The LuLac Edition #2007, April 3rd, 2012

Judicial activism.

OBAMA TAKES ON THE COURT

Yesterday the President of the United States made a pointed comment about the U.S. Supreme Court and the Health Care Law. Obama called out the Supreme Court again saying that for years Conservatives decried an activist court. Now the President said, “Ultimately, I’m confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law [courts strike down unconstitutional laws all the time] that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress [it barely got by the House and had no room to spare in a party-line vote in the Senate]. And I’d just remind conservative commentators that for years what we’ve heard is, the biggest problem on the bench was judicial activism or a lack of judicial restraint — that an unelected group of people would somehow overturn a duly constituted and passed law. [Obama and the rest of the liberal legal establishment has been saying the opposite for decades] Well, this is a good example. And I’m pretty confident that this Court will recognize that and not take that step.” People on the both the right and left are up in arms over Obama’s remarks saying the President, as a former Constitutional Professor should know better. Maybe but it is about time someone is calling this Court out. Are they political? Let me count the ways.
1. Bush vs. Gore where they handed the election to George W. Bush.
2. The decision that made people corporations and therefore gave individuals the right to fund political campaigns for millions of dollars.
3. The recent ruling that allowed strip searches for every arrest.
I always laugh my ass off when my Conservative friends say the liberals and progressives are taking away America’s freedoms because of deficits and regulations like making people wear seat belts and limiting places where people could smoke. These laws are for the protection of people. If you want to see where your freedoms are threatened, look to this Conservative Supreme Court. With options 2 and 3 they have dwarfed individual campaign small contributors and have given police permission for a strip search on any arrest, even jaywalking.



Parking ticket-gate.

HAILSTONE FARREL'S COURT

Tough political campaigns sometimes have unintended consequences. The race for Democratic Attorney General has been a rough and tumble affair. But it has given us an insight into the way Scranton Magistrate Alyce Hailstone Farrell runs her court. Apparently she dismissed a plethora of parking tickets for two Assistant District Attorneys named Michael and Ellen Goffer. Ellen Goffer is the sister of Kathleen Kane. I know parking tickets are small fries in the grand scheme of things related to law and order but this screams of preferential treatment. How many Scranton residents, how many Scranton shoppers, how many out of town Scranton workers have had the gall to ask that one ticket get dismissed let alone a bunch? Check out my friend Gort 42’s investigation into this business as usual in the Lower Judiciary in Scranton! http://gort42.blogspot.com/.