changed R251. Despite what you think the SC can't just change laws on a whim. There has to be a case brought to them.

[quote]Collins will probably flip if Trump nominates an anti-choice candidate.

Collins has voted for many candidates who are anti-abortion rights, why would she start now?

And it isn't an "if", that the person won't support abortion is one of the *key* issues of who the Heritage foundation supports

[quote] Your comment to me wasn't enlightening [R247].

And yet you can't actually offer any reason why I was wrong.

Do you honestly believe hard fought for rights and Supreme Court decisions will be overturned? Never going to happen. Calm down. Concerned about Roe vs. Wade? Gay Marriage? While they're at it maybe they'll take away the Women's Vote - and Minority Right to Vote. Just calm down - NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

It’s gonna be Pirro

Collins is a sell out and will never change

[R252] That is what we are saying. Cases WILL be brought to them and they will overturn precedent.

[quote] Despite what you think the SC can't just change laws on a whim. There has to be a case brought to them.

NO ONE IS SAYING THAT. Not one person has said the SC will just decree the end of gay marriage and abortion rights.

A case will be brought. They will decide gay marriage is not a right. They will decide abortion is not a right. Period.

[quote]I hate all the people who didn't bother to vote. I just hate them.

Our voting system is and has always been fucked up.

I remember asking my parents why having the most votes doesn't mean anything and they tried to explain the electoral college system to me.

The people who didn't vote needed to have voted in the right areas and even then they would have needed to have voted for Hillary.

Remember when the everyone was hoping the electoral college would do their jobs? Then we found out that their role doesn't mean shit because over the years they've already been robbed of power to do anything other than vote for who they are supposed to? Remember when people didn't know that the President didn't have to reveal his taxes? Then we found out he doesn't have to at all if enough people agree that he doesn't. Remember when the news FINALLY started focusing on gerrymandering?

There are many issues that contributed to us being where we are right now and if we ever regain power we need to pick through every single issue that we've had eliminate it.

Call me r171

I think Roe will be overturned but not Obergefell. I give it 2 years for Roe.

[quote[Collins will probably flip if Trump nominates an anti-choice candidate.

Hasn't she been pretty lockstep with the party since she voted for the tax bill and allowed herself to be swayed by some weak promises that health care would be safe, and then was quickly shown they did not intend to keep those promises? If anything she is more in line with the party than she was a year ago.

They have to have standing R258. It has already been determined straights don't have standing concern same sex marriage.

R223, Are you aware of the cases coming up through the system?

[quote]Do you honestly believe hard fought for rights and Supreme Court decisions will be overturned? Never going to happen. Calm down. Concerned about Roe vs. Wade? Gay Marriage? While they're at it maybe they'll take away the Women's Vote - and Minority Right to Vote. Just calm down - NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN

Okay Sherlock... explain only one abortion facility in the WHOLE State of Arkansas...

Rachel Maddow: I think within a year abortion will be illegal in half the country.

[R260] I need a Canadian or European husband. I'm young, cute as hell and will dote on you.

[quote]Do you honestly believe hard fought for rights and Supreme Court decisions will be overturned? Never going to happen. Calm down. Concerned about Roe vs. Wade?

Yes, I absolutely think Roe v Wade will be overturned. Have you been paying attention to the abortion fight at all? It is already happening.

Abortion will become a states rights issue.

Roe v Wade was almost overtuned a couple years ago. Kennedy was the deciding vote

I think Pelosi and Schumer are tired. They care too much about comity. Like Feinstein. They'll roll over unless extreme pressure is put on them.

Why can't the Democrats just refuse to confirm anyone until Trump is no longer in office? That worked on Obama. Why is it that when Democrats are in power the Republicans can effortlessly obstruct everything they try to do, but when Republicans are in power the Democrats are totally impotent and let Republicans do whatever they want?

Merrick Garland was the last straw for me. I'll never vote for another Democrat again in my life. Bernie was the exception, but as we all know, he's not really a Democrat. If this means we end up with Trump and a conservative SCOTUS for the rest of my life then I guess that's what American liberals deserve for being so fucking spineless and worthless.

I'm waiting for the 538 emergency podcast about this. Very comforting.

In many ways Roe v. Wade has been whittled down enough where in many states it has all been but overturned. It is difficult in a few states for a women to be able to get an abortion unless she has enough money.

Obergefell will be overturned as well. I can't believe anyone thinks it won't. Again, even WITH Kennedy, they just overturned 40 years of precedent concerning Unions. Gay marriage/rights will be gone in 2-3 years.

[quote]Calm down. Concerned about Roe vs. Wade? Gay Marriage? While they're at it maybe they'll take away the Women's Vote - and Minority Right to Vote. Just calm down - NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

I don’t think you understand how the Supreme Court works.

Seven(!!!) states are down to one(!) abortion clinic left in the whole state.

Fuck those anti-abortion fucks. Loathe.

Hillary wouldn't have been able to confirm any of her nominations either. The republicans would just obstruct everything and the Dems would hold up their hands like, "Well, what can we do?" Business as usual.

Women of means always have and always will be able to get safe abortions. It's all the poor women who are fucked. And of course that hurts the country in the long run as more and more unwanted babies are born to parents who cannot afford them.

A vote will happen BEFORE midterms because they want to take out the Red state Senate Dems. If they vote against the nominee, then they will lose their seats. Currently, they all lead in their red states.

[quote] How can I leave the country? I am married to a British citizen. I guess we'd better start looking into that.

You two put your hands on EU passports STAT before Brexit is through (2020). It would be a monumental mistake to pass up on that, it's your one and only chance. After the Brexit all bets are off. UK might go down in flames too. That passport allows you to live and work in 28 countries.

Make it happen.

[R277] SERIOUSLY? Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better but you know what you said is bullshit. I swear, what some will do to ease their conscience!!!!!!!!! You sound like my Jill Stein voting friend who now won't talk politics and just folds his arms and says she wouldn't have been any better and the Dems would have never got her SC nominee through. WHATEVER. Keep lying to yourself.

You can tell who the pieces of filth trolls are by who is bashing dems over Garland. They were in the minority. There isn't much they could have done. You want power over the senate? You have to win it

Any indication that Pelosi or Schumer are able to really fight? They fought for the Dreamers - shut down the government...

R281: They are right and you know it. The Republican Senate we have RIGHT NOW would still have the court at 8 seats. FUCKING McCAIN SAID THEY WOULDN'T APPROVE OF ANY OF HER NOMINEES!!! In that sense, without a Dem majority in the Senate at ANY time, we are fucked. This is the new normal.

[quote] A vote will happen BEFORE midterms because they want to take out the Red state Senate Dems. If they vote against the nominee, then they will lose their seats.

I agree. This puts people like Manchin in a total no-win situation, particularly assuming Trump nominates a clearly qualified choice.

And then they caved R283.

Good luck guys...Usa is fucked for decades.

Pelosi and the House Democratic Caucus has NOTHING to do with this. All judicial nominees are a Senate only issue. Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democratic Caucus are the only place the focus should be right now. Don't waste time with the House Dems.

R282, Obama could have found a way around the Senate if he wasn't an appeasing wet noodle. He could've done a recess appointment, for example.

[quote]"But even the Court’s most conservative members acknowledged that a president can make recess appointments during “inter-session” recesses—such as the break between the first and second year of a Congress, or the break between outgoing or incoming Congresses. There simply has to be an end point there, as a metaphysical matter. Theodore Roosevelt once used a short inter-session recess to make hundreds of appointments."

The New Republic, "Obama Can and Should Put Merrick Garland on the Supreme Court". David Dayen, 11/16/16.

Good discussion on MSNBC right now.

All I can FUCKING say is I am SO FUCKING GLAD I HAD MY UTERUS REMOVED LAST YEAR!!!

And don't call me a FUCKING frau, either. My concerns are legit.

Any chance Mueller releases his findings before an SC nominee gets a vote?

R289: Just shut up. It wold have ended when Trump took over and he would have appointed Gorsuch. And we'd be right where we are. So JUST. SHUT. UP!!!

Thanks largely to Kennedy, gay conversion bans will be ruled unconstitutional. Kennedy might have ruled that way anyway

Your tone seems very pointed right now, R293.

Expect Healthcare to be a clusterfuck of epic proportions after they dismantle what is left of Obamacare.

Immigrants, Gays, Women, Minorities are in deep shit now.

