Althouse: The Supreme Court Show is about to start.

January 31, 2017

The Supreme Court Show is about to start.

Let's watch!

UPDATE: Gorsuch.

253 comments:

«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 253 of 253

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: walter said...
Maybe better to review his judicial record over his place of worship....

The NY Times has a nice little infographic designed to soothe the fevered brows of those of little faith in the Trump.; 1/31/17, 10:07 PM
gadfly said...: Trump stumbled a bunch of times in introducing Gorsuch as the SCOTUS candidate. No hurry, Donald, just get it right.; 1/31/17, 10:08 PM
BJM said...: CC hijacks another thread with sterling insights such as:

Your President, Bannon, (Trump is basically a puppet of his and Putin's) calls himself a Leninist. Says he wants to blow up the system.

CC's pose is becoming tiresome as it's obvious that his/her intent is to discourage real dialog and effectively shut us, and Althouse up.

Althouse puts a great deal of effort into providing engaging and stimulating topics to discuss, perhaps we could stop feeding the fucking troll?; 1/31/17, 10:09 PM
walter said...: Ya..bet the NYT took the cruel neutrality path ;)
"Hey..we're different now..SUBSCRIBE!"; 1/31/17, 10:10 PM
Marc in Eugene said...: I should clarify that my 'they were parishioners at St John's' comment was based on a 2014 parish bulletin which noted that the Gorsuchs' two daughters served as acolytes there. Who knows? the daughters may have attended, not the parents, or not both parents &c &c. Lots of possibilities-- e.g. a spouse will sometimes attend a particular church, after all, simply because the other spouse prefers it to the alternatives rather than for some reason of theology.; 1/31/17, 10:15 PM
JackWayne said...: LyingPB, any big company, whether in Omaha (Buffet) or Californication (Bezos) is a crony capitalist. Ant big company is lefty by definition.; 1/31/17, 10:15 PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Lyin'PB_Ombudsman said...
BTW, maybe instead of jabbering about toddlers killin' folks and folks dying by slipping in the tub,

Yeah I hate that shit too. Maybe some oxycodone would ease that pain.; 1/31/17, 10:16 PM
Curious George said...: "Chuck said...
I love this nomination. It's a nomination by the way, Mr. President, not an "appointment."

"Thank you. Today I am keeping another promise to the American people by nominating Judge Neil Gorsuch of the United States Supreme Court to be of the United States Supreme Court."

You are an insufferable asswipe by the way, Chuck.; 1/31/17, 10:18 PM
buwaya said...: PB&J,
I am all for pushing paleo in dietary standards, removing tariff protection from sugar (reducing corn syrup use), banning video games, and mandatory MMA training for all kids 12 and older, with general liability shield. And everyone learns Latin.
This all may help create in your land a hard, healthy master race prepared to conquer the universe.; 1/31/17, 10:19 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: libs should figure out how many folks die from refined sugar and other stuff fatties (sorry Trooper) devour v terrorists in the States.

1/31/17, 10:11 PM

The liberal food Nazis have already figured that out. Michele's lunch room initiatives (which included cabbage sandwiches - yum) didn't work too well, perhaps because the woman pushing it was big in the caboose herself.

None of my business or yours what other people eat, unless they're following the Jeffrey Dahmer diet. They're adults and if they want to risk their own health, it's their choice. It is the government's business to keep potential terrorists out of the country.; 1/31/17, 10:22 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Eugene Volokh was apparently clerking at the Supreme Court at the same time as Judge Gorsuch, and they have remained friends. He has an excerpt from one of Gorsuch's opinions on religious freedom on his Volokh Conspracy we site. I thought that it was very well written. Almost conversational, but splitting some very fine legal hairs (and giving the Native American requesting access to a sweat lodge while in prison the win). His writing ability alone should qualify him for the job.; 1/31/17, 10:22 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: It is much better to be poor and impotent than richly so. Can you imagine?

All that money and nothing to do but act solely prolely. What a disappointment to everyone all around, especially themselves.

Howie Hughes are you still here?; 1/31/17, 10:26 PM
Never-Biden Never-Putin said...: Marc Puckett..

If he and his wife did attend, I'm not impressed. It's a known insular leftwing church. All nicey nice on outward appearances, but you scratch the surface and it's a strange greedy leftist organization. It's a rich church that obsesses over funding.; 1/31/17, 10:29 PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: AprilApple said...
It's a rich church that obsesses over funding.

