The Oligarchs are Tightening their Grip

Oh, oh.  SCOTUS could decide some time next year that there are no limits on election campaign money at all.

Keeping our democracy depends on at least two of the gang of six being not entirely shameless.  There was some indication of that this last term, but not on any of the really big cases.

Update, 14:30−5:  Another SCOTUSblog post.

John Roberts is speaking to 4th circuit judges and saying that judges should care only about where the law leads, not about what the effects of the decision are.  Given that each justice’s vote on the really big cases that make the news can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy, I have trouble believing that he’s telling the truth.

The Gang of Six Again

The Supreme Court announced rulings on five cases this morning.  In four of them, the justices didn’t seem to vote along idealogical lines; but they weren’t the sorts of cases we’re likely to hear about on the evening news.

In one case, United States vs. Skrmetti, the usual six justices combined to uphold a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for trans folks under 19 years of age regardless of what the teens themselves or their parents wanted, or what their doctors recommended.  Amy Howe at SCOTUSblog has the scoop.

No Kings

St. Louis’ No Kings march seems to have gone well.  Our NPR station has a much better description than anything I could write.

Our MAGAt governor called out the National Guard and nothing happened.  One of my senators actually “blamed” the protest on George Soros.  (I couldn’t make that up.)  I’m laughing at both of them.