R270, I don't know if you're a troll but if you're not, my god you are stupid. You understand that Republicans were in the majority and that's why Obama couldnt appoint Garland?

But keep telling you whatever lie makes you feel better for giving us Trump, I guess.

Evangelical leader on Fox: this is a historic opportunity to strike down Roe v. Wade. And a chance to return to historic norms on marriage.

What if Hillary had been president, and Dems picked up senate seats in 2018? Then she might have gotten her choices approved.

If you don't live in a solid Blue state, I would encourage moving! This is quite significant!!

Recess appointments were not an option for Obama. The Senate craftily remained open by having a chump sign in for pro forma sessions during recess specifically to thwart Obama. You have to give them points for being crafty and evil.

[quote] It has already been determined straights don't have standing concern same sex marriage.

So you think this means no one has standing and no case will make it to the Court?

R299: Yes. But even if she won and was allowed to take office, the Dems failed to win a majority. Even with the Moore disaster in Alabama, a 51 majority Senate would see Susan Collins have TOTAL control over who she would pick for ALL Judicial Appointments. The Court would either be 8 members or someone to the right of Garland to please Collins would be sitting up there. People need to vote for more than just President. If Collins had ANY BALLS, she would do that this go around. She won't....

[quote] someone to the right of Garland to please Collins

Which doesn't mean as right as Gorsuch or the Nazi who will replace Kennedy. So we would have been better off.

r93, you can TRY TO REDIRECT THE '16 LOSS ON MINORITIES, BUT IT WAS WHITE WOMEN WHO OVERWHEMINGLY PUT 45 IN OFFICE - FACT!!!! Why? Ask YOUR women friends why?

Drumpf will now take step to turn back women's rights back to the 30's...

R304: Yes, we would have been. Nobody is arguing against that, well maybe some psychos are. But without a Democratic Senate, we will NEVER be able to make court appointments of liberals ever again.

Will the new conservative supreme court be able to stop Muslims from taking over? If so, I'll be happy.

It won't even be lobsters in a pot.

Welcome to Gilead

IF nothing else, this thread is pointing out a lot of deplorables to block

[quote] Will the new conservative supreme court be able to stop Muslims from taking over? If so, I'll be happy.

Yes! And once Muslims are outlawed, they will come for gays and women. And corporations will be able to treat all of us as their slaves. Will you still be happy?

R307: You're retarded aren't you? You're in a home and the staff let you go online for one hour a day. You really shouldn't post on forums when you don't know what you're talking about, special person. Run along now.

People are lying to themselves on this thread if they don't realize gay rights are in serious jeopardy. So many people are going to be caught off guard when their rights get stripped from them. Don't be one of those people. Know what's coming and start making plans for yourself and anyone you care about.

[quote]@DLanceBlack

[quote]Make no mistake, this is dire news for LGBTQ equality in America. Get ready for the fight of our lives.

When are Trump and McConnell just going to DROP DEAD????

Really, is a catastrophic stroke or massive MI too much to ask for??

The fact that it hasn't happened to these deserving fucks and that Cheney survived by receiving some poor dead guy's heart is proof we live in a universe without meaning or justice.

I can't even see the post you were responding too r310, I long had the poster on ignore.

Just FF and block, people.

r270, what is wrong with you. The Republicans controlled the Senate and wouldn't even open the floor to consider Garland. It's not the Democratic legislature that was at fault it's the damn voters like you (but of course you aren't a Dem) who don't vote for them.

[quote]Drumpf will now take step to turn back women's rights back to the 30's...

That's already happening. Where have you been?

"Trump-Pence Administration Attacks Women's Health Care"

Another delusional loon with his head in the sand at R255 probably a Trumpkin, and definitely to be blocked.

‘I’m the Last Thing Standing Between You and the Apocalypse’

H. Clinton, Oct. 2016

Should the worst come to pass, (unfortunately it looks far more likely now that it will) make sure you elect Democratic majorities where possible so if that comes to pass, said states will not pass restrictive marriage laws (and abortion etc.). More than ever, folks, you MUST VOTE in all state elections. Your state General Assembly will be THE LAST LINE of dense when this shit happens nationally.

It was just the last in a chain of capitulations, R297. Stupid is staying with the party that gaslights you constantly and makes you think they give a damn about the things you value when in actuality they are just as greedy and self-interested as any politician.

I say this every time.

WOMEN ARE THEIR OWN WORST OPPRESSORS

Trump won white women. Now old white men will decide what they are allowed to do with their bodies. Most of them had it coming. This is the country they wanted

^^last line of DEFENSE. Though it should be as DENSE a line as possible. And R321, see below.

ugh, this Democratic Senator, Blumenthal from CT, couldn't wait to release a statement fast enough saying "The Senate should do nothing to artificially delay” consideration of next justice, but POTUS should take his time & make a centrist choice." Fucker. He can't even pretend to fight.

Yeah Blumenthal's statement enraged me r324.

[quote] Evangelical leader on Fox: this is a historic opportunity to strike down Roe v. Wade. And a chance to return to historic norms on marriage.

Make no mistake, they are coming from us, and it’s going to happen much faster than you think.

[R321] Are you fucking serious? I think you are trolling cuz what is the alternative? We DO NOT have a parliamentary system where 3rd parties make a difference and STILL they would have to form coalitions which would essentially be just like the GOP and Dems. Go ahead and abandon the ONLY party who does ANYTHING for people. YOU are the reason we are here in this situation. You want PURITY while conservatives played the long game.

Honestly, r321, if you believe that you are just as well off with Trump and a stacked Supreme Court at this point no argument will ever convince you.

See you at the gas chambers.

Mitch McConnell is so fucking shameless

I don't think there is a politician with less integrity than him

[quote]McConnell on Kennedy retiring: "It's imperative that the president's nominee be treated fairly."

R321 is a troll guys. It just wants to divide democrats. Block the scum and move on

R322, it was the Obama administration that led the charge to change Title IX from "sex" to "gender" thus opening the door for boys to steal athletic scholarships from girls. Two boys just won track events in Connecticut by claiming to be girls.

Yes, everything bad anywhere, any time is the fault of trans people, r331.

What r330 said. You guys are getting played by these "both sides are the same agitators"

Today was a day that united everyone not on the right, that is the last thing the right wants.

[R331] You are a troll. If you believe BOTH parties hate women, hahahahaha, then like the poster said above- see you at the gas chambers bitch.

Sorry, but I think the only thing left is civil war to burn the whole shitshow we call US government down. The bad guys have taken over and they use "democracy" to destroy us.

The Constitution will not save us. Mueller will not save us. The Democratic Party will not save us. SCOTUS will not save us (anymore). We are being conditioned to remain civil and obedient and expect Pelosi to do her magic behind the scenes while we remain civil and submissive facing the bullies that are Trump, his associates, The Republican Party, the alt right, Fox News pundits, etc.

We have the numbers and yet we feel more powerless than ever.

4 have been the worst few weeks of my life, my country is turning into a fascist state...we already have the concentration camps. My heart is breaking. Mueller might as well drop dead. Trump and other traitors are swift and our justice system is simply too slow. We are lost.

[quote] I think Roe will be overturned but not Obergefell. I give it 2 years for Roe.

More delusion. This country hates gays a lot more than they hate women.

So! What are the Log Cabin people saying? OH!!!! Their usual self-loathing stuff....

I have faith that most regular conservatives are not evil people who want to see gays and minorities dead. That's more democratic gaslighting. There are whackos on both sides, but I am a dignified, hard working, down to earth, patriotic, white man. I have nothing to fear from conservatives.

THey won. They've been after this since Reagan.

I offer some hope (as I did above)- If no liberal justice dies or retires before 2021, and we elect a Dem Prez in 2020 we are still at 5-4. If Thomas dies, THAT is our chance to have a 5-4 liberal majority. It is a SLIM hope but it is possible.

[quote] I have faith that most regular conservatives are not evil people who want to see gays and minorities dead. That's more democratic gaslighting. There are whackos on both sides, but I am a dignified, hard working, down to earth, patriotic, white man. I have nothing to fear from conservatives.

My head just exploded.

[quote] I have nothing to fear from conservatives.

That "I got mine, fuck the rest" BS will not work when they use your sorry ass as meat for the Deplorables to hunt you down.

[R342} LOL mine too but some people are just too dense for words. I hope that poster isn't GAY.

[quote]I have faith that most regular conservatives are not evil people who want to see gays and minorities dead.