Hmmm. I wonder how these two facts could be related.; 1/31/17, 10:30 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: I have no idea myself, although the Gorsuchs were evidently parishioners at St John's in Boulder in 2014; St John's website is... not inspiring, from my point of view.

1/31/17, 9:28 PM

Yeah, Episcopalians tend to be mush-minded SJWs these days, but based on his opinions regarding Hobby Lobby and Little Sisters of the Poor, it does not look like Gorsuch is one of those. Hell, I used to attend a very liberal Catholic church; I just thought "Horseshit" whenever the priest started going on about global warming or whatever.; 1/31/17, 10:33 PM
Never-Biden Never-Putin said...: Just like the Clintons - NOT RICH ENOUGH.

But as Obama once said, at some point, you've made enough money. Too bad leftist church is so stingy in the community. Typical leftists.; 1/31/17, 10:33 PM
Never-Biden Never-Putin said...: I don't know if he attended St. John's Church of leftwingers and their money. All I'm saying is that if he did, it's a strike against him.; 1/31/17, 10:34 PM
Sebastian said...: I almost look forward to a discussion between Gorsuch and, say, Al Franken on the work of John Finnis. But much as I'd like to see some serious smackdown, I hope Gorsuch can resist the Borkian temptation. It's a nice irony that DJT should nominate someone so superior to any of the Dem Judiciary flacks.; 1/31/17, 10:39 PM
Never-Biden Never-Putin said...: Lyin' werido. When did I mention "homo and abortion type stuff?"

You lefties fart in the elevator, then blame the rest of us.; 1/31/17, 10:40 PM
readering said...: Sounds like from Trump's introduction he just went with the guy with the most Ivy League credentials. Trump's obsession. But very impressive background nonetheless. Democrats must be given time to get over their feeling that the seat was stolen by McConnell and rightfully belongs to Obama's pick. Hopefully that won't take too long. Doesn't seem worth ending cloture rules over this pick.; 1/31/17, 10:44 PM
Never-Biden Never-Putin said...: Well, that's true.; 1/31/17, 10:45 PM
readering said...: What's all the obsession with the parish church his family attends? Next someone should research the kinds of flies he ties when fishing.; 1/31/17, 10:48 PM
buwaya said...: The NYT seems bitter about it in this evening's editorial, which is usually a good sign, but Rachel Maddow seems fairly blase, which is concerning.
Give it a day or two.
If the megaphone and the wurlitzer go out of their way to paint horns on him you may have a winner. If not, worry.; 1/31/17, 10:49 PM
buwaya said...: You can tell something of a man by the church he attends.
Its an indication of his social circle and more so that of his womenfolk. Its a sign of what sort of opinions pass over his kitchen table, and what may disappoint them.; 1/31/17, 10:56 PM
Ken B said...: He should be speedily confirmed. The senate has delayed voting on a Supreme Court nominee long enough, and the Biden rule no longer applies.; 1/31/17, 11:04 PM
Drago said...: buwaya: "The NYT seems bitter about it in this evening's editorial, which is usually a good sign, but Rachel Maddow seems fairly blase, which is concerning.
Give it a day or two.
If the megaphone and the wurlitzer go out of their way to paint horns on him you may have a winner. If not, worry."

During election night a number of lefty talking heads inadvertently opened up in the moment and were lucid in pointing out the obvious mistakes and failures of the Clinton campaign as well as her flaws.

By the next morning the word had gotten out and it was "turn on a dime" time.

Think of it as a modern day equivalent to "Keep the US out of their War!!" / "Second Front Now" based on Stalins directives.; 1/31/17, 11:06 PM
Drago said...: Ken B: "He should be speedily confirmed. The senate has delayed voting on a Supreme Court nominee long enough, and the Biden rule no longer applies"

It's worse than that.

Biden no longer applies.

I'll bet the plugs are starting to show more now as well.; 1/31/17, 11:07 PM
buwaya said...: Ok, very bad sign, the NYT published an opinion piece "Why Liberals Should Back Neil Gorsuch", Neal Katyal
My nose is smelling a rat somewhere.; 1/31/17, 11:07 PM
wwww said...: "Democrats must be given time to get over their feeling that the seat was stolen by McConnell and rightfully belongs to Obama's pick. Hopefully that won't take too long. Doesn't seem worth ending cloture rules over this pick."

