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Something funny has happened on BushCheneyCo's favorite federal appeals court circuit, where The Regime gets its horrible detention, torture, and wiretap cases rubber-stamped by compliant judges.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, long considered one of the nation's most conservative appellate courts, is shifting to a moderate direction with the balance up for grabs. A growing list of vacancies -- now five -- has left the court evenly divided between Republican and Democratic appointees.
With an election year approaching, experts predict the court will tilt decisively to the left if Democrats keep control of Congress and reclaim the White House.
The Favoring Fascists Fourth is all tied up. Let's keep it that way, shall we? Chairman Leahy, your confirmation hearings need to stop right now.
No more Bush judges!
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Zed.
Uno?
everything Bush touches turns to shit… this may work to our advantage eventually.
I told ‘em downstairs.
This is why elections matter.
I really think the Senate judicial confirmation process oughta put a “Gone Fishin’” sign on the door until 1/09. Why give these jokers any more judges?
single digits now to read…
let’s not tell him judges are missing from that bench… recess appointments and all…
The “Fascist Fourth”? Right on. I have a hard time believing Leahy would let another Bush nominee get through, after the way the SJC has been treated by the White House.
TeddySanFran @ 6
How about “Gone investigating”?
Great, another opportunity for Lieberman and Pryor etc.. to do their dirty work..
Sorry to be so cynical..
TeddySanFran @ 6
So there can’t be recess appointments here?
she says with fingers crossed
I thought Reid said that he wasn’t confirming any more shrub judicial nominees?
I think this should be extended to all shrub nominees, for anything. Any news on recess appointments yet?
petwrecker @ 7
Single digits now? Sheesh! I vote that the zed and the zed only wins a cigar.
Thanks, hackworth…I’ll accept the fine cigar of your choice.
TeddySanFran @ 6
Well, given that DiFi is totally clueless and voted to send Southwick’s nomination forward, let’s hope Leahy is smart enough to not let any other Bushista’s lie and scam the system.
Sorry for the OT post heres the USGS seismic map of UT.
Good Post, Teddy! Correct me if I’m wrong, but, can’t Shrub recess appoint Judges to the Fourth? This is where Reid needs a skeletal crew in town to ensure we avoid those travesties!!!
Thanks TeddySanFran, been awhile since we’ve had any good news.
http://www.seis.utah.edu/recen.....12-40.htmlargosfalcon @ 17
A lawyer’s view. In the old days, You couldn’t necessarily predict how a justice would vote. Examples: Earl Warren (a CA republican), Harry Blackmun (an MN republican). Today, you can. Democrats in the Senate need to accept this.
Guess Im done for a while,(humming if I only had a brain)
Hey! Remember Taj Mahal singing “Going Fishing”?
Is there any other fascist districts that W can use for venue shopping?
argosfalcon @ 20
thank you!
Miners condemned to die slowly in the dark; inconvenient immigrant workers and their families locked up in euphemistically named “Family Residential Centers;” engineers ordered to rebuild exactly the same flood control systems in New Orleans that already failed once to the cost of thousands of lives; bridges collapsed from neglect; a white prosecutor in Louisiana told a group of black children who got involved in a schoolyard scuffle with racist white bullies, in which nobody got seriously hurt, that he can “end their lives with one stroke of a pen” and then tries them with 100 yr sentences hanging over their heads; in Georgia, a high school sports hero sits in jail for years for having consensual sex; and, by the way, our food in more or less poisonous. I don’t know why we bother with judges and laws in shrub’s America. Sometimes it all seems a little superfluous.
Any judicial recess appointments (which are entirely on Harry Reid’s head, in my view) would last until the end of this Congress in December 2008. Shutting down the SJC process will disable confirmation to lifetime appointments.
Lotsa mischief possible with recess-appointments, yes. But not infinite danger.
Hi Teddy. In SF now
Please. With DiFi and the like all over Southwick, there is NO WAY they wont rubberstamp anyone Bush tells them to appoint. He tells them to stay late and pass HIS FISA atrocity, they comply. He tells them they must fund Iraq to HIS spec, they comply.