Let's acknowledge the elephant in the room too. A lot of this is based on "white fright". It's happening all over the world. White people are fearing that they will no longer be the ruling class and will support anything that will help prevent and stop that.

Guys quit letting that one poster keep trolling you, he has been doing it all thread.

If you all FF'ed him he wouldn't even be posting anymore.

WHat was Kennedy offered to retire now and not after the midterms or in 2020? It makes no sense for him to retire in July instead of November. Someone negotiated with him

R86, what sort of fantasy world are you living in? Abortion is not going to become illegal.

Ginsburg will be gone long before Thomas R341. There’s a lot of wishful thinking in your post.

[quote] Abortion is not going to become illegal.

Why? What is the secret reason you think this won't happen?

Don't know if R348 is stupid or a troll

A stupid troll?

It's a miracle! Chuck Schumer shows he may have a spine after all. NYers, keep calling him about this.

[quote] Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer comments on the retirement announcement of Justice Anthony Kennedy: “Our Republican colleagues in the Senate should follow the rule they set in 2016: not to consider a Supreme Court justice in an election yea

Pretty much every liberal and democrat pundit totally disagrees with you R348. You are WAY behind the news dear. Abortion will absolutely be declared illegal. Maddow just said she thinks half of the country won’t have abortion within a year.

[R349] Well, yes, but she could retire if we get a Dem in 2020. Scalia keeled over unexpectedly so it is possible, not probable, Thomas dies especially if we get a Dem for two terms.

It seems that we will have to go to war if we want to save our country...but if you can't cut off the head of the snake, what is the point?

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Kennedy is a conservative R347. The SC session beings in October. Guess his thinking is they will have a justice before the start of the session or shortly after. The question should be why he retired instead of staying on until they have a confirmed justice. Make no mistake, he wanted Trump to nominate a Supreme Court justice.

The path to removal of same-sex marriage is pretty straightforward. The legislature in one of the southern states votes to block it and the case makes its way to the Supreme Court, which then overturns it. The legislation would likely be blocked in the lower courts because of the existing precedent, so same-sex marriages would still continue until the Supreme Court ruled.

Assuming that the Court is willing to overturn recent precedent, and it's likely that it will be, the outcome would be that individual states would decide for themselves whether to support same-sex marriage or not. Perhaps 30 states would still allow it; the rest would overturn it.

Lather-rinse-repeat for the other issues that conservatives have just been salivating about. Expect businesses to win over individuals and unions, plus ruling to dramatically ease restrictions on police procedures and power, rulings in favor of the unitary executive, rulings to limit the use of the Commerce clause, rulings against same-sex marriage and abortion, rulings in favor of religion, including near-unlimited freedom to discriminate, the "weaponization" of the First Amendment, rulings in favor of extreme gerrymandering, rulings in favor of extreme voter ID requirements, etc.

This has the potential to shape, and shake up, our society in a way that we haven't seen in nearly a hundred years.

Again, on the off chance R348 isn't a troll. Roe v Wade was nearly over turned just a few years ago. It was saved by a 5-4 vote with Kennedy crossing over. No one Trump picks would make the same call

r347, he is a republican.

Apparently r348 missed my link at r275.

Abortion is already close to illegal in 7 states. I'm not sure what fantasy world YOU are living in, it is not current America.

Abortion won't become illlegal nationwide of course, because we have blue states. But yes in many American states abortion will soon be illegal. The national right to abortion established in Roe v Wade only had one vote keeping in it place, and that vote just retired.

[quote]what sort of fantasy world are you living in? Abortion is not going to become illegal.

There are four solid votes to overturn Roe v. Wade right now. Whomever Trump picks is almost certainly going to provide that fifth vote. It won't be made illegal everywhere, as it will be left up to the states, many of whom will immediate vote to outlaw it.

[quote] the Democrats are equally as culpable as the GOP in making sure that women never have anything approaching equal rights

The irrationality is just so monumental it hurts.

I’m just thinking out loud here, but has a Supreme Court justice ever been assasinated?

Patrick Wyrick from my state of Oklahoma is on the top 25 Kennedy replacement list. Kind of cool.

It is most probable that Kennedy DID WHAT HE HAD TO DO at this point. It was either retire, or......

Americans, your government is no more, and hasn't been for quite some years.

It's just one of the usual anti-T idiots, R364. There isn't a thread on here that they can't find a way to turn into their topic of obsession.

Also said upthread, Red states don't actually need to wait for SCOTUS to overturn Roe v Wade. They can just ban it tomorrow.

When the ACLU sues to block the law on the grounds of Roe v Wade, SCOTUS can just uphold the red state law. I expect bills to be written next week in the worst states

R365 There has only been one attempt. The would be assassin was killed.

....

BLAME EVER CUNT WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP, DIDN'T VOTE DEM OR DIDN'T VOTE AT ALL! IT IS THEIR FAULT! ALL YOU ASSHOLES WHO ARE STILL FRIENDS WITH THESE TYPE OF CUNTS ARE BIGGER CUNTS!!!!

GREASE FIRE TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!

This link has a list of Senators (19 so far) who have stated the McConnell rule should be in place, that is, they want to wait until after the elections. Both of my Senators are on the list (Feinstein and Harris).

I know and I think most of us know (or should know), there's no way to stop them from sitting a Justice; it will happen unless, I don't know thousands of us show up everyday and literally force our way into the Senate chambers (unlikely).

However, seeing people willing to fight no matter if we're sure to lose, can help all of us win a bigger fight down the road.

Forgot the link!

R369, you're right that red states can ban abortion tomorrow but that ban would likely lose at the lower court level and the ban blocked until the Supreme Court weighed in. That's small comfort, of course, but that means that it's not likely to be instantaneous.

Chris Hayes said it well

[quote]More than anything, the Senate will be voting on overturning Roe v Wade although almost everyone pushing for confirmation will pretend that's not what they're voting on even though they know it is.

R375 a lower court ban isn't a sure thing. Lower courts HATE being over turned by SCOTUS, and we all know how SCOTUS will rule on this. Shakier/moderate lower courts may just let it go through.

From John Lewis who fought hard for civil rights starting in the 1960s: Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.

What a shitty fucking week

Fair point, R377.

Gays, we've fought before and will continue fighting. Maybe we will finally get some of these ASSHOLES off their couch to vote. LOL who am I kidding. Those assholes don't give a shit. I've read studies of those who don't vote. I am afraid most lean libertarian or conservative. We know lots of liberal leaners don't vote as well. We shall see with the mid-terms. Shit is gonna get real b/w now and the election. Expect our insane, depraved Pretendadent to show us levels of insanity not yet seen from him.

I'm not angry, happy, or sad about this. I think I've just become indifferent towards terrible situations. Whatever happens happens I guess.

You know, should we get mad at red state Senate Dems if they vote to confirm the next nominee if they are qualified? I mean, they are ALL in the lead in their states and Ohio looks to flip. AZ and NV could flip. If ALL the red state Dems hold and we flip OH and either AZ or NV(best hope) we have a Senate majority. If they vote against the nominee, that could sink them in their states.

My general feeling is to trust their judgement R383 whatever it is. NO ONE wants the re-elected as badly as they do and they know their states and races far better than we do. They stood by us at important moments, like the tax scam and saving Obamacare. This republican judge is going to happen no matter what. If they think the best thing is to vote for him than I will trust their judgement

Is Chris Matthews always this unpleasant? Here he is arguing with DL fave Steve Kornacki. Chris says the Dem base won't forgive Dems for letting this go through. Steve is innocently asking how can they stop it? And Chris just blathers on some mysterious, vague "there are ways" and just keeps arguing and offers nothing substantive other than maybe one or two Republicans could vote against (yeah right).

So this is what we're up against, yet again. Idiots blaming Dems for everything whether it's within their capacity or not.

[R384] I agree 100%. It is going to happen no matter what. We need their seats and you are right, they have been with us the majority of the time whereas their replacements would be 0%.

Chris Matthews in not in a calm mood, his emotions are running hot.

r383, we cannot flip the senate. We are in danger of losing FL and MO.

I'm so sick and tired of the "Green Lantern" school of thought in diplomacy and government. No, Democrats can't just "will" something to happen, any more than Obama could have "willed" Mitch McConnell to stop blocking his Supreme Court nominee. And he certainly couldn't have done a recess appointment because the Senate hasn't been in recess for years and the Supreme Court has blocked the (over)use of such appointments.

If you're not fine with the way things are going now, failing to vote for your local Democratic candidate is going to make things worse. It's pretty much that simple.

