Yesterday, two decisions in the Extreme Court further distanced Americans from our Constitution. In the first, the fascist five decided that money is speech only when it comes from the rich or corporate criminals. Voters’ money is not allowed. In the second, they decided to deny justice to Iraqi torture victims and protect the criminal corporations that may have helped torture them by denying the victims a hearing.
The Supreme Court on Monday struck down an Arizona law that provides matching funds to candidates who opt to receive only public money and face well-heeled opponents.
The court’s conservatives objected to what they saw as an unconstitutional burden on the free speech of privately funded candidates.
"’Leveling the playing field’ can sound like a good thing. But in a democracy, campaigning for office is not a game. It is a critically important form of speech," Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. wrote for the 5-4 majority. "The First Amendment embodies our choice as a nation that, when it comes to such speech, the guiding principle is freedom – the ‘unfettered interchange of ideas’ – not whatever the state may view as fair."
Justice Elena Kagan disagreed.
"Less corruption, more speech. Robust campaigns leading to the election of representatives not beholden to the few, but accountable to the many," Kagan wrote in her dissent. "The people of Arizona might have expected a decent respect for those objectives. Today, they do not get it."
Supporters of the Arizona law worry that the ruling is part of a trend toward whittling away at campaign finance laws… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Kansas City Star>
How can it be an “unconstitutional burden on the free speech” of rich candidates and corporate funded candidates to allow candidates without a pecuniary interest in holding office to speak too? The voters of Arizona decided to give everyone an equal right to speak. However equal speech might interfere with Republican plans to establish an permanent one party regime, so these Injustices damned the Constitution on their behalf.
A group of former detainees at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq will not be able to sue military contractors who they say participated in torture and other illegal acts of abuse at the US-run detention facility in 2003 and 2004.
The US Supreme Court on Monday declined without comment to take up the case of Saleh v. Titan Corporation.
The suit raised the issue of whether private contractors hired by the US military to perform services in a war zone may be held accountable for allegedly participating in acts of torture and other war crimes.
A federal appeals court in Washington threw out the suit against two contractors, Titan Corporation, which provided Arabic translation services, and CACI International, which provided interrogators. On Monday, the detainees lost their bid to reinstate the lawsuit… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Christian Science Monitor>
Click through for more information on this case.
Were these two particular corporations guilty of the torture Bush and the Republican Party ordered? Frankly, I don’t know. But their guilt or innocence was not the matter at hand. The issue was whether or to allow the victims to sue, and allow US courts to determine whether or not the facts warrant a judgment. Because SCOTUS declined without comment, I cannot say which Justices blocked the case, but figuring that requires no rocket science. I suspect the fascist five want to keep the doings at Abu Ghraib and Bush/Republican involvement under wraps.
In both actions the Republicans on the Court demonstrated, once again, their dedication to injustice and their unwillingness to consider the Constitution.
For those of you who think there is no difference between the two parties, it is no mere coincidence that the Democratic appointees are voting for you and the Republican appointees are not. Any vote or non-vote that helps Republicans is a choice to doom this nation.
12 Responses to “SCOTUS: No Speech, No Justice”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
More injustice from the “Justices” of corporate Amerika.
That says it.
Sad days– Justice is blind– and the SCOTUS is bought and paid for—
Correction Phyllis. 5/9 of SCOTUS is.
What, the justices are bought and paid for – I’m shocked! 😯 That those contractors shouldn’t have to follow the Geneva convention, well Bush didn’t, so why should they? 🙄
Perhaps we need to put it this way. SCOTUS has four Justices. SCROTUS (like SCOTUS but with VD), has five fascists,
I don’t even recognize this Extreme Court or any of its decisions as being valid or legal ever since Roberts hopped on board. They ignore past precedent and speak only for the rich and privileged, not for individual regular people like us. The Fascist Five are a dangerous, activist legal anomaly whose decisions have little to do with the Constitution OR our American Way! As far as I’m concerned, this court has taken leave of its senses and is off in the ozone somewhere!
Too true, Jack.
From 1981to 2008 there was only one Democratic President, Bill Clinton.
Yes, the consequences of Republican rule, is more than a multi-trillion dollar debt.
The document says “We the people…..” I guess the Court forgot that.
If the country does go to Hell, there will still be “the people.”
Well said, Tom.
We’re people and we’re mad! Dammit! 👿
Amen!