They are NOT going to do shit. They can’t do shit but undermine the Constitution and tear the fabric that used to hold this country together. They are done. Dems SUCK! (to put it politely). Vote NO on Dems. ANYTHING is better than a Dem. Write-in your dog (or cat). They will certainly do a better job than the Dems can do.
Loo Hoo. @ 23
Great one, Loo Hoo! Saw him live at the Armadillo back in the seventies.
argosfalcon @ 22
Hmmm… Ground zero is the Mine!
TeddySanFran @ 6
While I agree in spirit, I wouldn’t want to see this become a general practice whenever the Senate and presidency are controlled by opposite parties (and if they were to say they’re refusing to confirm because Bush is so bad, you know that’s just what the GOP would do forever.) However, I think the debacle in the Justice Department provides them an excellent opportunity — cooperate with our investigations, or no confirmation hearings. Bush is never going to give up “Firewall” Gonzales, so the roadblock becomes his fault.
(Assuming some Dems can do halfway decent PR on it, which is a big if, of course. However, I’ve noticed that people’s eyes really seem to glaze over when Bush whines about the “partisan obstruction,” so it’s an easier job than most.)
dakine01 @ 16
Heh. Good ole Leahy. Sure, we can count on him to pull his head out of his ass - after he has just given ANOTHER extension to Bush on the illegal spying shit? You are joking if you think he is going to do anything but drool and stare blankly. It’s what he DOES.
Hugh @ 10
or not. Leahy gives WH another extension
I think Schumer said no more judges….obviously DiFi doesn’t agree. Southwick is a total scumbag.
bushco. torture machine
digby
new yorker
The Black Sites
by Jane Mayer
TeddySanFran @ 27
True, but the mischief they could wreak upon current decisions establish precedence!!!
Elliott @ 12
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Recess Appointments of even a Supreme Court Justice have occurred in our nation’s past.
Such as:
Loo Hoo. @ 23
Yup. I actually sang that song to Taj Mahal one time.
Praedor Atrebates @ 29
You cede all ground to the GOP? That is the obvious outcome of each of us writing in a pet.
wangdangdoodle @ 30
Around 72 in DC. Solo show in a small room. Had a fretless banjo and played some “devil chasin’” music. Could use some of that right now.
new yorker
The Black Sites
by Jane Mayer
On democracynow this morning.
http://www.democracynow.org/streampage.pl
Praedor Atrebates @ 33
I’m really getting sick of this crap. A certain amount of venting is fine, but after a point, contributing nothing substantive and going on endlessly with ad hominem attacks about Dems being drooling idiots gets really old.
Blub @ 26
I used to be a republican, and then I was an independent, and now I am a democrat. I would vote for you.
It would be incomprehensible if the Democrats were to permit any single federal judge to join the bench, to say nothing of the Court of Appeals. If you think the 4th circuit is bad, check out the 11th. Judge Cooke got slapped down by her “fellow” Republicans for daring to have one minor doubt about the government’s case against Padilla. It’s time to heed Nancy Reagan in this judicial appointments situation — Just Say No!
P.S. — Fox News — which I watch when I want to get my heart pumping — had some convoluted introduction to a story which had as its conclusion that the next President would be (drum roll please) ..yes…Rudy. Fox had found a way to make Rudy the eventual winner. And yes, my heart was pumping at all the salacious news to come. Rudy running for President when he recommends crooks for Homeland Security. No wonder his own kids don’t talk to him.
carolyn urban @ 39
I had the fortune to see him live at the Kona Surf a few years back and had him autograph one of his old LP’s!!!
OT..but it is now being reported that “retreat mining” was being used at the Crandall mine.
www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/me.....111397.htm
Beg to differ. I think Leahy is pretty damn smart, and is the type of person who believes in the rule of law. He also takes his oath to uphold the Constitution very seriously. He’s not a brawling Fuck you on the Senate floor kind of guy, but I’m extremely proud to call him my Senator.
CarolynUrban, do tell! When and where? How?