That's understandable R387. I had to pause for an hour or so at work. I couldn't think

IN AND ND

[R388] Not according to recent polls. MO and FL look good right now. ND and MT are very close but we are way ahead in OH (would be a flip) and very close in NV and AZ (both flips).

We CAN flip the senate r388. No one has ever claimed it would be easy or even likely, but it is completely feasible.

R385 Chris was a staff member of four democratic members of congress. He was the chief of staff for dem Tip O'Neill. He can be abrasive, but he knows politics and what can and can't be done.

[quote] Is Chris Matthews always this unpleasant?

When he's blitzed yes I think so. This news hit too soon after he drank his lunch. I enjoyed watching him earlier but when Nicole Wallace came on I assumed they would haul him off to sleep it off before his own show comes on.

R388, while flipping the Senate is a long shot, it's actually looked a little more possible these past few months. McCaskill in Missouri has maintained a small but consistent lead and Scott is not out of reach of Nelson.

One thing to keep in mind: every polling company is using their own proprietary "likely voter" model but this year, more than any other in recent memory, nobody knows just who is going to turn out to vote. That doesn't mean you can discount the polls but use them more for trends rather than for absolute numbers.

Some key areas where Kennedy's vote was crucial.

[QUOTE]Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.

I must admit that these words from John Lewis had a somewhat calming affect. Still I’m mad as hell.

We flip OH, NV and AZ (they are likely to nominate a pure NUT there) and flipping the Senate is very possible. It is going to be tough, not doubt, and we have to run the table but turnout will be key. If ALA-fucking-BAMA can flip, these can too.

r392, how is Ohio a flip? Incumbent is a democrat?

If this string of really, really bad news doesn't motivate people to vote in the mid-terms ... well, you know the rest.

[R400] Whoops, my bad.

[quote]ugh, this Democratic Senator, Blumenthal from CT, couldn't wait to release a statement fast enough saying "The Senate should do nothing to artificially delay” consideration of next justice, but POTUS should take his time & make a centrist choice." Fucker. He can't even pretend to fight.

He changed his tune quickly.

Maybe they think they have a better chance with 51-49, right now then they might if it was 53-47, after mid terms, right now they just need two Republicans to oppose the simple majority.

I know so many gays who voted third party saying the Clinton's were terrible on LGBT issues (it was the 90's FFS-they would have lost bigly) and besides, the SC would never take away rights. I know a few friends of gays who voted Trump saying he loved the gays and the SC would never overturn gay rights. I literally argued with these people for hours about how important that SC seat was. Fuckers all of them.

Roe V. Wade overturned? Meh. Poor women problems.

- Wealthy white woman on my way to my exclusive, swank, discreet Physician's office for my 3rd abortion. Oh, and if buttinski Evangelicals dared protest there, their asses would be in jail so fast for Disorderly Conduct it would make your speculum spin.

And, you see R403? This is why the average person doesn't take anything serious or understand the severity of all that has happened. His mistake just makes this all look like simple politics as usual. While I LOVE John Lewis R398, I don't find his words comforting at all! I'm VERY scared.

[quote]Whomever Trump picks is almost certainly going to provide that fifth vote. It won't be made illegal everywhere, as it will be left up to the states, many of whom will immediate vote to outlaw it.

So: Vote in state elections like your lives depend on that.

People did become complacent about things they assumed were settled once and for all, and instead got bogged down in the bathroom issues of the 0.0005% while the Rethugs and deplorables worked their asses off to elect extremist right wingers, gerrymander elections and hack away at the rights of the 51%. The rights of women >>>>>>>>>>>>>> bathroom issues.

Oh, good god.... Just once, can you obsessive idiots stop with your anti-T shit? Let just one thread go by without shitting all over it?

[quote]I know so many gays who voted third party saying the Clinton's were terrible on LGBT issues (it was the 90's FFS-they would have lost bigly) and besides, the SC would never take away rights. I know a few friends of gays who voted Trump saying he loved the gays and the SC would never overturn gay rights. I literally argued with these people for hours about how important that SC seat was. Fuckers all of them.

And, this just shows you that people do NOT know their history and under this false perception that once a right is given that it can never be taken away. Until they are directly confronted with an adverse situation will they understand how serious this is.

When the President, Senate, and SCOTUS does something to aid in the horrendous abuses suffered by TARGETED INDIVIDUALS in the United States, THEN I'll start to care about other things again.

Until then, however.....

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup - the next president was probably going to pick at least three judges...so fuck everyone who said it was two bad choices...it was the most qualified candidate in history or Trump...congrats america you fucked yourself hard.

Good point, r 404. As much as I hate to say it, the Senate is a problem for Dems this fall. They are defending way more seats than repubs, and a flip to a dem majority is a longshot. More likely, sad to say, that it goes repub by another seat or two or three.

The House is a different story. I believe Dems will win a majority. But that has no impact on Supreme Court confirmations.

It's kind of funny if you think about it. It was SCOTUS' ruling regarding the Citizens United decision in the first place that paved the way for Putin to use the Koch Bros and the Mercers and the NRA as proxies to get Trump elected and now Trump will use his pick to get SCOTUS full on right wing.

Another way that Kennedy's retirement hurts us: the environment.

it was the ̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶q̶u̶a̶l̶i̶f̶i̶e̶d̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶d̶i̶d̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶t̶o̶r̶y̶ one candidate Trump could beat or Trump

There is no God and no justice.

I look forward to the alt-right, racist 'mos on here screaming about brown people being more of a threat when the next justice is chosen and "Focus on the Family" and the rest of the white, Christian conservatives immediately brings their homophobia before the SCOTUS.

Abortion is already illegal in 17 states. They just have not attempted to enforce it knowing it would be struck down by SCOTUS. Enforcement will start immediately

[quote]When the President, Senate, and SCOTUS does something to aid in the horrendous abuses suffered by TARGETED INDIVIDUALS in the United States, THEN I'll start to care about other things again.

And here we have exhibit one of Refusing to Use Brain Cells.

Let's take a moment to calculate the mounting economic costs to EVERYBODY if Roe v Wade is overturned, shall we?

I feel for you, America. If it makes you feel any better, we Brits have completely fucked ourselves over as well, thanks to Brexit.

"Gays aren't really fucked by this, women are."

No, we're pretty fucked. Any number of "religious liberty" laws will be passed allowing legal discrimination against gays. Further, we'll never see workplace protections passed, and even if they were, they won't be upheld. That's just the tip of the iceberg. But, yeah, we can "get married" if that's any consolation.

The world is kinda fucked, lately, r421. I assume you voted against Brexit, and certainly I voted against this idiot in the US...but so many of our fellow voters let us down. Too many by just not bothering to vote, to be honest.

I honestly don't think Roe v. Wade will ever be overturned, it provides such great scare tactic politics to get Reich Wingers to vote GOP, they'll never give it up. What an even more conservative Supreme Court WILL do is leave it on the books, but render it moot by destroying every challenge to watering it down, and restricting it in the states, the way they are doing now, but much more so.

Hey look, white women voted for Trump and tens of millions of Millennial women voted for Jill Stein, wrote in Bernie, or stayed home. I used to see abortion rights as some massive "house on fire" issue, but I changed my mind. I'm a guy, it doesn't affect me, and tens of millions of women support getting rid of it. Cool, get rid of it! If they enjoy having the government control their bodies, what's it to me? Plus, THEY WANT IT THAT WAY, CLEARLY! A fine civics lesson, or perhaps it won't be. When given a hundred chances to protect their right to choose, most women won't. That's how it works, folks!

The only positive thing I see is that groups will form much stronger bonds, that will not be broken by the Divide & Conquer trolls, to stand against the GOP and Trump and all his supporters.

Because that's pretty much it. We are being pushed into a corner and that's when people look for allies the most. And you can already see the trolls trying the "Oh, relax, you gays! No need to bond with those slutty chicks who crave abortions like you crave dick!" diversion.

[quote]What an even more conservative Supreme Court WILL do is leave it on the books, but render it moot by destroying every challenge to watering it down, and restricting it in the states, the way they are doing now, but much more so.

Huh? I am honestly confused what you even mean here.

What more can a state do to restrict abortion than close the one center left that some of them have?

[quote]Gays aren't really fucked by this, women are.

When women are fucked, everybody is fucked. Learn elementary economics and sociology.

Humanity is fucked.

Ahahahahah.

