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This is why Republicans have taking over the Supreme Court as a top priority

Craig234

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People tend to get more interested and excited about issues like the culture war, but not so exciting issues involving money are the key to why Republicans have taking over the courts as a top priority. Here's a good example, in a ruling just made.

Back when we had more democracy, and less corruption and 'dark money' and court takeover, the government passed the Clean Water Act.

"For decades, it had been the rule that a federal agency could not issue a license or permit to conduct any activity that could result in any discharge into navigable waters unless the affected state or tribe certified that the discharge was complied with the Clean Water Act and state law, or waived certification."

Guess who changed that? trump, of course. Republicans and fossil fuel companies complained that the law was being used to limit energy projects; so trump cut back on the reviews in 2020.

"States, Native American Tribes and environmental groups sued. Several mostly Republican-led states, a national trade association representing the oil and gas industry and others have intervened in the case to defend the Trump-era rule."

So there you have it. Two sides. On the one, the public interest in a cleaner environment, clean water - Native Americans, states who support that, and environmental groups; on the other side, Republicans and fossil fuel companies wanting money by polluting. That's the heart of the sort of issues Republicans care about being on the wrong side of, to serve the money on that wrong side, with the court in the middle deciding.

That's why there has been something like half a billion dollars in dark money to influence who is on the courts, why Republicans have it as a top priority to take them over with judges who will rule for their right-wing agenda for donor profits whatever the law and constitution say, why there is such a huge system to create an army of lawyers to be those judges who are groomed to support that agenda, run by the Federalist Society who picks the judges for Republicans since Bush. This is all explained well by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse in his series of 13 speeches so far available on youtube called "The Scheme".

Then there was an election. Contrary to Republicans' opinion, the Democrats won. And Biden restored the decades-old practices while the administration re-writes the rule, which will take until 2023. A judge appointed by a Democrat ruled that this was ok, while Republicans wanted to force the trump rule to continue until the rule is re-written.

Republicans appealed to the Supreme Court, using what's called the 'shadow docket' where the court rules quickly, without explanation, without hearing arguments, which the Republican Justices seem to love to use.

And here's the money shot, where all the Republican efforts to take over the courts paid off: the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 ruling - with just the breakdown you'd expect - to force the Biden administration to restore the trump rule until the new rule takes effect, as the fossil fuel companies want. With no explanation for the ruling, without the hearings for the arguments to be made. The four justices criticized the ongoing abuse of the shadow docket.

Voters on the right don't get that excited about this sort of issue. They likely have no idea this ruling happened. They care about things like 'culture war' and just 'own the libs' in general. But the owners of the Republican Party - donors like the fossil fuel companies - care a lot, so Republican politicians care a lot - and they got their victory for money from pollution over the public interest.

This is type of issue the Republican war for the courts is about.

Americans want clean water; but they aren't willing to donate half a billion dollars to the judicial selection process to get judges who will side with them. Fossil Fuel companies make huge money from polluting, and they will donate that huge money to corrupt the process. That's how you get nearly half a billion dollars to push corrupt judges against almost no money for honest judges. And this is the result.

 
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People tend to get more interested and excited about issues like the culture war, but not so exciting issues involving money are the key to why Republicans have taking over the courts as a top priority. Here's a good example, in a ruling just made.

Back when we had more democracy, and less corruption and 'dark money' and court takeover, the government passed the Clean Water Act.

"For decades, it had been the rule that a federal agency could not issue a license or permit to conduct any activity that could result in any discharge into navigable waters unless the affected state or tribe certified that the discharge was complied with the Clean Water Act and state law, or waived certification."

Guess who changed that? trump, of course. Republicans and fossil fuel companies complained that the law was being used to limit energy projects; so trump cut back on the reviews in 2020.

"States, Native American Tribes and environmental groups sued. Several mostly Republican-led states, a national trade association representing the oil and gas industry and others have intervened in the case to defend the Trump-era rule."

So there you have it. Two sides. On the one, the public interest in a cleaner environment, clean water - Native Americans, states who support that, and environmental groups; on the other side, Republicans and fossil fuel companies wanting money by polluting. That's the heart of the sort of issues Republicans care about being on the wrong side of, to serve the money on that wrong side, with the court in the middle deciding.

That's why there has been something like half a billion dollars in dark money to influence who is on the courts, why Republicans have it as a top priority to take them over with judges who will rule for their right-wing agenda for donor profits whatever the law and constitution say, why there is such a huge system to create an army of lawyers to be those judges who are groomed to support that agenda, run by the Federalist Society who picks the judges for Republicans since Bush. This is all explained well by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse in his series of 13 speeches so far available on youtube called "The Scheme".

Then there was an election. Contrary to Republicans' opinion, the Democrats won. And Biden restored the decades-old practices while the administration re-writes the rule, which will take until 2023. A judge appointed by a Democrat ruled that this was ok, while Republicans wanted to force the trump rule to continue until the rule is re-written.

Republicans appealed to the Supreme Court, using what's called the 'shadow docket' where the court rules quickly, without explanation, without hearing arguments, which the Republican Justices seem to love to use.

And here's the money shot, where all the Republican efforts to take over the courts paid off: the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 ruling - with just the breakdown you'd expect - to force the Biden administration to restore the trump rule until the new rule takes effect, as the fossil fuel companies want. With no explanation for the ruling, without the hearings for the arguments to be made. The four justices criticized the ongoing abuse of the shadow docket.

Voters on the right don't get that excited about this sort of issue. They likely have no idea this ruling happened. They care about things like 'culture war' and just 'own the libs' in general. But the owners of the Republican Party - donors like the fossil fuel companies - care a lot, so Republican politicians care a lot - and they got their victory for money from pollution over the public interest.

This is type of issue the Republican war for the courts is about.

Americans want clean water; but they aren't willing to donate half a billion dollars to the judicial selection process to get judges who will side with them. Fossil Fuel companies make huge money from polluting, and they will donate that huge money to corrupt the process. That's how you get nearly half a billion dollars to push corrupt judges against almost no money for honest judges. And this is the result.


Hmm…

The high court's action does not interfere with the Biden administration's plan to rewrite the rule. Work on a revision has begun, but the administration has said a final rule is not expected until the spring of 2023. The Trump-era rule will remain in effect in the meantime.

Why would a court decision based on the rule as it now stands not be valid?
 
And the lack of interest in the topic shows why they can get away with murder by theft of trillions and causing harm people don't care about, while getting them excited about CRT and so on.
 
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