I didn’t even know about this court case in Minnesota, but it leads in the news here in the Seattle area. The Supreme Court made a good play.
The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a Washington state law prohibiting licensed health care professionals from practicing “conversion therapy” – a scientifically discredited practice intended to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity – as it applies to minors.
Critics say the practice – which attempts to convert people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning – into straight or cisgender people, causes serious emotional harm and can have deadly results.
Of course, it’s more of a “I’m not touching that with a 10 foot pole” decision than something that actively slaps down conversion therapy, but it’s a good start. At least until the court decides to revisit it again.
The usual suspects wanted to hear this case in court.
The vote was 6-3, with Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly saying they would have taken up the case.
Thomas wrote in a five-page dissent that he would have taken up the case to consider a First Amendment challenge to the law.
I know it’s not fair legal practice, but I personally consider any law favored by those three corrupt thugs to be a bad law.
Well my 2 cents. I always thought the hatred of gays and other non binaries was rooted in abrahamic faith misogyny anyway . As a cishet feminist woman, I’m glad that this happened. Harassing people over their sexuality is abuse not therapy. I watched my paternal uncle harass one of his sons to tears because he wasn’t stereotypically masculine (IOW he wasn’t a selfish chest thumping asshole) . And my own mother would parrot the verbally and emotionally abusive vestiges of that toxic Victorian era purity culture she was raised with as a preacher’s granddaughter. I can almost imagine the mistreatments someone who’s actually non binary would have to endure. 🤮
Realistically, the SCOTUS couldn’t really touch that law, as they’d get the state rights folks to take up arms and quite literally undermine laws that outlawed things like bloodletting and use of poisons as “medications”.
The states have always had the right to regulate medicine within their own borders and hence, would undermine existing case law going back to colonization.
And none want to try to overrule the Crown. ;)
As for calling the three thieves thugs, well played, Sir!
Thomas’ decent was more of a request for right wing jurists, legislators, and activists to set up another case for the the Supreme Court to legalize conversion therapy in all states.
So the three most fascist clowns on the court think torture is “free speech.”
And if scotus takes trump’s side in Jack Smith’s request for a ruling on presidential immunity, Biden should go hog wild – stack the court, impose single-payer healthcare by decree, nationalize SpaceX and bring it into NASA control, pronounce the Second Amendment null and void, the list of good things to be done can go on and on.
If they want a king, give them one.
The words “Clarence Thomas” and “Justice” should never be placed in proximity to each other without the word “not” or a similar negation between them. Same for Alito.
Here’s a fun question. Both of these guys apparently have no problem with a conservative christian baker, photographer, or other service provider discriminating against someone (like one of those icky homosexuals or atheists) because their beliefs clash with those of the potential customer. How much do you want to bet that they would be OK with allowing a homosexual atheist photographer, baker, etc., refusing service to a homophobic evangelical christian for the same reason?
Robert Westbrook @ #4
So the three most fascist clowns on the court think torture is “free speech.”
Not so surprising when you know that the word “bribe” is the same as “Tuesday” in their mighty Hall.
That’s pure nonsense! Bribe most certainly is not Tuesday to them!
Monbribe, tuesbribe, wednesbribe, thursbribe, fribribe, saturbribe, sunbribe… They’re now eagerly anticipating the Christmas holiday, to open their Christmas bribe presents. That’ll have them well prepared to celebrate new year’s eve, to wake up and enjoy their New Year’s Bribe.
They especially love Leap Year, when they can enjoy an additional Leap Bribe.
So, a “therapist” can say anything without facing malpractice because of free speech? Please.
Everybody knew Clarence wasn’t fit to be a Supreme, but the Republicans made enough of a stink over the rape allegation to lever him into the office.
You can’t really have any rights without a right to bodily autonomy.
When they overturned Roe vs. Wade, they lost all claim to legitimacy for me.
Yeah, I get it’s not that simple, and they still wield actual, real, political, economic, and legislative power.
I wasn’t even an adult at the time, and I still remember the hearings where he pulled out his pubes to put them on Anita Hill’s soda can. That should disqualify someone from McDonald’s, and render them never to be in a position of power over anyone ever again.
Our society is irredeemably broken, maybe it’s for the best we our destroying ourselves with unchecked fossil fuel use. :(
@ ^ Robert Webster : Of course, to his eternal discredit Biden helped get Thomas onto SCOTUS too – see :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Thomas_Supreme_Court_nomination#Sexual_harassment_allegations
Then there’s “Justice”” I like Beer McRapey Kavanaugh who is lucky he didn’t accidentally murder his victim & the Handmaiden Comey Of Barret who really seriously should NOT be on SCOTUS and its a disgrace that something hasn’t been done to remove them – impeachment and that they were able to lie & cheat their way on in the first place. A situation that badly needs fixing and some major reforms.
It’s infuriating & disgusting that SCOTUS is a job you can lie your way into and yet keep and stillsomehow get some facade of undeserved respect
I always did wonder, since some justices on the SCOTUS decided that they’re happy to submit perjurous testimony to Congress, will they also accept perjury in court?
@wzrd1 – Yeah, the whole “Roe v Wade is established law” crowd.
@ ^ Robert Webster : Reminder :
Plus
Plus
(No agenda my ass!)
Source : https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/06/28/did-supreme-court-justices-lie-by-claiming-they-wouldnt-overturn-roe-v-wade-heres-what-they-actually-said/?sh=1d6e5c295420
(Articles limited semi-subscriber walled.)
They chose their weasel words and deceptive phrases carefully but they certainly didn’t tell the full truth or give the correct impression that they would overturn Roes vs Wade as they did. Lies in other words and in practice.
Duplicitious, disingenuous, misogynist scum the lot of them and every one of those Trump impositions and traitors should have been removed from SCOTUS, been charged with Contempt of Congress* and their judgements rendered null and void immediately afterwards in my view.
As for Clarence Thomas and Ginni Thomas their treason* should have been treated as, well, exactly that. Why hasn’t it been?
. * See : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_Congress
.**See : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginni_Thomas#Efforts_to_overturn_the_results_of_the_2020_presidential_election :
One tiny niggle. Treason is explicitly defined in the Constitution and well, not SCOTUS justice has yet taken up arms against the US, nor have any given aid and comfort to an enemy of the US.
Contempt of Congress, yes, perjury even, but not treason.
^ Emphasis added in quotes.
@15. wzrd1 : Technically yeah but in the broader common useage betrayal sense of the word..
Even setting aside the allegations of corruption, Thomas and his wife came perilously close to open support of insurrection,
The three nominees put up by the right-wing Federalist Society are likely tacit theocrats.
And the lied through their teeth about Roe
Abort the Court!
OK. If you walk beside Brett Kavanaugh next to a railroad you know what to do when a train turns up.
Grease the rails?
Off-topic:
Is Musk trying to create a rival for University of Austin?
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/13/elon-musk-austin-texas-university/
imback @21
My prediction is that he’s going to set it up then merge with them so that he can be mentioned as a co-founder, similar to how he got to be a co-founder of Tesla.
Wzrd1 @ 20
If he is greasy enough, yes.
I was thinking more like red grease on the rails. Lithium lasts a bit longer, although graphite is a tad more durable.
And yes, they actually do grease railroad rails, typically on curves.