[quote]I honestly don't think Roe v. Wade will ever be overturned,

Places like NY and CA being dictated to by bumfuck on this one, will have many of us liberals finally taking up arms. Red shitholes with no money who pay less than shit in taxes and populations smaller than blue states already piss me the fuck off being allowed to dictate terms, if they try to overturn a woman's right, you will see war.

"Cool, get rid of it! If they enjoy having the government control their bodies, what's it to me? "

It will be something to you when new sodomy laws are on the books and they're not overturned despite Lawrence v. Texas.

[quote]What more can a state do to restrict abortion than close the one center left that some of them have?

Uhh, maybe criminalize it?

Time to stock up on abortions...

2014 could have turned it around. Voters didn't bother.

And 2010 gave Republicans the opportunity to do some serious gerrymandering. It's frustrating.

[quote]Places like NY and CA being dictated to by bumfuck on this one, will have many of us liberals finally taking up arms.

That's not how it works. Overturning Roe v Wade doesn't make abortion illegal, it just kicks it back to the states.

AKA: Right-wing states will make it illegal, no change in status quo for more liberal states.

Same with same-sex marriage, it isn't like a Supreme Court decision makes gay marriage illegal. It just kicks it back to the states.

The people who really get fucked off this type of stuff are people who live in red states.

"Just yesterday, Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz said that the Democrats should've shut down the Senate when McConnel wouldn't let Garland get a hearing/was stealing Obama's pick for the Supreme Court."

There was never enough energy among the Dems regarding Garland IMO because they simply never thought they'd lose the 2016 election. They never honestly thought drastic measures were necessary. Sure, they were frustrated by the Repugs, but they just figured the new Dem President could appoint Scalia's successor. Whoops.

Last week I felt so much better after Trump lost the border debacle. Now....I can’t even face this. I can’t go on Twitter, I can’t watch msnbc, I can’t read WaPo or NYT.

The Dems HAVE to fight this even if it's ugly. At least attempt to delay it until after the midterms, and while doing so, get the word out loud and clear about what will be changed in terms of abortion, civil rights, and any number of legal issues. And, if they can't prevent the nomination before the midterms, hopefully the fight will energize people for the midterms.

I was always a Hillary supporter but had Bernie won the democratic nomination I would have voted for him over Trump. Did people really just not take Trump that seriously or did they in some way want this, want as much pain and disruption and chaos as possible to start their “revolution”?

Hey 420 - screw you, dickhead - my point is completely valid - there's a reason why a significant portion of democrats REFUSED to vote in this past election - it's because they've been maligned, disenfranchised, and altogether disregarded persona non grata WITH NO FUCKING RIGHTS ANYMORE, CIVIL OR CONSTITUTIONAL - Targeted Individuals in this country have been trying for DECADES to get someone within our government to recognize the issue to NO AVAIL - THEY ALL KNOW IT'S HAPPENING - ALL OF THEM - AND YET THEY LEAVE US TO DIE - SO FUCK THEM, AND FUCK YOU TOO

Maybe you'll know our struggle first hand one day, eh smart ass?

Doesn't make any difference since those that win the midterms don't take office until January.

I did indeed vote against Brexit, R423, and I'm so frustrated with 1) those who didn't even bother to fucking vote, and 2) those who voted Leave without doing a shred of research. (And I'm sure there are also people who voted Remain without researching first, but at least they went for the status quo.)

[quote] there's a reason why a significant portion of democrats REFUSED to vote in this past election - it's because they've been maligned, disenfranchised, and altogether disregarded persona non grata WITH NO FUCKING RIGHTS ANYMORE, CIVIL OR CONSTITUTIONAL

And... what do they have now? What did it get them?

[quote]The people who really get fucked off this type of stuff are people who live in red states.

Yes but since a lot of these red states are at the low end of per-capita GDP and have made big cuts in social spending, they will need even more federal transfers at the expense of richer (and a lot of blue aka CA, NY etc.) states. The red states with abortion bans will produce more children with less resources to take care of them (parents are single mothers on minimum wage jobs, druggies, low income etc.) and these children will receive poor education, and will go into low paid jobs, rely on social security, or resort to crime. There is a snowball effect of unintended consequences which may be avoided only if you emigrate or your state secedes. What are the chances of that?

EVERYBODY GETS FUCKED.

"Same with same-sex marriage, it isn't like a Supreme Court decision makes gay marriage illegal. It just kicks it back to the states."

At which point, we lose all FEDERAL rights that go with being married, like leaving SS benefits to your surviving spouse, having your marriage recognized in all 50 states. With the addition of new religious freedom laws and bans on marriage equality in red states (if that decision is overturned), you had better not need to go to a hospital as your spouse will be denied access to you. My guess is that even a Health Care Proxy would be ignored in those states in the name of "religious freedom" as recognizing a gay relationship in any way would infringe on a fundie's free speech.

I never understand these non-voters. Would it not been more gratifying to vote for Hillary in order to stick it to that blowhard cretin called Trump? Anyone who did not vote has no excuse. They let Trump happen as much as those who voted for him (or Jill Stein).

In fact, there is one credible theory that the availability of abortion and the decline in violent crime are connected. We may end up testing that theory.

R436 "That's not how it works. Overturning Roe v Wade doesn't make abortion illegal, it just kicks it back to the states."

Depends on how it's overturned. For example, if the case brought before SCOTUS is about whether there is a federal/constitutional protection for abortion (via privacy or equal protection grounds), then SCOTUS could say no, and that would effectively kick the issue to the states.

However, if the emboldened wingnut go out on a limb and try to argue that fetuses should be afforded federal/constitutional protection, then under that framework abortion could be banned outright. Now, would the wingnuts risk such an extreme strategy and would even the most assholish of the conservative justices go fot it? Maybe and less likely. But it is definitely a theoretical possibility.

Conclusion: vote liberal in all elections without skipping, even for a dog cather

That's a good point, R446, but it's not entirely clear that we would lose the federal rights. DOMA was overturned and Democrats will block Congress trying to pass it again.

True R447, but some of them sat out the election because they were in an adolescent snit that Sanders didn't get the nomination, and they will always believe (in error) that he would have beaten Trump.

Also many younger women didn't live through the struggle that led up to Roe vs. Wade - they have taken the right to choose for granted. That and the right has done a very good job in stoking people's ambivalence about abortion in general.

[quote]In fact, there is one credible theory that the availability of abortion and the decline in violent crime are connected. We may end up testing that theory.

This was in the Freakonomics book. The conclusions were challenged but were not refuted if memory serves right. It made a lot of sense.

It's a theory that is hard to prove outright. We may get the chance now.

That has been debunked, R448.

Crime went down because of technology (cameras everywhere), the end of the ‘80s drug epidemics, and the rise of cheap, ubiquitous desirable goods (not worth risking jail time to steal a $100 stereo as when the same stereo was worth $1,000 in the 70s)

[quote]even for a dog cather

You want to put a WHAT in my puppy?

Well...they wanted “their” country back............

I live in a blue state; a shitty corrupt blue state (Illinois), but a blue state nonetheless. I was thinking of moving to a blue city in a red state (Atlanta, Dallas, Raleigh) in the near future. Is it silly to wonder if I should still move to those locations?

You're a fool if you think your vote still matters. It's the men behind the curtain pulling the strings now. Trump didn't win the election, rather he was placed into office. Trump? Come on now.

I have an idea! Do you guys remember maybe 15 years ago there was story in the news about a guy who had made a raft/floating island out of old two-liter soda bottles and no one was really messing with him because he was in the ocean, i.e. no one's territory? He had a fake beach and a hut and some hammocks. We can just make some of those. And at least one of us will have to learn how to fish. But, it's doable. We'll just go out to sea.

[quote]Also many younger women didn't live through the struggle that led up to Roe vs. Wade - they have taken the right to choose for granted. That and the right has done a very good job in stoking people's ambivalence about abortion in general.

And, remember how the right laughed, (I vividly see Elisabeth Hasselbeck), at those who cried that abortion rights were under attack? "They'll never overturn Roe V Wade!", etc. Look at what they are determined to go after....

"That's a good point, [R446], but it's not entirely clear that we would lose the federal rights."

If SCOTUS rules there is no federal right to same-sex marriage and kicks it back to the states, there you have it. DOMA is beside the point - just as overturning that awful ruling allowing the Japanese internment camps was irrelevant to the decision about upholding the travel ban,.

