Wed Jun 27, 2012, 08:15 AM
11 Bravo (15,569 posts)
The abject hypocrisy of Antonin Scalia ...
For incontrovertible proof one need look no farther than his disparate conclusions regarding two landmark cases decided by the court this week. In a sputtering, frothing-at-the-mouth dissent from the decision striking down three fourths of Arizona's anti-immigrant statute, Scalia railed that Arizona must be given all the deference accorded to a sovereign nation in any attempt to protect its border. Contrast that with his opinion ISSUED ON THE SAME DAY, wherein he held that Montana's century-old law prohibiting corporate contributions to political campaigns could not be allowed to stand.
So there you have it; if Fat Tony agrees with a state's position, then they must be viewed as a sovereign nation-state and accorded all the rights associated thereto. If, however, Scalia disagrees with a state's finding, then that state should be viewed as inconsequential, and will be afforded the back of his pudgy little hand. It is hard to put into words how much I truly despise that smug, smirking, faux-intellectual hypocrite.
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35 replies, 4301 views
| Author | Time | Post | |
| 11 Bravo | Jun 2012 | OP | |
| madrchsod | Jun 2012 | #1 | |
| dark forest | Jun 2012 | #13 | |
| malaise | Jun 2012 | #2 | |
| spanone | Jun 2012 | #3 | |
| dark forest | Jun 2012 | #14 | |
| SunSeeker | Jun 2012 | #28 | |
| 99Forever | Jun 2012 | #4 | |
| TahitiNut | Jun 2012 | #34 | |
| Animal Chin | Jun 2012 | #5 | |
| Raster | Jun 2012 | #7 | |
| Whiskeytide | Jun 2012 | #9 | |
| olegramps | Jun 2012 | #18 | |
| DearAbby | Jun 2012 | #6 | |
| 66 dmhlt | Jun 2012 | #8 | |
| treestar | Jun 2012 | #10 | |
| leftyohiolib | Jun 2012 | #11 | |
| Baitball Blogger | Jun 2012 | #12 | |
| Alcibiades | Jun 2012 | #15 | |
| Baitball Blogger | Jun 2012 | #17 | |
| BlueMTexpat | Jun 2012 | #31 | |
| pa28 | Jun 2012 | #25 | |
| 11 Bravo | Jun 2012 | #27 | |
| FreeBC | Jun 2012 | #16 | |
| ashling | Jun 2012 | #19 | |
| Shagman | Jun 2012 | #20 | |
| evilhime | Jun 2012 | #21 | |
| Spazito | Jun 2012 | #22 | |
| Smilo | Jun 2012 | #23 | |
| Blue Owl | Jun 2012 | #24 | |
| Scootaloo | Jun 2012 | #26 | |
| SunSeeker | Jun 2012 | #29 | |
| clang1 | Jun 2012 | #30 | |
| RainDog | Jun 2012 | #32 | |
| PA Democrat | Jun 2012 | #33 | |
| butterfly77 | Jun 2012 | #35 |
Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 08:42 AM
madrchsod (55,891 posts)
1. it`s not hypocrisy ...
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his ruling in montana and arizona was paid for
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Response to madrchsod (Reply #1)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:22 AM
dark forest (89 posts)
13. How does
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that make it not hypocrisy? Are the two mutually exclusive?
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 08:53 AM
malaise (107,042 posts)
2. +1,000
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Rec
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 09:01 AM
spanone (72,275 posts)
3. he's an embarrassment to judges and human beings
Response to spanone (Reply #3)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:23 AM
dark forest (89 posts)
14. An interesting distinction
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One that I have long felt was valid.
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Response to dark forest (Reply #14)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:30 PM
SunSeeker (5,334 posts)
28. LOL I see you've spent some time in the courtroom. nt
Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 09:18 AM
99Forever (5,328 posts)
4. A real piece of __________.
Response to 99Forever (Reply #4)
Thu Jun 28, 2012, 08:00 AM
TahitiNut (71,568 posts)
34. ... elephant dung.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 09:37 AM
Animal Chin (158 posts)
5. Kangaroo Court
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If I had justified a position in law school using Scalia's Arizona arguments (state historically excluding "freed slaves" from its borders, among others), I would undoubtedly be given an F.
Is there any doubt that Scalia would have had no objection to the "individual mandate" if it had passed in 1993 when it was proposed by Republicans (at the time the Constitutionality of the concept was not in question)? I think not. Scalia (and I fear this is true for the remaining 8 justices as well, save perhaps Kennedy) does not interpret the law; he finds an argument that supports his party's position. It's a shame because the independence under which the founders intended the Supreme Court to operate is dead, and that makes the Court pretty worthless. All of the Justices should be ashamed of themselves for becoming part of a Court whose decisions are predictable along party lines with a margin of error of one judge. It's the lowest quality jurisprudence and as a lawyer, it saddend and sickens me that this is what has become of an institution I used to hold in such high regard. |
Response to Animal Chin (Reply #5)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 09:44 AM
Raster (12,621 posts)
7. Welcome to DU, Kangaroo Cout!
Response to Animal Chin (Reply #5)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 09:54 AM
Whiskeytide (510 posts)
9. I share your sentiments as a lawyer myself.
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I think it has always been a political body to some extent, but this court has taken it to a new level. They don't really even try to hide their partisanship. I think the power of big $ has made them arrogant and brazen.
