Specter to probe Supreme Court decisions

[kskiska]

Source: The Politico

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) plans to review the Senate testimony of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel J. Alito to determine if their reversal of several long-standing opinions conflicts with promises they made to senators to win confirmation.

Specter, who championed their confirmation, said Tuesday he will personally re-examine the testimony to see if their actions in court match what they told the Senate.

"There are things he has said, and I want to see how well he has complied with it," Specter said, singling out Roberts.

The Specter inquiry poses a potential political problem for the GOP and future nominees because Democrats are increasingly complaining that the Supreme Court moved quicker and more dramatically than advertised to overturn or chip away at prior decisions.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0707/5099.html

[AndyA]

1. Golly gosh gee, Arlen, thanks so much for following up on your previous

pet projects. I find it so comforting to know that you are so committed to being fair and honest about everything you do.

Now I won't have to worry about the Republican Party stacking the Supreme Court with a bunch of right wing crazies who have no interest in doing what's right for the majority of the American people, or what's fair under the Constitution.

Now I'll sleep better...

[saigon68]

22. Spector also championed "Long Dong Silver" Thomas

The weak leg of the stool

[More Than A Feeling]

2. Too little, too late, tool.

Slink off into a corner, old man. The time for pathetic fakes like you is over.

[ejbr]

3. Spector, you're a piece of shit

I respect that asshole Roberts more than you, you fuckin' lying piece of shit.

[BadGimp]

29. tell us how you really feel ejbr

I think Spector is fronting on everything. Always has been. He puts on the "bipartisan" face but all he is really doing is providing cover for the reThuglicans.

What was that crap he let get slipped in to a piece of legislation?? Some one placed a guy on his staff and he inserted some stuff at the last minute and Spector said he did not read it. Bullshit imo. I am not able re recall. That scared the hell outta me. Wish I could remember.

[ejbr]

32. I'll tell you what that fuckwad inserted into that bill

it was the ability for Gonzo to appoint U.S. Attorneys WITHOUT Congress's confirmation! Hence, gonzogate! Yes, he added this into the Patriot Act. I can understand why Leahy may resist bringing up this crock of shit, but that other Democrats refuse to utter this fact on the talking head shows, every time they go on, is just another example of their spineless bullshit! There are just way too many Democrats who want our support who prefer to support those stinkin', no scruple-havin', remorseless, spineless, selfish republicans than US! THEY'RE ALL BASTARDS!!!!


Aside from that, I'm having a pretty good day. You?

[Massachusetts]

4. Ho Hum

Darlin Arlen and his usual Bu$hit!

[partylessinOhio]

5. Do you have the power to remove them from the SC? NO!

You and your cronies have stuck us with these weirdos until they die.


Stacking the bench will come back and bite you in the rear.

[Stuckinthebush]

9. A justice can be impeached

if warranted.

[TheOtherMaven]

13. It was tried, once

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase was impeached on the grounds of flagrantly political decisionmaking. The Senate let him off, probably because he was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence (nothing like being on the right side at the right time to give you a bulletproof butt for the rest of your life, is there?).

It's never been tried again. Maybe it's time to rethink that.

[CountAllVotes]

15. Welcome to the DU TheOtherMaven

and welcome to the DU!

[TacticalPeek]

16. Welcome to DU!

[Stuckinthebush]

17. Amen to the rethinking

The SC should NOT be a political arm of either party. There are at least three on the SC that need to be axed from the court because of their political decisions. I'm sure major dirt can be found on one of them in particular.

[0007]

21. ...does the last name begin with a "T"? nt

[Stuckinthebush]

24. Hmmmm...I think it does!

[Tesha]

18. Perhaps "Lying to Congress" during your confirmation hearings...

Perhaps "Lying to Congress" during your confirmation hearings
would rise above the threshold of "impeachable offenses"?

Tesha

[Virginia Dare]

19. Interesting I'll look that up, thanks...

welcome to DU!..

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. I have absolutely no respect for him either.

Just an empty mouth.

[Dr.Phool]

7. Roberts was caught lying to your committee and you still approved him.

Remember when he was asked if he was a member of the Federalist Society? He said "Nope, never heard of it". It turned out he was one of their top officers.