We had marriage equality in certain states before the SCOTUS decision, but our marriage rights were only on the state level. For example, we could submit a joint state tax return, but had to submit separate federal tax returns as in the eyes of the federal government, we were not married. If same-sex marriage is punted back to the states to deal with as they wish and our marriages will no longer be recognized at the federal level. You can't have same-sex marriage illegal in a bunch of states but legal in the federal sense.

That's not really a debunking, R455. That's as much speculation as the other was. You can also add in the theory that switching from leaded gasoline to unleaded made a difference. Nobody can absolutely prove any of these theories.

[quote]You're a fool if you think your vote still matters.

That mentality will ensure the Dems will never take control of the federal government.

It has not been "debunked," R455. It is one of many posited explanations for the decline in crime. Removal of lead from paint and gasoline and improvements in medications/treatment for mental illness are others.

R462, that was because of DOMA, which prevented the federal government from recognizing a state-sanctioned same-sex marriage. With DOMA overturned, the old regulations apply, which is that the federal government abides by the state definition.

Let's face it, though; this is a gray area that the new Supreme Court will also have to weigh in on.

[quote]And at least one of us will have to learn how to fish.

Will there be a chef? I like mine medium and baked using garlic butter. Thank you!

[quote]You're a fool if you think your vote still matter

This mentality plays right into the extremist hands. Why give up any chances for free? Vote despite.

Not American here. Since your President seems to have such excessive power over everything, when the Trump term(s) are over, can the next President change the lifetime status for judges? It would be crazy bold to do, but...

Not without a Constitutional amendment or autocratic takeover.

No r469, Supreme Court justices serving for life comes from the constitution. It takes a constitutional amendment to change it.

The underhanded option is to pack the courts, what FDR wanted to do. Basically increasing the number of justices from the current 9.

You’re a fool if you even consider moving to Texas or Georgia, R458, two of the most dangerous states in the nation.

r424, you will be surprised. You are wrong.

Interesting BBC reporting on this

I think that wrt Obergefell, it would be fairly bananas for them to overrule a landmark decision they made only, what is it, five years ago? Surely Roberts and probably Gorsuch would take into consideration the legal chaos that would affect every gay-married person in the country. Also would be hard to contradict the “equal treatment” arguments in Obergefell given that nobody except Westborough Baptist Church can prove they are worse off due to gay marriage.

R365 I know many people thought you were asking IF any Supreme Court justice had been assassinated, when in actuality the real question IF one COULD be. I think under certain circumstances, if voters get desperate enough and the Democrats take back the White House and the Senate, they could if they thought it would reorient the court in a leftward direction. Republicans should think about this because although Democrats are usually meek, if you put someone up against a wall, you shouldn't be surprised if they push back. Everyone has a breaking point.

Don't dare accuse me of being a " concern" troll . I'm concerned but I'm not a troll and this opportunity Trump has to put another very, very conservative evangelical pleasing justice on the Supreme Court puts Women, LGBTQ, unions, workers, and privacy rights of all are in serious jeopardy. Trump campaigned on overturning Roe v Wade. He also tried to kick transgender out of military. We know he hates gays and blacks and Hispanics. So anybody who doesn't think we're screwed, get ready for the fight of your lives. That is if you care. I do.

R471 There is no constitutional limit to how many supreme court justices there can be. Congress decides how many justices there are on the Supreme Court. Luckily they haven't changed it since 1869.

Do you think Justice Kennnedy was 'enticed' to retire?

R471, a Dem Congress & President adding 2 more justices to SCOTUS a la Roosevelt wouldn't be unconstitutional or unprecedented (SCOTUS originally had 6 justices, was as high as 10 during the Civil War), BUT the press would howl like caged animals pretending it's the most outrageous thing they ever heard, FAR WORSE than McConnell making up his own rules about when the President can nominate.

r479, no

But maybe health issues or just tired of working. He's 81 for fuck sake.

I think this Kennedy's retirement will lead to a big female turnout in November, but you never know. There's so much complacency and downright ignorance among the electors these days that you can't predict what people will do anymore.

Rightwing bullshitters insist they care about unborn babies...when they don't care about actual babies and children. They vote for people who want to take Healthcare away from children, while refusing to fund schools.

For those thinking they won't overturn Roe v. Wade, FYI the perfect case is already in the pipeline. Iowa banned abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected (currently at about 6-8 weeks). The law is on hold pending litigation in the state courts. If Iowa prevails, abortion will be illegal at a point before many women even know they are pregnant. And, as technology develops, that window will shrink even further.

So the first step to overturning Roe v. Wade could very well be shrinking the period where abortion is allowed to a window so small and so early many women will miss it completely.

[quote]They vote for people who want to take Healthcare away from children, while refusing to fund schools.

That's because those issues are not in the bible. Yes, they're actually just that stupid.

R481, unless he's so ill/unhealthy that he really can't go on, Kennedy just shit all over his own legacy. He will now be remembered as the man who looked at Trump and said: That's the man I want to choose my replacement.

Trump is installing conservative, racist judges everywhere he can...our workers are screwed and say goodbye to clean water and the Ozone Layer.

I actually believe McConnell is Satan...is there anyone more evil?

Fuck Kennedy. He did just shit on his legacy. What rational person would look at this sick/shitshow of a Prez and ALLOW him to replace you? I am in complete shock. How can the only reasonable (just by a hair) conservative justice see what is going on in the country, see how unhinged and deranged our Prez is and want him to replace you?

[quote]I live in a blue state; a shitty corrupt blue state (Illinois), but a blue state nonetheless. I was thinking of moving to a blue city in a red state (Atlanta, Dallas, Raleigh) in the near future. Is it silly to wonder if I should still move to those locations?

I was thinking of moving to Texas from California because housing is just so damn expensive here in LA. I have some family down there. I think Texas is poised to go purple soon and blue at some point down the line thanks to their growing blue cities and thanks to idiot Latinos who are waking up about the importance of voting (I'm Latino). But obviously that won't happen if people stop moving there. You'll probably have a better idea after November if Democrat Stacy Abrams wins the governorship in Georgia and Beto O'Rourke beats Ted Cruz in Texas. North Carolina is kind of a shit show right now due to all the Republican fuckery that's been going on the last few years. I don't think this upcoming voting cycle can fix it even though they do have a Democratic governor.

Texas isn't going purple for another 20-30 years. Texas Democrats, especially Latinos, simply don't vote and it takes decades to turn that behavior around.

It's always funny (in a gallows humor way) when I see the racist/bigoted assholes on here who scream about "saving western civilization" (code: white/Christian) from all of these "immigrants" (code: anyone not white/Christian), yet we're seeing civil rights and freedom of choice and the environment and science and education all under threat at the hands of white Christians (and some Jews, too, like Kushner and Miller).

At what point do you get it that human beings are individuals and if you are a genuinely decent person, race/religion isn't what determines whether you're good or bad?

[quote] I honestly don't think Roe v. Wade will ever be overturned,

MARY!

As LBJ said r492

[quote] "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."

R487 Yes, there is an epidemic of racist judges. Roberts and the newest justice are notoriously racist.

Kennedy’s legacy? You are aware of his horrible voting record, right? Spare me gay marriage. He voted for the worst of the worst.

The sad thing is, 30 to 40 percent of the country would be fine with a monarchy and authoritarian rule, as long as someone brought them their smokes and their country fried steak and they didn't ever again have to vote, know things about candidates, or have a challenging, critical thought in their lives.

How will my darling daughter, Lu Lu, get her abortions now?

R494, that quote is ever-present in my mind.

R496, Kennedy isn't widely regarded as a jurist with a horrible voting record (not saying that he shouldn't be). Because of the low expectations of conservatives, Kennedy has always gotten oversized praise for his occasional caucusing with the non-conservative jurists on a handful of issues. That's the legacy he just shit all over.

R491, there are a lot of people on the ground in Texas, working their asses off to register people to vote. There is a lot of Latino outreach. Naturally, Republicans have made it very difficult to do this because they want brown and low income people to stay home. But, the enthusiasm is there. So why not quit with your negativity, donate or volunteer to a get out the vote effort and let's see where we stand in November.

Kennedy is such an asshole. He knows there is no objectivity in SCOTUS so he lets Satan name his replacement to keep right wing hold over the laws

Beto isn't going to win but it needs to be close. Hillary got closer in TX than any Dem in a long time. Sadly, Kennedy retiring has motivated conservatives all over the state and country. Just looking at my FB feed, many anti-abortion women who didn't vote for him ( or her) last time are excited now about finally overturning RvW.