Dems will block because of Merrick. After the s***storm of the last 2 weeks they have little political choice to do otherwise.

McConnell will end cloture rules. The Senate becomes more parliament-like in the future.; 1/31/17, 11:22 PM
buwaya said...: PB&J,
Partly I would need to know if you have your women, wife, daughters, mother, aunts at your church. Makes a huge difference. Men are men and are likely independent in their society, but women flock.
Assemblies of God I dont know too well.
Lutherans are split these days between reasonably sound and terribly unsound, IIRC.
You are all a lot of heretics of course.
Come the day we will have to let the Dominicans have a look in on you lot.; 1/31/17, 11:22 PM
JackWayne said...: Buwaya, you make me laugh. In a good waya.; 1/31/17, 11:24 PM
Achilles said...: wwww said...

"Dems will block because of Merrick. After the s***storm of the last 2 weeks they have little political choice to do otherwise.

McConnell will end cloture rules. The Senate becomes more parliament-like in the future"

Hahahahaa. 10 Dems are up in 2018 in states trump carried. Have fun holding that line.; 1/31/17, 11:32 PM
bgates said...: Let's see how well this all works out.

It's working out great so far. Sure, repairing the damage Obama did to the country will take time, but we can all point and laugh at you for being so furious right now.; 2/1/17, 12:04 AM
Chuck said...: Curious George said...
"Chuck said...
I love this nomination. It's a nomination by the way, Mr. President, not an "appointment."
"Thank you. Today I am keeping another promise to the American people by nominating Judge Neil Gorsuch of the United States Supreme Court to be of the United States Supreme Court."
You are an insufferable asswipe by the way, Chuck.

TRUMP: I have always felt that after the defense of our nation, the most important decision a president of the United States can make is the appointment of a Supreme Court justice. Depending on their age, a justice can be active for 50 years and his or her decisions can last a century or more and can often be permanent.

[Video and transcript link]: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/us/politics/full-transcript-video-trump-neil-gorsuch-supreme-court.html; 2/1/17, 12:04 AM
JackWayne said...: Geraldo Rivera likes Gorsuch. That tells me this pick sucks.; 2/1/17, 12:38 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: By then, the progressive Democrats will have called his bluff, primaried some corporatists out of the game, and gained readiness for 2018 with the real deal.
This is actually an expression of an interesting thought.
The GOP needed Trump. It was ossified into Reagan worship. It was all Episcopalians, and no Pentecostals.
The pathway for Trump was opened by the Tea Party. There is no similar phenomenon on the Left. #BLM is probably the closest thing to a Dem Tea party, but its appeal is far more an ethnic thing than the Tea Party. Nancy Pelosi is still head of the Dem House caucus. Corporatist Schumer easily became head of the Senate Dems. Where is this reforming impulse in the Democrat party? I don't see it anywhere on the horizon.; 2/1/17, 1:02 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: "The corporatists aren't doin' well and won't do well w/ DJT."
Paul Ryan and other corporatists despise Trump.
Hillary was embraced by the leaders of largest corporations in the United States and the world.
The #nevertrumpers didn't hate Trump and refuse to vote for him or support him because he was a corporatist.
It's a matter of degree, in't? If you look around the world, you can't pick out many anti-corporatist governments can you? Cuba? North Korea? Maybe Belarus? What do you think a non-corporatist government would look like, PB&J?; 2/1/17, 1:35 AM
wildswan said...: CC said:
"By then, the progressive Democrats will have called his bluff, primaried some corporatists out of the game, and gained readiness for 2018 with the real deal."
Lewis Wetzel said...
"This is actually an expression of an interesting thought."

Yes, it is a thought - from the Bernie Sanders wing I suspect. At last, something besides hysteria from a Democrat. But I agree with LW that the Dems won't reform without a painful evolution and nothing will happen by 2018, if ever. The Republicans had the Tea Party war for years which was a sort of educational effort. Without something like that, the Dems might disappear like the Whigs.

And who would lead a reform effort on the left? When factories are leaving unions have to work to make them stay but union leaders and lefties see that the need to lead on that effort as an assault on their purity. EWWW, I'm in bed with corporatists. Prostitution, rape, pimping symbolize how they feel about it. As long as that is so, they can't reform. They just wear a cap and throw insults around like a ridiculous stolen valor blowhard in a bar. They have no leader. Clinton? She just showed she can't lead, she has to be carried. Sanders? Not such a bad guy but totally locked into strategies from the past. Warren? Just a yappy Peke that thinks it's a pit bull. Obama? Busy posing for the cameras, then has a golf game, then a party. Real change from any of them?; 2/1/17, 4:08 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: I was expecting billionaires to suffer and the little guy to rise up and take what is theirs.

