Wisconsin Republicans block the Democratic governor from making appointments

I’m sure other Republican legislatures will do this.

Some US states are not functioning democracies, and the reason is not mobs, but people in suits and robes deciding to ignore the voters.
In WI, state Supreme Court works with co-partisan GOP legislature to block Dem Governor from making appointments. https://t.co/DlUn4ywDHd
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) June 30, 2022

New, from me: The Jan 6th hearings have rightly directed our attention to the risks that Trump poses to US democracy.

But a dispute over an obscure political appointment in Wisconsin tells us about broader GOP sponsored democratic backsliding. https://t.co/ec2VVP1B8U
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) June 30, 2022

The Cuyahoga River before the EPA – it caught on fire 6/22/69

Quick reminder of what the Cuyahoga River looked like in 1967 prior to the creation of the EPA and the Clean Water Act. pic.twitter.com/ve6S358a2o
— edburmila.bsky.social (@edburmila) June 30, 2022

The Cuyahoga River caught on fire in 1969.

Randy Newman even wrote a song about it. So did REM.

Burning River®

Worst Supreme Court term ever?

As far as I know it is.

overturned Roe v. Wade
made it easier to carry guns
eliminated consequences for not giving Miranda rights
killed EPA’s ability to make regulations to combat climate change
decision on prayer case allowing the coach to pray on the field

I am sure I left some out but those are the ones that come to mind

Undoing Roe is awful. Kneecapping environmental regulation is existential. This Supreme Court has just come down on the side of civilizational collapse.
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) June 30, 2022

Well, that whole entire Supreme Court term sucked ass.
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) June 30, 2022

Not a bad summary, sadly. Not every case, of course, manifests this "We're doing this because we can" attitude, but all the blockbusters do. We're now governed by an elite cabal of dubious legitimacy, the quintessential tyranny of the minority. This can't be allowed to stand. https://t.co/sKenlEMSSj
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) June 30, 2022

Chuck Schumer goes after the “MAGA Court” after recent SCOTUS rulings.

“First on gun safety, then on abortion, and now on the environment – this MAGA, regressive, extremist Supreme Court is intent on setting America back decades, if not centuries,” Schumer says in a statement. pic.twitter.com/49CElAHpWl
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) June 30, 2022

This is what a judicial coup looks like pic.twitter.com/dTZ4zgHJdg
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) June 30, 2022

The Supreme Court has gone rogue. We are in a full-blown Constitutional crisis. Congress must act. And we must pressure Congress to act, while it still can. #TheMajority
— Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) (@HC_Richardson) June 30, 2022

In one term, the extremist Supreme Court:

-overturns Roe v. Wade

-guts Miranda rights

-ends regulations on open-carry of guns

-allows prayer in schools by employees

-ends federal regulation of greenhouse gases
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) June 30, 2022

an unmitigated disaster of a Supreme Court Term. and only 25 or so more to go…
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) June 30, 2022

The Supreme Court has moved relentlessly to the right, issuing blockbuster decisions on cases from abortion to climate change that will transform U.S. life. By one standard measurement, the term that ended this week was the most conservative since 1931. https://t.co/WpQ1DdX8bS
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 1, 2022

New —> Democrats run Washington, but the Supreme Court delivers big wins for GOP https://t.co/41AK6aWZSb
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 1, 2022

It’s now abundantly clear that Trump’s appointees are in control of this court, and they’re not searching for consensus. https://t.co/iHxY8hWrog
— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) July 9, 2022

The Supreme Court is historically right wing – and historically polarized. 21% of decisions were split by the party of the appointing president, which is unprecedented in the modern era.

Our end-of-term wrap-up, with @ameliatd and @elena___mejia:https://t.co/dq91Gq4BrL pic.twitter.com/8jk45NAOaR
— Laura Bronner (@laurabronner) July 5, 2022

The signature moment of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority — overturning Roe v. Wade — would have been enough to highlight the term.

But the justices of what scholars say is one of the most conservative courts in decades did far more than that. https://t.co/nV8PfhZu0b
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 2, 2022

The Supreme Court rules this country with ruthless efficiency and unchecked power. This term provided only a taste of what the 6–3 supermajority has in store for us. https://t.co/ntiUlOWYNw pic.twitter.com/ra3Hhzr2vt
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) June 30, 2022

I'm hard-pressed to think of a more momentous Term in the Supreme Court's history. Ever.

Maybe there have been individual decisions that were more important, but the number of significant, paradigm-shifting rulings, and all in the *same* direction, really has no precedent IMHO.
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) June 30, 2022

Next Supreme Court term could support the terrible independent state legislature theory

The radical independent state legislature theory gives extreme control of elections to states. The Supreme Court (R) has agreed to hear a case about it in the next term. They could make yet another terrible decision.

