Full Article Text
F R I D A Y , J U L Y 0 8 , 2 0 0 5Down With Activist Judges!by Michael in New York on
7/08/2005 01:25:00 PMHere's some good prep for the SCOTUS battles. This veryamusing NYT op-ed looks at "activist judges." The column'sone flaw is that it says this term is used by people both on theleft and right to describe a judge who makes a ruling theydisagree with. I disagree with THAT -- I'd say the term isalmost entirely a fiction employed by the far right. The onlytime it's used by people on the left is to mock the idea of an"activist" judge.But the heart of the column is very good. It decides to definean activist judge as one who votes to strike down a law passedby Congress. That is the gist of one of the far right'scomplaints -- that the elected Congress passes a law and thatthe unaccountable, unelected Supreme Court has the nerve todeclare it unconstitutional, interfering with the will of thepeople. Obviously sometimes a law should be declaredunconstitutional, but a justice's propensity for doing it againand again is about as good an argument for being an "activist"judge as one could ask for. Of course, no surprise here: thejustices who were BY FAR willing to frustrate the will ofCongress since 1994, when the court took its current shapewere on the right:Thomas 65.63 %Kennedy 64.06 %Scalia 56.25 %Rehnquist 46.88 %O’Connor 46.77 %Souter 42.19 %Stevens 39.34 %Ginsburg 39.06 %Breyer 28.13 %So keep this in mind the next time someone screams aboutactivist judges -- you can shout back, Yeah, I can't standThomas or Scalia either.
Add New CommentYou are commenting as a Guest. You may select one to log into:
Ben SmithGoing small - My story tonight: President BarackObama came alive about 50 minutes intoWednesday night’s news conference – whensomebo10 minutes ago
HuffPost PoliticsHuckabee's Huck Pac In Turmoil With StaffTurnover, Mounting Debts - Former Arkansas Gov.Mike Huckabee's political action committee, HuckPac, is undergoing a "restructuring," ExecutiveDirector Sarah Huckabee said Wednesday....24 minutes ago
Daily KosOpen Thread and Diary Rescue - *Today, srkp23(pulling a double shift), ybruti, taylormattd,ItsJessMe and vcmvo2 combed through hundredsof diaries to find this powerful list. Today's...1 hour ago
EschatonOvernight - Folk On. Newish.1 hour ago
Crooks and LiarsOpen Thread - Open Thread below...1 hour agoJ O H N ' S P H OT O S
Show AllA M E R I C A B L O G T VEnd Deadlock? Yes With ISVoters select one issue: lawmakers must resolve itor be replacedIssueSelection.orgSotomayor Court CasesAnalysis of key issues. Court cases heard bySotomayor, 1992 to presentwww.leagle.com
Next 6AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
1 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM
Visit ourAMERICAblog TV site.see all 323 videos >I collect with
vodpod
In honor of SenatorDeMint
For the GOPers, healthcare is politics. They just
Traditional media has todebunk the birthers
One small step...
The right-wing media, thevoices of the GOP, inAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
2 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM
The TreatmentObama Has a Grown-UpTalk With America(Gulp)1 hour agoEzra KleinTab Dump5 hours agoWonk RoomSen. Byron Dorgan:The ‘Trade’ InCap-And-Trade ‘MakesNo Sense To Me’7 hours agoHealth BeatTruth Squad: WallStreet Journal HealthCare Editorial Wrong onthe Facts . . .8 hours agoDaily DoseProviders Endorse 'Payfor Value' ProposalsG AY P O L I T I C S
Visit our new gay politicssection, AMERICAblog Gay.F E E D S
Blog RSS
AMERICAblog TV RSS
Twitter RSSTwitter Feed
Get the blog by email:
Subscribe me!Semantic IntegrationStructured andunstructured 360° view ofan entitywww.metatomix.comMSPB CasesWe Provide NationwideHelp And FreeConsultation For MSPBMatters.biz.googlepages.comCourt Certified MediatorMo Hoffman, J.D. - CourtCertified Mediator andArbitration Services.www.CentralFloridaMediator.com* Free Court RecordsObtain a Free CourtRecords On Anyone.Takes Only 2 Secs!Criminal-Info.com/CourtRecordsFree WSJ.comRegistrationThe Wall Street JournalOnline. Free Registration.Sign Up Now.www.wsjregistration.com
Top AdAdvertise in this spot.H E A LT H C A R ER E F O R MAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
3 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM
S E A R C H
AMERICAblog
Web
SearchS E N D U S T I P S &C O M M E N T Samericablog@starpower.netB L O G A R C H I V E