But now? Oh drat, now I am not so sure the poor willl become wealthy and the wealthy happy to take and keep only their fair share whilst leaving the rest.

Damn me and my Trump support. If only Bernie could have taken us to socialist utopia, where the workers, united, rule with grace and wisdom far beyond what we see today.

Please, someone repent for me, I beg of you. I need you, now more than yesterday.; 2/1/17, 5:35 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: I don't mean to crab deletions but did about 80 comments just disappear?; 2/1/17, 6:45 AM
Paco Wové said...: "did about 80 comments just disappear"

I have not been following this comment thread's evolution, but based on existing comments I suspect a ritmo cleanup on aisle 9.; 2/1/17, 7:12 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: The problem for the Democrat Party is that it isn't - it isn't very Democratic. Far less than the Republican Party. Which is humorous because the Dem party styles itsel as the party of the little man. But it has long been a party of elites managing (and exploiting) the under classes for votes. Think FDR, scion of generational wealth, leading a coalition of the destitute. I view it as similar to a political machine, with a bunch of faction leaders sitting around a table in a smoke filled room, divvying up the rewards of power. You have the Jews contributing their money, unions their organization and muscle, blacks contributing their voting solidarity. The educational elite trade access to elite education and status for socialist and environmental benefits. Black leadership gets access for their own kids to elite education, personal wealth, and some jobs for their people. Jews used to get protection fro antisemitism. But their welcome is expiring with Blacks being allowed to vent their antisemitism, and the newest members of the club, the Muzzies, being rabidly anti-Jewish. Moreover, billionaires, like Soros, are able to throw far more money and bodies at the Dem party than the Jews ever could. And, in order to expand the coalition, Black jobs and communities have been sacrificed for Hispanic votes through support for illegal immigration.

You just have to look at the last election to see this dynamic. The party imposed one of the worst candidates possible on their voters. She was, probably the most corrupt politician to run for President in at least a century. She is old, likely very ill, cannot speak that well, has little personal charisma, and whose most notable accomplishment was probably marrying well, beyond all the money she and her husband made selling political influence and favors to the highest bidders around the world. Her "public" service in a high level position was a disaster to the US and the world. Yet, her nomination was pretty much guaranteed. The party and its allies lied, cheated and stole to give her the nomination, and almost succeeded in putting her back in the WH, giving everyone at the top 4 or 8 more years of political graft.

How do you reform that system? The Dem party has not been very democratic for most of the last century. Not like the Republican Party that has been reasonably democratic since it's inception. And that is because it traditionally was supported by the mid and upper middle class, and not the elites who insist on leading, and the lower classes who are content to trade votes for food and money, if the vote as they are told. Maybe the answer is that the upper middle class that they have been poaching from the Republicans is going to demand democracy. They aren't going to be content to vote Dem if that means that their kids are going to have a harder time getting into Harvard, because those slots were traded to leaders of other Dem constituencies for their support (which is, of course, the basis of Affirmative Action). Soros funded crazies (including BLM) are not the answer. So much of the protest and violence on the part of the left today is astroturf. In the end, that only alienates the middle class. And just entrenches the power elite running the party. The problem with the Berniebots, is that while socialism looks good while you are in college and living in your parents' basement afterwards, it becomes far less attractive when you are the one whose life savings are being looted for the supposed public good. Besides, socialism doesn't work, except to enrich its leaders, but rather inevitably leads to oppression, often violent. Which comes back to the continued poaching of the (more democratic) upper middle class from the Republicans as being ultimately the best chance to reform the Dem party.; 2/1/17, 7:12 AM
Marc in Eugene said...: Al Franken discussing John Finnis, in public, ha-- thank you, Sebastian, for the laugh so early in the morning.; 2/1/17, 7:14 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Yeh, maybe 80 comments went poof. But Ann/Meade were right - they contributed nothing to the discussion. Just a bunch of juvenile name calling.; 2/1/17, 7:14 AM
Curious George said...: "Chuck said...
Curious George said...
"Chuck said...
I love this nomination. It's a nomination by the way, Mr. President, not an "appointment."
"Thank you. Today I am keeping another promise to the American people by nominating Judge Neil Gorsuch of the United States Supreme Court to be of the United States Supreme Court."
You are an insufferable asswipe by the way, Chuck.