Redshift @ 43
Me too.
Redshift @ 32
Actually the R’s have already done this. They basically refused to confirm Clinton nominees for most of the last year - year and a half of his presidency as they were sure that an R would win the Y2K election.
Lew Koch @ 45
Or vote for him… Aloha, Lew! Whatcha got in the pipeline? 8-)
OT-
Obama’s really helping out. These headlines from TPM:
Redshift @ 43
Agreed. We’re all mad about the FISA vote, but Leahy has been one of my heros since January. Can’t expect any one person to do it all.
eCAHNomics @ 53
Or maybe Mushie’s helping Hillary.
Great post TSF. The activist judges are definitely on the repub side.
TeddySanFran @ 40
exactly. Dems might be weak, but we can fix that. Republicans are the ones that got us here, and we shouldn’t forget that.
GordonM @ 55
My, My, we’re certainly cynical today!!! ;-)
Loo Hoo. @ 49
bit of a story. Used to be a great music venue around the corner from me in Burlington VT in the 70’s and early 80’s - called Hunts. Saw Koko Taylor, BB King, Roy Buchanan, and many other greats there - total capacity of about 150 people, so it was up close and personal. Musicians liked Burlington, it was a fun town. My friends and I had Junior Walker and the AllStars back to our apartment for a RAUCOUS dance party after their show.
So, I trailed poor Taj Mahal backstage to invite him for a party. And I guess, being in my cups, I thought it would be clever if I sang him that song.
I don’t think he was too impressed, though he was nice about it. And no, he didn’t come to the party.
Feinstein is simply a Republican who caucuses with the Democrats in order to be elected in California. People should not have high expectations of her with regard to party unity, rule of law, the constitution, civil liberties, judicial appointments or human rights.
When she ran as a Democrat for governor, one of her ads was her speaking about the death penalty at the Democratic state convention and being booed for her views. She’s RGJoe in a dress.
And yet she is consistently voted the most admired political figure in California. She has ridden the Moscone-Milk assassinations hard and long, to great success.
carolyn urban @ 48
Carolyn Urban: TRUE or FALSE: Leahy’s objective is to get himself re-elected.
Hey, TexBetsy! Left my phone charger in Chicago…Thought we did a triple check!
GordonM @ 55
And maybe Pakistan has heard about something Bush is planning before the election.
Richmond @ 63
oh great, maybe more of my nightmares can come true.
Loo Hoo. @ 62
Last I saw it was on your bed.
I think I left my black ethernet cable.
TeddySanFran @ 60
You are what you eat, and
you are what you sleep with.
I’ve met him a few times, he lives in the next town and I’ve run into him at our village church. I’ve been voting for him for years, and following him closely for the last couple. Sure, I think he’d like to be reelected, because he is a public servant, and he knows there is work that he can do. I really do not believe that getting reelected is his big priority. Absolutely not.
And you know what? It would backfire for him if that was his main objective. Vermonters are a quirky bunch, never more so than when in the voting booth. We tend to like integrity, over flash and dazzle. We like people who are good at their word, and who try to get things done.
CTuttle @ 58
Well, he could be trying to help Mitt or Rudy, but I think he’s smarter than that. After all, it takes a fair bit of smarts to perch on the edge with tribal fundies on one side, moderns on the other and nukes buried beneath.
TexBetsy @ 65
this is part of the phone charger mfg’s business plan. people buying replacements who forget them in hotel rooms. I bet every hotel’s lost and found has a few of each!
Or, let me put it another way about Leahy, and this is my sense of him: he’d rather Constitional checks and balances were restored and he was defeated in the next election than the other way around.
TeddySanFran @ 40
I do not think you can enter a write-in on the evil electronic voting machines. Don’t get mad, get revenge. Find a candidate you like for the primaries. Or be a candidate yourself.
carolyn urban @ 48
i agree… but i get the impression that he (and feingold and whitehouse) are not getting a lot of support for what they’ve been trying to do.
or maybe i’m just reading things wrong…
selise @ 72
I have the same impression you do.
carolyn urban @ 70
My family has known him quite well for years an he is the genuine item.
