“My goal today is to convince you that this court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks.” — Amy Coney Barrett, September 12, 2021
Yesterday, Barrett and her five conservative colleagues proved that they are indeed a bunch of partisan hacks. It was a foregone conclusion how Alito and Thomas would vote, and I was wrong to hold some small hope for the other four justices.
With Trump’s Federal charges yet to be tried, he has not only been found pre-emptively innocent, he has been awarded broad powers to do whatever he wants if he returns to office. Starting with dropping all of the charges against him, which he can do even without yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling.
Chief Justice Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion, said Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent was, “fear mongering on the basis of extreme hypotheticals about a future where the President feels empowered to violate federal criminal law.” Like the formerly extreme hypothetical of Roe v. Wade being overturned after fifty years?
Right now, based on Biden’s disastrous performance in last Thursday’s debate, and his refusal to drop out of the race, it seems likely that Trump will win in November. As dictator starting on Day 1, Trump will act with impunity, of this we can be certain.
Only long after Trump has committed his countless crimes might there be the determination of whether or not they were “official acts.” But with the Justice Department filled with cronies, nobody will bring the charges. The impeachment process will be the only possible disciplinary action.
Republicans now have everything they could wish for. The only note of optimism I can offer is the old saying, “be careful what you wish for.”