Yeah no one is singing Kennedy's praises as their favorite judge, but he has been a crucial swing vote on many rulings. Compared to the rest of the right wing members of the court, he became the good guy by comparison because...look at the rest of them.

But purposely allowing Trump to pick his replacement before the midterm, man, that was a punch in the gut.

If only Dems fucking voted

Would it be pre-mature to enlist in the Union Army?

[quote]Beto isn't going to win but it needs to be close.

Jesus fucking Christ. TX is just full of absolute trash. How in the hell does anyone vote for Ted Cruz? His own daughter won't even let him kiss her.

The vacancy will allow President Trump to make the U.S. Supreme court a solidly conservative body for years, if not generations, to come — a towering legacy of his time in office.

Beto's polling keeps getting better. And it's a statewide race, so gerrymandering isn't an issue.

[quote] Do you think Justice Kennnedy was 'enticed' to retire?

Absolutely. There’s no reason for him not to wait a few extra months. Some relative of his will get on the board of some corporation for millions of dollars. Maybe s/he will run for office

Selfish old fuck

[R507] Same reason people vote for Dumpster. Texans have no love for him but he's a R and there's no way they will vote D especially now that Kennedy retired and energized the evangelicals.

R51 Abolish abortion, turn a blind eye to Trumps' behaviors and crimes.

Yes, the very same people who care so much about a cluster of cells being surgically removed from a women's uterus don't care about toddlers and children separated from their parents and babies left alone in cages, lying on Mylar blankets placed on concrete floors.

The worst impact to Trumpism may be to culture. Trumpism is in iron rule over the nation, and is transforming not just the law and policy, but culture. The law is powerful to not only change behavior, but also attitudes. Now that Trumpism rules, we will see a shocking regression in social views and attitudes, especially on race, globalism, poverty, sexuality, women, gays, criminal justice, and govt programs and assistance. People are like lemmings and want to be on the winning side, and sadly, Trumpism is steamrolling the nation. Also, the impacts will spread to other nations as the US models an example of a society whose cultural values and attitudes rapidly regressed to pre civil rights views.

R510, it's not a matter of waiting just a few months--he would not retire in the middle of a SCOTUS term, that's just too disruptive. So he either retires before the new term with time to appoint a replacement or presumably he could have waited another year (or 2).

I think gay identity will also Decline as nervous lgbt people decide it’s not Safe or acceptable to identity with a persecuted group.

[quote]Gays aren't really fucked by this, women are.

Dummkopf

Fuck Kennedy with this timing. Some public servant to put more chaos into this time where the president is under investigation for fucking treason. Asshole.

It will be a conservative man who replaces Kennedy. Then we can wait for the case that bans women from being judges because they might sprain their uterus and watch all six of them remove their liberal colleagues from the bench altogether. The United States of Gilead.

[quote] If SCOTUS rules there is no federal right to same-sex marriage and kicks it back to the states,

I used to get a lot of conservatives mad by pointing out if ONE state ( Massachusetts at the time ) had legal gay marriage EVERY state had gay marriage. And now various additional states have followed suit.

𝑭𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆

Article IV, Section 1:

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.

But the hysteria is entertaining.

This was all planned. They knew he was going to retire during Trumps' presidency and he would only be replaced with a pro-lifer.

They pretend to care about an unformed fetus somewhere between the size of a lentil to the size of a blueberry being removed from the mothers' uterus because she can't go through with the pregnancy. Because almost all abortions are performed early, before the fetus is the size of a walnut, and it is not a fully-formed miniature baby either.

Women who have miscarried in the first trimester and even early into their 4th month couldn't figure out which part of the contents of the expelled blood clots was the actual fetus.

Men making decisions for women's lives. Excuse me, uniformed, ignorant men who are sadists.

The usual victims; women, children and gays.

They bitch and moan about abortion being legal, and then they'll bitch and moan about having to use their taxes to support the children once they're born.

All I want is a nice log cabin way out in the woods with a wood burning stove. So tired of all the bull shit involved with being an American.

[R514] Yes. I posted this in another thread. I will post it here.

A teacher friend of mine works in a conservative burb in Texas. 99% of the teachers at his school voted for Dump. He is out and BEFORE the election is was not a problem. AFTER the election, he started getting bullied by another teacher then the principal (who claimed she was completely fine with his sexuality). Suddenly, he's out of a job. For no reason. Literally, no reason was given. The district transferred him to another school. Of course, no unions in TX so he was SOL.

[quote]They bitch and moan about abortion being legal, and then they'll bitch and moan about having to use their taxes to support the children once they're born.

Yep, that is the right-wing way. Children are the most important thing EVER...until they are born. Then fuck trying to help kids. It boggles the mind.

I don't think that's entirely correct, R519. The example here is marriages of first cousins, which are illegal in some states. I think I remember that states don't have to support an out-of-state marriage that is illegal in their state. This wiki link seems to support that interpretation.

[quote] Fuck Kennedy with this timing.

For crying out loud the guy is 81, and gave Washington fair warning a YEAR ago he was on his way out. Plenty of time for Mueller to act if indeed he had anything of substance to work with. Bitch at the guy just spinning his wheels if you must complain about anyone.

There is more to guaranteeing gay rights than just protecting marriage equality. Gay people are still not protected from housing and job discrimination in many states. It's important to secure full civil equality, not just marriage equality.

You mean the majority of states

Imagine what a different scenario we’d be looking at today if the Democrats had run a competent and capable candidate in 2016.

Fuck the Clintons.

R519, go tell it to gays in Texas, where same sex couples don't get the same benefits opposite sex married couples do. So you can be "married" but being "married" means something different if you're gay vs. straight. And Full Faith and Credit has never been applied to marriage, because for a long time many states outlawed interracial marriage. (Yes, nearly every fucking awful thing in this country can be traced back to slavery.)

Your smug disregard of "hysteria" though is noted, along with your ignorance.

[quote]The vacancy will allow President Trump to make the U.S. Supreme court a solidly conservative body for years, if not generations, to come

How many centuries are you anticipating that those justices will live?

THE TRUMP JUDGES

To date, Trump has nominated 87 people to be judges with lifetime tenure on U.S. district courts, circuit courts or the Supreme Court. Eighty of them are white, or nearly 92 percent. One is black, one is Latino and five are Asian or Pacific American. He hasn’t nominated any Native American judges.

The president also keeps nominating men. Sixty-seven of his court picks are male, compared to 20 who are female.

That translates to about 77 percent being men:

In addition to being overwhelmingly white, male and straight, Trump’s court picks are very conservative. Some have records of being hostile to the voting rights of black people. Others have records of being incredibly anti-LGBTQ. A number of them have argued against women’s reproductive rights.

No, R528, fuck all you Bernie Bros who refused to vote for Hillary.

I'm assuming, R530, that he's thinking of a high court that allows all sorts of barriers to voting, which would then consolidate Republican power in a self-perpetuating cycle.

[R528] Bwhahahahahahahaa Troll. FF and blocked.

Lifetime tenure needs to be reimagined. Justices at all levels should serve finite appointments in both number of terms and in maximum years served on the bench.

Good luck changing the Constitution there then.

Their ultimate goal is to call a Constitution Convention to rewrite the Constitution. They almost have enough state legislatures to do it.

On CNN, Jeffrey Toobin says "in 18 months, abortion will be illegal in 20 states in the country."

Well, maybe the voters in those 20 states will then wake the fuck up in time for 2020.

We're all fucked.

Democrats will not save shit. They had so many countless chances to stop this cancer from taking root and growing. No stopping it now. It will consume this country.

R534 I’m not a troll. Who tf is incompetent and pathetic enough to lose a presidential election to Donald fucking Trump? Only one person in the world and that’s Hillary. She and her massive ego is who we have to thank for the mess we’re in today.

Democrats and progressives lack political zeal and stamina. Today was decades in the making. Conservatives like William Buckley in the 60s were planning for this day. They won.

[R540] Most Dems hail from purpleish states/districts. They get too crazy and they are voted out quick. Sad to say but the Liberal voter just doesn't get outraged like conservatives do. Conservatives are VERY tribal and always come back to support their candidate even if they dont like them. Liberals dont do that, for various reasons, to their detriment.

Yep liberals are politically lazy and unorganized. They lack the cohesive identity, bonds, institutions, philosophy, leaders that conservatives have. Liberals Are all about being individual, free-spirited, non-dogmatic, relativistic. Horrible for gaining political abs cultural power.

