Greene County Democrat

Tag: Clarence Thomas

  • Newswire : Supreme Court blocks Trump from deploying National Guard in Chicago

    National Guard deployed in Washington, D. C.

    By Joe Jurado, NewsOne

    In a surprising turn, the Supreme Court has blocked President Donald Trump from deploying the National Guard to Chicago. 
    According to The New York Times, the unsigned ruling cited an 1878 law that bans the use of the military for domestic policing as the reason they refused to grant Trump broad authority to deploy the military on American soil. 
    The court found that the Trump administration didn’t successfully argue that the statute “permits the president to federalize the Guard in the exercise of inherent authority to protect federal personnel and property in Illinois.” The Supreme Court has sided chiefly with Trump in his unprecedented efforts to expand the scope of presidential power. 
    The preliminary injunction was issued in a 6-3 ruling, with justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., and Neil M. Gorsuch dissenting. In a lengthy dissent, Justice Alito wrote that “the protection of federal officers from potentially lethal attacks should not be thwarted.” 
    Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, cosigned with Alito’s dissent, saying in a statement, “He activated the National Guard to protect federal law enforcement officers and to ensure rioters did not destroy federal buildings and property. Nothing in today’s ruling detracts from that core agenda.” 
    You know, I’m pretty sure federal law enforcement has been regularly doing its job without the assistance of the National Guard for at least the 33 years I’ve been alive. Maybe if the federal government properly vetted and trained Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, there wouldn’t be so much concern about their ability to protect themselves. 
    Illinois Governor JB Pritzker released a statement celebrating the ruling. “This is an important step in curbing the Trump administration’s consistent abuse of power and slowing Trump’s march toward authoritarianism,” Pritzker’s statement read. “The brave men and women of our National Guard should never be used for political theater and deserve to be with their families and communities, especially during the holidays.”
    Trump’s efforts to deploy the National Guard across American cities with Democrat leadership have continually faced legal pushback throughout the year. A federal judge blocked Trump from deploying the National Guard in Memphis and Portland, with federal judges also ruling that Trump must withdraw the National Guard from California and Washington, D.C.
    The deployments have sapped morale among Guardsmen, with some forming a group chat where they’ve openly questioned the point of the deployments in the first place. 
    Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, the consistent legal pushback, and the consistent drop in morale within the National Guard, The Guardian reports that Trump approved the deployment of 350 National Guardsmen to New Orleans ahead of the new year. Federal law enforcement already has a presence in New Orleans, with Border Patrol launching an immigration crackdown earlier this month. 
    It remains to be seen if this deployment will face any legal pushback. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is a staunch Republican and a Trump loyalist who has been supportive of efforts to deploy the National Guard in New Orleans. “It’s going to help us further crack down on the violence here in the city of New Orleans and elsewhere around Louisiana,” Landry said in an appearance on The Will Cain Show on Fox News. “And so a big shoutout to both of them.”
    New Orleans Mayor-elect Democrat Helena Moreno issued a statement in support of the National Guard deployment. “Like in past years, including last year, we appreciate the support provided by our federal and state public safety partners to increase the visibility of security assets during major events such as Carnival, New Year’s, and the Sugar Bowl,” Moreno said in a statement provided to USA Today. “I have been assured that the added support of the Louisiana National Guard to help secure these large events comes at no cost to the city and plays an important role in strengthening public safety.”
    So while the New Orleans deployment looks like it will proceed without any legal pushback, the Supreme Court’s ruling may make it harder for Trump to continue deploying the National Guard in the new year. 

     

  • Newswire: President Biden nominates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Supreme Court

    Judge Katanji Brown Jackson introduced at the White House, flanked by President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris

     

     

    By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor


    For the first time in American history, a Black woman has been nominated to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
    By selecting Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Feb. 25, President Joe Biden completed his pledge to select a Black woman for the court for the first time in history.
    A Black woman has never served on the U.S. Supreme Court since it was created in 1789 — over 232 years ago. Since then, only two other Black persons have served on the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall, who was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967, and Clarence Thomas, who was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1991 amid significant controversy.
    In over two centuries, 114 justices have served on the Supreme Court and 108 of them have been white men.
    Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. That federal court is seen as a feeder for nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court.
    Judge Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Miami, Florida.  She attended Harvard University for college and law school and was the editor of the Harvard Law Review. She began her legal career as a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer.
    In what may have been a clue that Judge Jackson would be nominated, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia broke with tradition on Feb. 24 and issued an opinion on a Thursday.  That scheduling change was noted by the media since the court typically only issues opinions on Tuesdays and Fridays.
    Only one other woman of color has served on the Supreme Court, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor of New York, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009. Three other women have served on the Supreme Court: Sandra Day O’Connor, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981; Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993; Associate Justice Elena Kagan, who was appointed by President Obama in 2010; and Associate Justice Amy Barrett who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2020.
    In 1958, just 3 percent of law school students were women. In 2020, women made up 54 percent of law students in the United States.
    The 51-year-old District native, who shares two children with her husband Patrick Jackson, worked in civil and criminal appellate litigation in both state and federal courts for Morrison & Foerster LLP.
    Judge Brown Jackson also served as an assistant federal public defender in the appeals division of the Office of the Public Defender in D.C. She will be the first public defender to serve on the Supreme Court. She will also be the first defense attorney since Thurgood Marshall to serve on the high court.
    Though the selection represents a historic moment in American history, the court will maintain its 6-3 conservative edge as it tackles high-profile and controversial cases, including gun rights, religious liberty, and abortion.
    “Judge Katanji Brown Jackson will fight for African Americans and other communities of color. We haven’t had this on the Supreme Court since Justice Thurgood Marshall,” said National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.
    With a 50-50 Senate, Democrats do not need Republican help to confirm Judge Jackson. Democrats can accomplish the historic confirmation with their 50 votes and Vice President Harris breaking a deadlock.
    Three Republican senators – Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Susan Collins of Maine – supported Judge Jackson when the jurist earned confirmation to the appellate court.