And Alito kept talking about this concept of a "unitary executive" (translation: dictator), which runs counter to the constitution, and you approved this piece of shit.

[gratuitous]

8. Gaze in awe, mortals

Sure, Gordon Smith of Oregon does a passable imitation, but the Master of Political Grandstanding is and remains Arlen Specter. There is absolutely nothing Specter can do about Roberts and Alito being on the Supreme Court, and he knows it. But this little stunt will play well with the rubes who are so addicted to "mavericks" and "bipartisanship" (read: DC pundits) that they'll swoon over Arlen's manly manliness, as if he was actually doing something worthwhile.

Have I mentioned yet today how much I hate these guys?

[arewenotdemo]

28. lol

well put.

[LibDemAlways]

10. I think I'll send Specter a copy of the old Aesop's Fable

about the Farmer and the Snake. A farmer comes upon a rattlesnake on a mountain path. The snake asks the farmer to bring him down to the valley below and, in exchange, he promises not to bite. The farmer takes the snake at its word and carries him down, where the snake promptly bites him in the leg. "Ow. You promised you would not bite me," cries the wounded farmer. "Ah, so I did," replies the snake, "but you knew I was a snake when you picked me up."

[Zavulon]

11. Hey, Arlen, why not conduct a probe of your public statements and campaign promises instead?

I'll bet you lied to us a lot more often than Roberts or Alito did, you fucking asshole.

[Doctor_J]

12. Snarlin' Arlen blows smoke again

Yeesh. Of COURSE they lied - they're Republicans. So what?

[yellowcanine]

14. Arlen spots windmill. Arlen tilts at said windmill.

[Virginia Dare]

20. You confirm two proven liars to the bench..

and now you're shocked that they lied, nice going Arlen. What a POS!

[hughee99]

23. Does it really matter?

A judge, any judge, is expected to impartially listen to the arguments of a case and make a ruling on that case. If a judge is "required" to provide a ruling based their answer to a hypothetical question they answered during their confirmation (and not given the specific facts of a specific case), then wouldn't that make this somewhat impractical?

Besides this, a confirmation hearing is basically asking a candidate what they believe at a certain point in time. Is Specter suggesting that a judge should not be allowed to change their mind after hearing the facts of a case?

I'm not happy with any of the current repuke appointees, though some are worse than others, but this would seem to defeat the whole purpose of trying to find objective judges (not that they've done a good job with that lately, anyway).

[glitch]

25. I am sure he'll find everything is completely legitimate.

When do we get to acknowledge this stooge has lost any credibility?

[youngdem]

26. Cough****BULLSHIT***** COUGH

Ya know, if you want someone who might say the right thing on the Right, and who can feign human emotion, and then when the chips are down - pick Arlen.

Not that anything could come of this anyway. It's not like there is any movement to impeach these men and remove them from the court for their perjury.

So what's gonna happen? They're gonna not win their next election? Oh, yeah, that's right.

So, really, what's with this? Is this just for election 08?

[hvn_nbr_2]

27. "Speak loudly and carry a limp, little stick." - Specter's motto nt

[Malikshah]

30. Specter-- You've got A LOT to answer for. Remember Holly Maddux?

Ira Einhorn?

Mr. Single Bullet man.

Senator Limpy McWoosybutt?

You better do more than plan.

[checks-n-balances]

31. I understand sentiment here, but who actually read the article?

Granted, he has a horrible past track record for many reasons, but it's interesting that a GOP Sen. would do this, even though there is NO getting rid of them short of impeachment. But if you noticed, he's doing something out of step with most Senators from his party and perhaps if this gets enough publicity, it just highlights the mendacity of that party and perhaps it will dawn on the general public that the SCOTUS is skewed toward this regime.

Personally, I'm looking for signs for any GOP leaders who aren't total Bushbots & actually do value the Constitution. If & when impeachment ever happens, the more repubs are in on it, the less possible it can be painted as partisan. It may take an awful lot to get some of these people woken up, but every little bit helps.

Just a thought.