Blog ArchiveS I T E S W E L I K EAir America RadioAlan Colmes' blogAri Melber (The Nation)Ben SmithBicycleMark's blog &podcastBilericoBradBlogBring It OnCarrie FisherCrooks and LiarsDailyKosDan Savage's "Slog"Daou ReportDemocratic UndergroundEschatonEzra KleinFire Dog LakeFiveThirtyEight.comFreeway BloggerThe Gavel (SpeakerPelosi's blog)Good As YouGlenn GreenwaldHoly Bullies and HeadlessMonstersHuffington PostHullabaloo (Digby)Jack and Jill PoliticsJed ReportJesus' GeneralKenneth in the 212Margaret and HelenMatthew GrossMedia MattersMike Signorile's "The Gist"MudflatsMyDDOpen LeftPlum LinePolitical Punch (JakeTapper)Political WirePolitics 1Pop SurfingProgressive Blog DigestQueers UnitedRawStoryRex WocknerRude PunditSmirking ChimpTalk LeftTappedTaylor MarshThink ProgressTowleRoadVetVoice.comWashington NoteWayneBesen.comWonketteWorth Repeating
N E W S L I N K SUSWashington PostNYTAP PoliticsReuters PoliticsRasmussen PollsTimeNewsweekRoll CallThe HillABCNews
P L E A S E S U P P O RTA M E R I C A B L O GOne-time donation$
Recurring monthlydonation$
Donations are nottax-deductible.L A B E L S
Select a labelL A S T 1 0 0 V I S I T O R SRecent Visitors
A B O U TA M E R I C A B L O GWhy AMERICAblog?Because a great nationdeserves the truth.What issues do youcover?US politics overall with aparticular focus on theObama Administration, theradical right, and civilrights.Who are you?John AravosisEditorWashington, DCJoe SudbayDeputy EditorWashington, DCChris RyanAssociate EditorParis, FranceRobert ArenaContributing EditorBaltimore, MarylandJacki SchechnerContributing EditorWashington, DCAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
4 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM
© 2009 - John Aravosis | Design maintenance by Jason RosenbaumSend me your tips: americablog@starpower.netAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
5 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM
7/08/2005 01:25:00 PMHere's some good prep for the SCOTUS battles. This veryamusing NYT op-ed looks at "activist judges." The column'sone flaw is that it says this term is used by people both on theleft and right to describe a judge who makes a ruling theydisagree with. I disagree with THAT -- I'd say the term isalmost entirely a fiction employed by the far right. The onlytime it's used by people on the left is to mock the idea of an"activist" judge.But the heart of the column is very good. It decides to definean activist judge as one who votes to strike down a law passedby Congress. That is the gist of one of the far right'scomplaints -- that the elected Congress passes a law and thatthe unaccountable, unelected Supreme Court has the nerve todeclare it unconstitutional, interfering with the will of thepeople. Obviously sometimes a law should be declaredunconstitutional, but a justice's propensity for doing it againand again is about as good an argument for being an "activist"judge as one could ask for. Of course, no surprise here: thejustices who were BY FAR willing to frustrate the will ofCongress since 1994, when the court took its current shapewere on the right:Thomas 65.63 %Kennedy 64.06 %Scalia 56.25 %Rehnquist 46.88 %O’Connor 46.77 %Souter 42.19 %Stevens 39.34 %Ginsburg 39.06 %Breyer 28.13 %So keep this in mind the next time someone screams aboutactivist judges -- you can shout back, Yeah, I can't standThomas or Scalia either.
Add New CommentYou are commenting as a Guest. You may select one to log into:
Ben SmithGoing small - My story tonight: President BarackObama came alive about 50 minutes intoWednesday night’s news conference – whensomebo10 minutes ago
HuffPost PoliticsHuckabee's Huck Pac In Turmoil With StaffTurnover, Mounting Debts - Former Arkansas Gov.Mike Huckabee's political action committee, HuckPac, is undergoing a "restructuring," ExecutiveDirector Sarah Huckabee said Wednesday....24 minutes ago
Daily KosOpen Thread and Diary Rescue - *Today, srkp23(pulling a double shift), ybruti, taylormattd,ItsJessMe and vcmvo2 combed through hundredsof diaries to find this powerful list. Today's...1 hour ago
EschatonOvernight - Folk On. Newish.1 hour ago
Crooks and LiarsOpen Thread - Open Thread below...1 hour agoJ O H N ' S P H OT O S
Show AllA M E R I C A B L O G T VEnd Deadlock? Yes With ISVoters select one issue: lawmakers must resolve itor be replacedIssueSelection.orgSotomayor Court CasesAnalysis of key issues. Court cases heard bySotomayor, 1992 to presentwww.leagle.com
Next 6AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
1 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM
Visit ourAMERICAblog TV site.see all 323 videos >I collect with
vodpod
In honor of SenatorDeMint
For the GOPers, healthcare is politics. They just
Traditional media has todebunk the birthers
One small step...
