Hacks in Robes

by Steve

Most of the GOP bloc on the Supreme Court are simply political hacks masquerading as justices, looking for opportunities to achieve conservative political goals. The facts of a case are irrelevant if they get in the way of the political agenda to be achieved. John Roberts has wanted to get rid of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) since his days with the Reagan administration. He got his chance yesterday by ignoring recent facts like last year's voter suppression efforts and the 2006 congressional reauthorization of the VRA so he could lead the bloc in killing the Act and telling Congress how to do its job.

Similarly, Antonin Scalia is so driven to achieve his political aims that he doesn't care if he looks racist or hypocritical. Weeks ago, he signaled his racial bias with his complaint about a "racial entitlement" in voting rights. Yesterday, he also ignored the 2006 congressional action on the VRA and gutted the measure. Yet today he said the Court should honor Congress's DOMA vote from the 1990's. Clearly, there is no consistent judicial theory behind this man's thinking except whatever it takes to achieve conservative political aims.

The hypocrisy piles up all around Roberts, Scalia, and the rest of the bloc. For all their talk about the will of the people or honoring congressional intent, many of these justices:

-In Bush vs. Gore, ignored the 2000 presidential popular vote results and shut off any further Florida recounting efforts to hand the election to the GOP;

-In Citizens United, eviscerated McCain/Feingold and created a right for Corporate America to buy the government it wants without any judicial precedent or any expressed will of the people to do so;

-In yesterday’s destruction of the VRA, actively ignored recent voter suppression efforts and Congress's 2006 VRA extension to grant offending states the ability to resume disenfranchisement efforts favoring the GOP without congressional approval or any expressed will of the people to do so.

There should be no surprise at what John Roberts and the rest of the GOP bloc on the court did yesterday: Alito's sneering is just an overt sign of the contempt he, Roberts, Scalia, and Thomas have for civil rights, labor rights, consumer rights, and voting rights. Once put on the court by Reagan and the Bushes, the conservative activist judicial agenda requires that these justices seek opportunities to destroy all rights except those for the elites and Corporate America. No amount of recent fluffing of George W. Bush by Gallup and the media can hide the fact that these GOP presidents put these justices on the highest court to do exactly what Roberts and the gang did yesterday.

Democrats were handed a second major issue to use against the 15-20 vulnerable GOP representatives in next year's midterm election. Immigration and voting rights will be defining issues against the GOP next year, and Democrats should start that drumbeat now.