Just in: In an election case out of North Carolina, SCOTUS agrees to review the "independent state legislature" theory next term. Under that theory, state legislatures have broad power to set rules for federal elections, even if state courts say those rules are unconstitutional.
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) June 30, 2022

Breaking and Analysis: Supreme Court Will Hear Moore v. Harper, the Independent State Legislature Theory Case from North Carolina; This Case Could Severely Curtail the Ability of State Courts to Protect Voting Rights and Stop Partisan Gerrymandering https://t.co/9sIC6NAbNB
— Rick Hasen (@rickhasen) June 30, 2022

A major, major election case to be heard by SCOTUS next term.

This concerns the "independent state legislature theory" which argues state legislatures have the authority over federal elections without checks from state constitutions or state courts.https://t.co/m6YUKgJ5iE
— Nick Corasaniti (@NYTnickc) June 30, 2022

🚨BREAKING: Supreme Court grants cert to review North Carolina redistricting case. This will be a CRITICAL case for democracy next term as the Court will consider the GOP's radical "Independent State Legislature" theory.https://t.co/xJgagh0pVW pic.twitter.com/eqCvacD8Np
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) June 30, 2022

BREAKING: The Supreme Court takes up a case about the independent state legislature doctrine for next term, which could give state legislatures far greater power over all manner of election laws. https://t.co/R2jTEKWoeT
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) June 30, 2022

This is EXACTLY WHY the SC is taking this case. WI, PA, GA, NC: Swing states where GOP has gerrymandered guaranteed control of the state leg.

If the situation were reversed and Dems had semi-permanent control of those legislatures, would the court be doing this? Of course not. https://t.co/6FNC9GI33Y
— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) July 1, 2022

🚨SCOTUS will hear 2 critical voting/election cases in Fall.

Merrill v Milligan–GOP wants to undermine Sec 2 of VRA.

Moore v Harper–GOP wants to strip state courts of power to limit legislatures in election cases.

Democracy is literally on the docket.https://t.co/8iFP5fL7em
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) July 1, 2022

Covers: Down by the River

“Down by the River” (1969) is a Neil Young song that has been covered by artists like Norah Jones and Buddy Miles.

Covers: Like a Hurricane

“Like a Hurricane” is a great Neil Young song written in 1975 and released in 1977. Jay Farrar and Jason Isbell are among the artists who have covered it.

Bad Supreme Court decision on Native American rights

This Court is going to be looked at as like the Court of Plessy, ushering in some of the darkest days for American democracy and upholding power at every turn. https://t.co/e8aTVREM6P
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) June 29, 2022

This #SCOTUS opinion in #CastroHuerta is an act of conquest. Full stop.

The right and power of tribes to rule themselves is being dismissed in favor of state power.

Tribes are…I can’t even write it…part of states.
— Elizabeth Hidalgo Reese (Yunpovi) (@yunpovi) June 29, 2022

The Supreme Court majority calls Native Americans "Indians" while the dissent calls them "Native Americans".

That's all you really need to know.
— Pé🌻 (@4everNeverTrump) June 29, 2022

More bad news for local newspapers

The pandemic has been bad for U.S. local newspapers.

Overall, 2,500 newspapers in the U.S. — a quarter of them — have closed since 2005. The country is set up to lose one-third of its newspapers by 2025. https://t.co/061KNzRUl8 pic.twitter.com/k0XEO9dekh
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 29, 2022

Perspective | Every week, two more newspapers close — and ‘news deserts’ grow larger https://t.co/EkHfnOvIZ5
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKessler__) June 29, 2022

Red states will use the abortion decision to overturn all kinds of rights

And so it begins. The Alabama AG cites the overturning of Roe v. Wade to argue for a ban on trans health care. Alabama says b/c the Supreme Court said abortion is not 'deeply rooted' in the nation's history, the same can be said about access to gender-affirming care.
— Don Lewis (@DonLew87) June 29, 2022

Taken to its logical extreme, this is an argument that each state has the constitutional right to forbid *literally any* specific treatment for damn near any medical condition.

Because there are *no* modern medical treatments that are "deeply rooted." https://t.co/fdcO8zUAlx
— Mike Dunford (@questauthority) June 29, 2022

Democrats need to do better on filling judicial vacancies

The problem isn't just that Democrats refuse to consider serious court reform. It's that *Democrats aren't filling open seats right now* in federal district courts because, for unfathomable reasons, they are letting red state senators block nominees. It's completely outrageous. https://t.co/VbZ2NLeHiQ
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) June 29, 2022

This is unconscionable. Any vacant circuit or district court seat come the new Senate is a massive failure to govern that cannot be blamed on the filibuster. Democrats have a majority and they better start acting on it. https://t.co/wYvLobxNkc
— Jake Meiseles (@Jmeiseles) June 29, 2022

Joe Biden will keep doing this stuff https://t.co/NlOVJf4KWk
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) June 29, 2022

No Republican president would do this

.@RepJohnYarmuth opposes nomination: "…it’s clear that this is part of some larger deal on judicial nominations between the president & McConnell. I strongly oppose this deal & Meredith being nominated for the position. That last thing we need is another extremist on the bench"
— Joe Sonka 😐 (@joesonka) June 29, 2022