The right-wing media, thevoices of the GOP, inAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
2 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM
The TreatmentObama Has a Grown-UpTalk With America(Gulp)1 hour agoEzra KleinTab Dump5 hours agoWonk RoomSen. Byron Dorgan:The ‘Trade’ InCap-And-Trade ‘MakesNo Sense To Me’7 hours agoHealth BeatTruth Squad: WallStreet Journal HealthCare Editorial Wrong onthe Facts . . .8 hours agoDaily DoseProviders Endorse 'Payfor Value' ProposalsG AY P O L I T I C S
Visit our new gay politicssection, AMERICAblog Gay.F E E D S
Blog RSS
AMERICAblog TV RSS
Twitter RSSTwitter Feed
Get the blog by email:
Subscribe me!Semantic IntegrationStructured andunstructured 360° view ofan entitywww.metatomix.comMSPB CasesWe Provide NationwideHelp And FreeConsultation For MSPBMatters.biz.googlepages.comCourt Certified MediatorMo Hoffman, J.D. - CourtCertified Mediator andArbitration Services.www.CentralFloridaMediator.com* Free Court RecordsObtain a Free CourtRecords On Anyone.Takes Only 2 Secs!Criminal-Info.com/CourtRecordsFree WSJ.comRegistrationThe Wall Street JournalOnline. Free Registration.Sign Up Now.www.wsjregistration.com
Top AdAdvertise in this spot.H E A LT H C A R ER E F O R MAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
3 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM
S E A R C H
AMERICAblog
Web
SearchS E N D U S T I P S &C O M M E N T Samericablog@starpower.netB L O G A R C H I V E
Blog ArchiveS I T E S W E L I K EAir America RadioAlan Colmes' blogAri Melber (The Nation)Ben SmithBicycleMark's blog &podcastBilericoBradBlogBring It OnCarrie FisherCrooks and LiarsDailyKosDan Savage's "Slog"Daou ReportDemocratic UndergroundEschatonEzra KleinFire Dog LakeFiveThirtyEight.comFreeway BloggerThe Gavel (SpeakerPelosi's blog)Good As YouGlenn GreenwaldHoly Bullies and HeadlessMonstersHuffington PostHullabaloo (Digby)Jack and Jill PoliticsJed ReportJesus' GeneralKenneth in the 212Margaret and HelenMatthew GrossMedia MattersMike Signorile's "The Gist"MudflatsMyDDOpen LeftPlum LinePolitical Punch (JakeTapper)Political WirePolitics 1Pop SurfingProgressive Blog DigestQueers UnitedRawStoryRex WocknerRude PunditSmirking ChimpTalk LeftTappedTaylor MarshThink ProgressTowleRoadVetVoice.comWashington NoteWayneBesen.comWonketteWorth Repeating
N E W S L I N K SUSWashington PostNYTAP PoliticsReuters PoliticsRasmussen PollsTimeNewsweekRoll CallThe HillABCNews
P L E A S E S U P P O RTA M E R I C A B L O GOne-time donation$
Recurring monthlydonation$
Donations are nottax-deductible.L A B E L S
Select a labelL A S T 1 0 0 V I S I T O R SRecent Visitors
A B O U TA M E R I C A B L O GWhy AMERICAblog?Because a great nationdeserves the truth.What issues do youcover?US politics overall with aparticular focus on theObama Administration, theradical right, and civilrights.Who are you?John AravosisEditorWashington, DCJoe SudbayDeputy EditorWashington, DCChris RyanAssociate EditorParis, FranceRobert ArenaContributing EditorBaltimore, MarylandJacki SchechnerContributing EditorWashington, DCAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
4 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM
© 2009 - John Aravosis | Design maintenance by Jason RosenbaumSend me your tips: americablog@starpower.netAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Down...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/down-with-activist-judge...
5 of 57/23/09 1:32 AM