TRUMP: I have always felt that after the defense of our nation, the most important decision a president of the United States can make is the appointment of a Supreme Court justice. Depending on their age, a justice can be active for 50 years and his or her decisions can last a century or more and can often be permanent.

[Video and transcript link]: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/us/politics/full-transcript-video-trump-neil-gorsuch-supreme-court.html"

Nice try Chuckless. You make your sophomoric statement that Trump doesn't know it's a nomination, which I pointed out that he clearly does from a direct quote, and you respond with some idiotic gotcha. Except you are wrong.

Here, let me help with the process:

The President nominates a person for SCOTUS. (Trump refers to Gorsuch twice as "nominee")

The Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearing to question both the nominee and other witnesses. They then vote to put the nominee to a Senate vote.

If the Senate confirms by vote then the President APPOINTS the nominee to the court.

This is why Trump refers multiple times to Gorsuch as the nominee, and the process in general to appointment.

So Trump is 100% right, and you are 100% insufferable asswipe.; 2/1/17, 7:18 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: The Dems do seem to have looming problems with their various constituencies. Apparently, one of the candidates for DNC chair just got booted from the race for saying the obvious, that Muslims tend to be horribly homophobic and anti-gay. Of course, they are also anti-women, or at least, anti-feminism too. Somehow on the scale of official victimhood, the Muzzies have managed to bypass the gays, the feminists, and pretty much everyone else jumping to the front of the line. One can, of course, wonder whether all that Gulf oil money flowing into at least Crooked Hillary's pockets, and probably elsewhere in the Dem party, had anything to do with this. Which is, of course, one of the problems with trading and selling official favors and the like for political power - sometimes the one buying you doesn't have your best interests at heart.; 2/1/17, 7:33 AM
GRW3 said...: I thought it was clever that he kept the actual nominee secret until he stepped up to the podium. I'm sure he feted the runner up to a fabulous time for being a good sport and agreeing to help keep let the President and Gorsuch have the first shot at the American people. If the nominee was known beforehand, every news media outlet short of Fox would have been telling us how bad this was before we got to see him.; 2/1/17, 7:36 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Wow even PowerLine Blog and Kevin Williamson (NRO) both say Gorsuch was a "unanimous" confirmation. Maybe Chuck should point his browser their way and browbeat them about what voice votes are.; 2/1/17, 9:05 AM
Drago said...: Jack Wayne: "Geraldo Rivera likes Gorsuch. That tells me this pick sucks."

Geraldo has been giving off some interesting "how I voted" vibes over the last month. If I had to bet I would put my money on his voting Trump.; 2/1/17, 9:22 AM
Chuck said...: Mike I am a practicing lawyer, and Kevin Williamson isn't. (Although I see the great Ed Whelen at NRO called it a "unanimous confirmation by voice vote," which I attribute to Ed's cheerleading for a selection that he adores.)

But let's think about this. All that I did, was to make the correct observation as to how Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to the 10th Circuit. I didn't say that Judge Gorsuch was good, bad or indifferent. In fact, I think he is a brilliant selection. I love the choice, and I look forward to his being confirmed.

But Althouse has become like a sports team fan blog. Anyone who isn't totally in with the home team is assailed.; 2/1/17, 10:14 AM
Chris said...: Bruce Hayden at 07:20,
I agree with your analysis in the first two paragraphs. Succinct. But I wonder if "white guilt" doesn't fit there somewhere.
Never given any thought as to Democratic Party reform. Not sure it's even possible.; 2/1/17, 5:23 PM
walter said...: Chuck said...Mike I am a practicing lawyer,
<
All that I did, was to make the correct observation as to how Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to the 10th Circuit. I didn't say that Judge Gorsuch was good, bad or indifferent. In fact, I think he is a brilliant selection. I love the choice, and I look forward to his being confirmed.

Hmm..as someone who often feels the likes of Drago are engulfed in CDS, I would think a practicing lawyer would have conveyed the other part of this initially..at least to neuter the "opposition" you know to be ready to attack.; 2/1/17, 6:43 PM
walter said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/1/17, 8:17 PM