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Response to Animal Chin (Reply #5)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:52 AM
olegramps (3,931 posts)
18. Perhaps its time to amend the Constitution to strike down life time appointments.
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It is my opinion that the Founding Fathers could not have envisioned that the Supreme Court and Federal Courts appointees could be this corrupted by politics and it is past time to revisit these issues. Perhaps we should also look at expanding the Supreme Court from nine justices.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 09:38 AM
DearAbby (12,196 posts)
6. I noticed that as well
Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 09:49 AM
66 dmhlt (1,317 posts)
8. Scalia Is JUST LIKE Limbaugh ...
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They BOTH love to trash our Constitution
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-scalia-and-limbaugh-20120625,0,458552.story |
Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 09:55 AM
treestar (41,449 posts)
10. He is so political
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He talks in right wing political talking points, not legal ones.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:02 AM
leftyohiolib (3,287 posts)
11. he has tenure so he doesnt have to care. scotus is a monopoly
Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:04 AM
Baitball Blogger (11,649 posts)
12. Oh my God. Scalia is a sovereigntist.
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Why, oh, why don't people vet these things out BEFORE these asshats get on the bench.
State's rights is really a bad idea for a federal judge, because within states, the power is being chipped away by corrupt local government where feudal systems really are in place. |
Response to Baitball Blogger (Reply #12)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:29 AM
Alcibiades (5,019 posts)
15. He only believes in states' rights when
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they support the GOP agenda. If a state tries to institute a policy at odds with his preferred outcome, then it's the court that is suddenly sovereign and supreme.
Note also that the Montana ruling was a summary dismissal. A summary dismissal to find a 102 year-old law unconstitutional. Note, too, that immigration is and always has been (under our current constitution anyway) a federal matter, whereas the administration of elections has always been a perogative of the states. No doubt the Montana case was summarily dismissed because Scalia and the other right-wing bretheren simply found the task of explaining why this pair of rulings contradicts the entire tradition of consitutional law in the United States. |
Response to Alcibiades (Reply #15)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:44 AM
Baitball Blogger (11,649 posts)
17. Montana should have the right to decide campaign funding that involves state and local offices.
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If Scalia were consistent, he would limit judgment to federal campaigns. (We'll have to deal with that in another way)
On the other hand, the issue of immigration is very much a federal issue because of the crossing border situation. In simple terms, that's how I see it. |
Response to Baitball Blogger (Reply #17)
Thu Jun 28, 2012, 04:34 AM
BlueMTexpat (2,610 posts)
31. I totally concur. Scalia was wrong on both counts as well as being a bought-and-paid-for hypocrite
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I was born in MT and was raised there. I still have a lot of close family members there.
While we had a lot of Tea Party types even back in the sixties (primarily JBSers - and I'll never forget how such scumbags gloated and cheered when JFK was assassinated - precursors of the truly nasties who have now been "mainstreamed" and who hold WAY too much power today), there are still a lot of good people there. Most of them know a heck of a lot more about Constitutional law than Scalia does. "Fat Tony" needs to go. Now. |
Response to Alcibiades (Reply #15)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 04:46 PM
pa28 (3,705 posts)
25. This is why you can never let a Republican drone on about states rights
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or activist judges.
These people re-define hypocrisy and somehow they can't see it. |
Response to pa28 (Reply #25)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 08:39 PM
11 Bravo (15,569 posts)
27. Oh, they can see it. They just hope that we can't.
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That's why I will continue to point it out at every opportunity.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:30 AM
FreeBC (365 posts)
16. I think he craves attention
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And we have no choice but to give it to him.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:56 AM
ashling (19,448 posts)
19. Sooner or later he is going to choke on his own hate
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Heimlich anyone? Bueler? Bueler?
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 11:03 AM
Shagman (135 posts)
20. Impeach him before he rules again! nt
Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 11:15 AM
evilhime (203 posts)
21. Thanks for putting into words
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what I have been thinking for the last day or so . . . as they said this morning on Stephanie Miller (paraphrasing) . . . he goes home at night, drinks beer while shouting at MSNBC. And the media doesn't talk about this being partisan forget just wrong.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 11:55 AM
Spazito (26,475 posts)
22. Yep, abject hypocrisy is the best description...
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blatant and disgusting hypocrisy in full view.
Recommended. |
Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 12:05 PM
Smilo (1,893 posts)
23. Scalia
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is a true scumbag - ethics and morality have no place in his, or Justice Thomas, way of ruling.
http://www.change.org/petitions/supreme-court-justice-antonin-scalia-apologize-for-using-slavery-as-legal-precedent-for-arizona-immigration-laws |
Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 01:43 PM
Blue Owl (8,631 posts)
24. Scalia is an absolute disgrace to democracy and justice
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If this is how you serve your country, then you can eat shit and die, your honor.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 05:11 PM
Scootaloo (6,069 posts)
26. Confederate thinking
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Seriously, that's exactly the sort of thinking cited by South Carolina in their articles of Secession. They declared their right to self-determination as an independent state with the exact same breath they blasted the federal government for allowing non-slave states to do the same.
Equal for me, but not for thee, in other words. |
Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Wed Jun 27, 2012, 10:33 PM
SunSeeker (5,334 posts)
29. Scalia has no legal philosophy.
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He just has a right wing political philosophy and uses that to determine how he will rule on cases. Then he turns to one of his Ivy League law clerks to find him legal support for the conclusion he wants to make. And legal precedent is much like the Bible. You can find a quote to justify anything.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Thu Jun 28, 2012, 02:33 AM
clang1 (884 posts)
30. He is not hypocritical at all
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he is good at what he does is all. Understand the difference.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Thu Jun 28, 2012, 07:23 AM
PA Democrat (10,992 posts)
33. He also did not respect the sovereignty of the state of Florida
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when he and the other Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse overturned the Florida Supreme Court's ruling to recount ballots and appoint George W. Bush president.
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Response to 11 Bravo (Original post)
Thu Jun 28, 2012, 08:00 AM
butterfly77 (16,765 posts)