There’s only one bright spot. If abortion is made illegal, a lot of one-issue voters will no longer go to the polls on Election Day. After watergate the country was more liberal...until Roe v Wade. I saw a change literally overnight. I was in catholic school. The school went from being a place where we had memorial masses on Moratorium Day (Vietnam War form of protest) to caring for nothing but abortion. They rounded us up, put us in the auditorium and showed us gross movies. Girls were literally screaming. Before the year was out the school had done several bus rides up to Albany to protest abortion.

Jeanine Pirro for SCOTUS? God help us.

They're not pro-life. We need to stop that shit. They're pro (white) birth, that's it.

=

Maybe Judge Judy can start to suck up to Trump. We know he likes celebrities.

Well shit, R548. I may have a shot!

It's all so repulsive. Even dumb hillbillies are a-wishin' and a-hopin' Trump nominates someone who's anti-homo/abortion/immigrant (though they really don't know what the Supreme court does) and get rid of them ACTIVIST JUDGES!

Can individuals petition the UN for help?

Thanks for nothing, liberal white straights who couldn’t sleep well at night voting for Hillary as it would weigh on their conscience. You had little to lose so you risked my rights.

I cannot stand Hilary and I fucking voted for her because that's how repulsed I was by the thought of that orange clown.

Assume you're a fucking idiot for having listened to that repulsive, sexist, racist, bigoted, sleazy conman and thought there was no difference between him and Clinton.

R545 "If abortion is made illegal, a lot of one-issue voters will no longer go to the polls on Election Day."

Yes they will. Contraception will be next on the hit list. And there will be horror stories of women who found ways to get abortions and they need to be prosecuted. And they'll still be after gay marriage... excuse me, religious liberty. And murdering hordes of illegals to round up. There will always be something to whip them into a frenzy.

Not going to sift through 554 comments, but if someone is as lazy or pressed for time as I am, this thread from @EricGarland is worth reading

It's cute how people think that these Trump fanatics will stop if abortion is made illegal. How fucking stupid are some of you? They're like parasites. You can't get rid of them once they take hold. They're coming for you, too, assholes. Just because they target people you hate or don't care about human rights being applied to everyone, what makes you think you're not next?

I find it hilarious that you all think there are going to be any more elections.

I'm just as disgusted when I see Susan Sarandon as I am when I see Trump. I'd spit on her if I saw her.

MAGA! 😁

whoa r555!

The republicans know how to use their power. And Dems attack each other. I hate Nancy and Chuck.

Thomas

Entirely possible that by 2020 we have a situation in which:

• Democrats have won 6 out of the last 7 popular votes for president

• Democratic appointees hold 3 of 9 (maybe even 2 of 9) SCOTUS seats

Only 17 states have laws that protect abortion.

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, abortion would immediately be illegal in 33 states because of what is known as a "trigger law."

City on fire!! City on fire!!

R372 - I want to “doxx” all non voters by comparing voting rolls voting records and Facebook posts. Anyone who complains about trump but didn’t vote — fuck them. THEY are the ones who should be shamed and shunned.

True

If you think this Congress will not try to nationalize a ban on abortion you are crazy. They will try and then toss it over the fence to see if Supremes contrive some legal “rationale” to uphold a national ban — however ridiculous or preposterous.

R563 — then fuck it — time to pack the Court. There is NOTHING in Constitution that caps members at 9.

R554 is 100% correct. Contraception is on their radar. Seriously.

Truth be told the majority of Americans are queasy about abortion, especially given today’s technology and the viability of a baby outside the womb earlier than ever thought possible. That’s why Roe v. Wade is in danger. There is not nearly as much anti-gay fervor especially as the older generation dies off so our rights will remain thank God. And being from NYC Trump has never been homophobic so let’s temper the hysteria a bit.

E571 must be banned

R571

If they’re really coming after contraception, birth control pills need to become over the counter so women don’t have to risk getting a fundie pharmacist who morally opposes progesterone or some bullshit. How backward we would be as a country if we take away people’s abilities to prevent unwanted pregnancies, Stone Age shit

R571 no their not. And it was the Republicans that passed Roe v Wade.

Republicans didn't "pass" Roe v. Wade. But it was a Republican abortion bill from Texas that was at the heart of that case.

The anti-abortion men are women haters who want women "barefoot and pregnant." It's all about control. This way, for one, women will be scarce in the workplace. And the men can dominate again and control every facet of women's lives like they used to.

Let's see . . . Will it be an angry white male or an attractive female replacing Kennedy?

If I were a woman and wanted to be child free or if I already had children and didn't want any more I would have my tubes tied now. Real soon. Before the shit hits the fan.

Your stupidity is breathtaking R571.

BAJOUR?

Too early?

Trump is probably going to find himself a Self hating lesbian to nominate to the Supreme Court, that way when she sides with the conservatives against abortion rights and gay rights, they will claim that she’s a woman and gay and thus can’t be biased

Cant wait for ruthie to drop dead!

R582: The goal is overturning Griswold v. Connecticut. That's the contraception case. But it's not really about contraception. It's about the right to privacy, which was declared in that ruling to be inherent to the Constitution. That right is the foundation of Roe as well as other decisions, including Lawrence. Anti-sodomy laws could easily return if they overturn Griswold.

Maybe in a few years I’ll be able to adopt a baby without having to spend thousands and thousands of dollars through some private agency to get an Asian female baby flown in.

Right now it seems the only babies and kids up for adoption, are very special needs/with severe handicap/disability. Many look like the are on ventilators and are described as “needing total care”

I just want a healthy one. Maybe I will have a chance now!

R585, maybe God doesn't want you to have a baby. Can't you take a fucking hint?

[R586] That was cruel but I fucking snorted loud reading that.

R586 - maybe he does? I could try but my eggs are 42... I’m still not ready. It will take a couple years before I want one. I want to adopt. I don’t want a biological child at this point.

Handmaids will be legalized, but it will be lucrative self-employment in the free market.

R576 Yes, they did. It was a Republican nominated and dominated court. The majority votes were conservatives. The Chief Justice was a conservative.

[R555] So, Kennedy is in deep with back channels to Peter Thiel, Don Jr and is stepping down before he is shown to be deep in all this Russian shit?

Mueller has them spooked. Mueller may pull back the curtain on the entire GOP including the SC. Corrupt and vile, all of them!!!! They are ACTING spooked. They are acting like they are VERY guilty of huge crimes. Please take down the entire GOP!

Hillary was right!!

"Tony, you're a really, really good guy; the best. You're a really good guy. You know, because of it, you're going to retire; you'd like that, right? . . . "

So sick of the corruption, Kennedy is as dirty as the rest of them. He stepped down now for a reason.

Hillary has a brain, so she is often right. She is wise, so she is often right before anyone else catches on.

R39, that scares me even more than Kennedy retiring. You can't tell me there is a God when this disgusting orange beast will get to choose THREE SCJ

Hillary also had good relationships within the Senate. I believe, had she been Prez, she would have gotten AT LEAST Garland on the SC. She would have gotten Collins, Murkowski and a few others.

I hope Ginsburg is taking mega vitamins. I also hope a Democrat is elected in 2020 and Thomas and Alito both drop dead soon thereafter and then Gorsuch and Roberts are so distraught that they accidentally drive off a bridge on the way to the funeral.

The Notorious RBG is not going anytime soon. We will Weekend at Bernie her ass if she does!

But she's one of those who will live into their 100's easily. That chick works out harder than I do!

Fuck Kennedy. He's friends with Trump. Kennedy is a conservative.. NOTHING CHANGES

r29, who, because he's a fucking idiot, apparently doesn't realize Clinton won the popular vote, because he's a stupid cunt. Die in a fucking grease fire, loser.

But what would be the case for overturning same sex marriage? Once a right is acknowledged it’s kind of hard to take it away. What proof is there that same sex marriage is a detriment to any other citizen?

It’s not a great situation but it seems like people are quite hysterical about this. Remember, the country itself is not majority far right. Even over-turning Roe v Wade will require the SC to deny that every American has a right to privacy. Seems a bit of a stretch. If the SC is just going to predictably rubber stamp far-right positions it’ll be a laughing stock. The majority will not suffer this nonsense for long.

It’s a long shot but if Mueller wrenches Trump out of office, removing his SC picks should be at the top of the list, if the Democrats have the balls to do it. It would certainly be payback to McConnell.