The Scheme 29: Fake Facts and "Knight-Errantry" at the Supreme Court - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

[Rhiannon12866]

March 6 - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, delivers the twenty-ninth in a series of speeches titled “The Scheme,” exposing the machinations by right-wing donor interests to capture the Supreme Court and achieve through the Court what they cannot through the elected branches of government.

Whitehouse details the findings of his latest law review article, entitled “Knights-Errant: The Roberts Court and Erroneous Fact-Finding.” Whitehouse’s article sheds light on the Court’s propensity for relying on extra-record – and often false – facts that lend advantage to Republican or corporate special interests. The article details bogus and uncorrected facts in Supreme Court decisions, explains their consequences in disrupting settled precedents, and explores actions the judicial and legislative branches could take to ensure the Court cleans up factual errors and kicks its fact-finding habit.

[burrowowl]

1. K&R

[rampartc]

2. it would be so lovely if whitehouse could chair judiciary

i've seen a few in this series of speeches. i need to go back and watch the rest.

ok, they seem to be available ............

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhyg5hj7I21i1Aqcaym9TRFrpWjPN9_ms

[Rhiannon12866]

3. I think I've posted many of them, his issues are SCOTUS corruption and climate change and he does an amazing job on both

He not only holds these hearings in the Senate, which he makes available to the rest of us, but he also makes the rounds of the news shows to explain what's going on to make us aware of both issues. And I agree that he'd make an amazing chair of Judiciary.

[happy feet]

5. Thx

I saw the first few then forgot to keep watching. Will save to my playlist.

[RSherman]

4. The far reach of the insidious Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) including SCOTUS

The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies ADF as a hate group.

Amy Coney Barrett was a paid ADF teacher from 2011 to 2016. During her confirmation hearing, she claimed she was "not aware" of ADF's decades long efforts to recriminalize homosexuality. ADF advocates for criminalizing homosexuality and sterilizing transgender people. Speaking to such a group shows poor judgment; lying is worse. The day after the Senate confirmed Barrett, ADF announced: Newly confirmed justice Amy Coney Barrett will hear an ADF case later this term". Barrett didn't recuse herself and decided in favor of ADF.

Josh Hawley was on ADF's fellowship faculty and helped pushed Barrett through.

Jeff Sessions visited ADF's headquarters and consulted with it on a massive "religious liberty" memo he imposed on the DOJ.

Trump made an attorney in the ADF's allied network, Noel Francisco, solicitor general.

From: American Crusade: How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom

by Andrew L. Seidel

[ancianita]

7. Thanks. SPLC is right. ADF is the enemy of democracy.

ADF gets a LOT of discussion in Katherine Stewart's book, The Power Worshippers -- Inside the Dangerous Rise of Christian Nationalism.

[ancianita]

6. The MVP of the Senate, imo, has given the mandate to a newly elected Democratic majority of the 119th Congress in 2025.