SCOTUS Archives

Two-Thirds Want Term Limits for Supremes

October 4, 2023 Buck Banks

68%

Politico/Morning Consult poll: “In addition to the 75 percent of voters — a bipartisan consensus of 81 percent of Democrats, 72 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of independents — who support a binding ethics code, roughly two-thirds of voters support term limits for the justices (68 percent).”

SCOTUS — Lifetime (Dis)Appointments

July 1, 2023 Buck Banks

So the benighted Colorado christianist got her way,
Now she won’t have to make websites for anyone gay.
The Trump Supremes are creating a nation
Where affirmative action’s replaced by discrimination,
And the meaning of your vote is erased away.

Brown Eviscerates Right-Wing Justices for Affirmative Action Ruling

July 1, 2023 Buck Banks

“With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”

— Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in her dissent to today’s Supreme Court decision curtailing affirmative action.

Public Trust in SCOTUS at a Historical Low

May 18, 2023 Buck Banks

18%

In the 2022 General Social Survey, just 18% of Americans said they have a great deal of confidence in the court, down from 26% in 2021, and 36% said they had hardly any, up from 21%. Another 46% said they have “only some” confidence in the most recent survey.

SCOTUS with the Mostus

April 24, 2023 Buck Banks

$24 million or $68 million

Bloomberg: “The nine Supreme Court justices in total are worth at least $24 million. Or it might be closer to $68 million. … It’s impossible to get more specific than that. That’s because federal ethics laws require justices to disclose only those assets that might pose a conflict of interest. As a result, the public can only assess part of each justice’s holdings, valued in a broad range.”

Supreme Court Consort

April 7, 2023April 7, 2023 Buck Banks

Clarence Thomas stands accused of ethics violations.
“WTF Harlan Crow?” asks a disgusted nation.
The Senate’s mounting an investigation,
But we just have one burning question:
Why would anyone want to take Clarence Thomas along on vacation?

Over Half of Americans Disapprove of SCOTUS

October 11, 2022 Buck Banks

53%

A new Annenberg Public Policy Center survey finds that 53% of U.S. adults disapprove of how the Supreme Court handles its job. The survey also reveals a chasm between the qualities the American people say they value most in judges, such as fairness and impartiality, and the traits they perceive in Supreme Court justices.

Trust in SCOTUS at an All-Time Low

September 29, 2022 Buck Banks

20 points

A new Gallup poll finds 47% of U.S. adults say they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in the Supreme Court. That represents a 20-percentage-point drop from two years ago, including seven points since last year, and is now the lowest in Gallup’s trend by six points.

Americans’ Faith in SCOTUS Has Collapsed

May 10, 2022 Buck Banks

40 points

A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that Americans’ confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court has collapsed over the last 20 months — a period that began with former President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans installing a 6-3 conservative majority ahead of the 2020 election.

Sen. Ben Sasse on ‘Jackassery’ in the Senate

March 24, 2022March 24, 2022 Buck Banks

“I think we should recognize that the jackassery we often see around here is partly because of people mugging for short-term camera opportunities.”

— Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), quoted by the Washington Post, about grandstanding senators during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson.

68%

“With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”

— Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in her dissent to today’s Supreme Court decision curtailing affirmative action.

18%

In the 2022 General Social Survey, just 18% of Americans said they have a great deal of confidence in the court, down from 26% in 2021, and 36% said they had hardly any, up from 21%. Another 46% said they have “only some” confidence in the most recent survey.

$24 million or $68 million

53%

20 points

A new Gallup poll finds 47% of U.S. adults say they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in the Supreme Court. That represents a 20-percentage-point drop from two years ago, including seven points since last year, and is now the lowest in Gallup’s trend by six points.

40 points

A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that Americans’ confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court has collapsed over the last 20 months — a period that began with former President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans installing a 6-3 conservative majority ahead of the 2020 election.

“I think we should recognize that the jackassery we often see around here is partly because of people mugging for short-term camera opportunities.”

— Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), quoted by the Washington Post, about grandstanding senators during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

– Anonymous caller’s voicemail message to the wife of an unnamed Republican congressman who voted against Jim Jordan for House speaker.

— Tom Nichols, on the Bulwark podcast.

“It’s been 5 years since we have seen one another. I look forward to the reunion. I hope Donald does as well.”

— “Donald Trump will back in court next week for his New York civil fraud trial, setting up a potential face-to-face showdown with fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen, who is expected to testify,” the AP reports.

“Citizens of Israel, we are at war. Not an operation, not a round of fighting, at war. I am initiating an extensive mobilization of the reserves to fight back on a scale and intensity that the enemy has so far not experienced. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price.”

— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quoted by the Times of Israel.

“Republican 2024 presidential candidates blamed the Biden administration for the attacks Hamas terrorists launched against Israel on Saturday, pointing to the deadly developments as evidence of U.S. weakness on the world stage and claiming that the administration is partially responsible.”

— NBC News

Numerati

$71 million

86%

Percentage of Israeli Jews who said the surprise attack from Gaza was a failure of the government of Prime Ministers Bibi Netanyahu. Among coalition government supporters, 79% blamed the leadership.

336,000

+$1 million

Atlanta Journal Constitution: “In all, the Georgia GOP has spent more than $1 million on legal fees since the beginning of last year, most of it for the Trump election interference case.”

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