Richmond @ 74
sure seems that way to me.
Agreed. I know everyone is feeling really frustrated and angry right now, and with reason. But if can’t believe in the integrity and good intentions of people like Patrick Leahy or Russ Feingold, then I’m really lost here.
GordonM @ 68
True! And all the while dodging assassination attempts!!! Glad I’m not in his shoes…!!!
Up’n coming:
A look at the MSM covering Padilla :-)
allan_in_upstate @ 66
lotsa detail here.
Lew Koch @ 78
Kewl!!!
No more Bush judges and no more Bushes in elected or appointed office!
I think it may serve a higher purpose for the pundits to be discussing DEMS striking Osama in Pakistan. It sounds proactive, as opposed to the Repubs infinite-quagmire double-gitmo 5-wives mexican-concentration-camps plan.
CTuttle @ 80
Is it going to be a brief post?
Lew Koch @ 78
Looking forward to it.
yes, you can “write in” on electronic voting machines… we did when Dirty Gary Miller ran unopposed here… lot of people must’ve - he only got about 61% of the vote… I do believe Mickey Mouse may have received the rest.
TeddySanFran @ 40
And the difference? No more Iraq Debacle? Nope, the Dems give us that. No more illegal spying? NO, the Dems make it LEGAL (or at least give it their big, fat blessing!). No more suspension of Habeas? NO, the Dems haven’t done SQUAT! No more gutting of reproductive rights? NO, they approved the “partial birth abortion ban” AND put Alito (and Roberts) on the SCROTUS. Doing ANYTHING to prevent an attack on Iran? NO, quite the opposite. They are studiously avoiding doing ANYTHING about it and all they do is talk about “how dangerous” Iran is.
NO DIFFERENCE. Only style, not substance.
In any case, here’s a fact: if enough people vote for 3rd parties, they aren’t 3rd parties anymore!. If enough Greens and Indies get elected, they don’t kiss the ring of corporations and the One Party Leadership that controls BOTH the Dems and the GOP.
Explain how voting for people that GUT Constitutional rights, continue illegal wars, allow unconstitutional and other illegal acts to continue UN-HINDERED are any better than the GOP?
eCAHNomics @ 53
Iran, 1978. Except Pakistan has nukes.
TexBetsy @ 83
LOL!!! Like the coverage the MSM is doing with Padilla?!!! ;-)
OldCoastie @ 85
Will he run unopposed again?
CTuttle @ 88
Yes, that was my implication.
Badwater @ 89
nope! we gotta a candidate this time around!
OldCoastie @ 91
I hope so…I’m in Miller’s district.
OldCoastie @ 85
As someone who every 2 years counts (good old paper and pencil) ballots: the name of a write-in must be a real person. It must be spelled exactly correctly. If the write in is not known to the local election official, the town of residence should be included.
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck… are the same as leaving it blank. (That’s fine with me, real write-ins are a pain in the ass for the counters.)
No confirmations.
Impeachment of all Federalist Society members.
Removal of all Federalist Society members from DOJ, including amending civil service laws to do so.
I’m pissed.
OfT:
LooHoo & TexB, if you call or email the hotel, you may have luck recovering your property (I don’t know the value of what you left behind). But best be quick about it; I’m sure they won’t hold left-behind things for long.
Consumer Affairs at the McCormick Hyatt is Eric Haefner, EHAEFNER@HYATT.COM 312-528-4175
Praedor Atrebates @ 86
Unfortunately, I can’t quibble much with your analysis, except, they’ll still be third (or Fourth…) parties, just not allowing the current regime to run rough-shod over our ideals and rights!!!
GordonM @ 93
I think the write in vote was split between Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Not Gary Miller!
the fella running in CA-42 - his name is Ron Shepson - he announced on the Big Orange.
recess appointments don’t last until the end of this congress, but until the start of the next one. important difference, since the Bushies might opt for the Not-Really-Limited Emergency Bunker Government solution when Karl tells them the math won’t suffice in 2008.