Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson turned the favored tactic of her right-wing peers on its head Tuesday, advancing an originalist argument to support protections for racial minorities.
Continue reading “Jackson Turns Originalism Against Conservatives To Argue For Minority Voting Protections”KBJ Lets It Rip
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson brings a devastating “originalist” reading to the Civil War-era constitutional amendments during the ongoing oral arguments over Alabama’s redistricting plan. Our live coverage here.
Adam Serwer: “I mean she is correct as a matter of fact and history it’s just not something you hear a justice say.”
Legal affairs reporter Chris Geidner, on KBJ this morning: “She’s really incredible, right from the start of her time here. Unlike any new justice that I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
Trump Lawyer (Wisely) Refused Ex-POTUS’ Demand To Say All Govt Docs Had Been Returned
Despite his boss’ demand, one of ex-President Donald Trump’s lawyers reportedly knew better than to claim in early 2022 that Trump had given back all the government records he’d unlawfully swiped at the end of his presidency.
Continue reading “Trump Lawyer (Wisely) Refused Ex-POTUS’ Demand To Say All Govt Docs Had Been Returned”Herschel Walker Camp In Crisis Mode Amid Paid Abortion Report And Son’s Public Rebuke
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Code Red
Georgia GOP Senate nominee and ex-NFL star Herschel Walker–a supposedly anti-abortion hardliner who’s argued that there should be “no exceptions” to abortion bans–paid for a woman’s abortion when he impregnated her in 2009, the Daily Beast found.
- The woman (who was not named in the story) has literal receipts: She provided the Daily Beast with a receipt from the abortion clinic and a bank deposit receipt from a signed $700 check Walker had given her for the procedure.
- Most amazing of all, the woman also had the “get well” card Walker had sent her with the check:
- Walker tweeted on Monday night that he denies the report “in the strongest possible terms.” The former NFL star also vowed to sue the Daily Beast for defamation.
- Walker’s 23-year-old son, Christian Walker (one of the ex-NFL star’s four known children but the only one who was known publicly), tore into his father via Twitter with accusations of domestic violence several hours later. Declaring that he was “done” with his father, Christian alleged that the Senate candidate had threatened to kill him and his mother, forcing them to move “over 6 times in 6 months running from your violence.” Christian Walker’s mother, Cindy Grossman, has previously accused the ex-NFL player of domestic abuse.
Planned Parenthood Launches Plan For Mobile Abortion Clinic
Planned Parenthood announced yesterday that it’ll soon open a mobile abortion clinic in Illinois in the form of a 37-foot RV that will travel along the borders of neighboring states that have banned abortion.
- The clinic will move along Illinois’ borders in the areas of southeastern Missouri and western Kentucky after it arrives this month, according to Planned Parenthood. It’s expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.
- The clinic will start by offering abortion pills for the first 11 weeks of pregnancy, then will begin providing surgical abortions several months later.
Russia Doesn’t Even Know Where Its Annexed Ukraine Borders Are
Even as the Russian Parliament rubber-stamps Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions, the Kremlin admitted on Monday that it hasn’t actually determined the borders of the annexed areas, none of which are under Russia’s control.
Must Read
“What Video Footage Reveals About the Protests in Iran” – The New York Times
Jan. 6 Panel’s Tentative Date For Hearing Next Week
The House Jan. 6 Committee has tentatively set its next public hearing for Oct. 13, according to Bloomberg.
In Case You Missed It: Woman Who Lured Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard Identified
The New York Times and CNN have unmasked the woman who allegedly tricked Venezuelan migrants in Texas into boarding planes chartered by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) with false promises of food and housing before the planes took the migrants to Martha’s Vineyard: Perla Huerta, an ex-combat medic and counterintelligence agent in the U.S. Army.
- Huerta was discharged in August after having served for more than 20 years.
- The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in Texas is scrutinizing Huerta in its investigation into DeSantis’ stunt, according to the New York Times.
Young Activist MTG Kicked To File Ethics Complaint
Gen Z advocacy group Voters of Tomorrow announced on Monday that it would be filing a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for apparently kicking one of its activists as she tried to ask the far-right congresswoman about gun control.
- Speaking of Greene, her husband moved to make their divorce proceedings public record yesterday.
SCOTUS Pooh-Poohs Mr. Pillow’s Push To Toss Defamation Suit
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on Monday failed to convince the Supreme Court to throw out Dominion’s $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against him.
OAN Brags About Airing Debunked Election Conspiracy Movie
Trump’s arguably most devoted propaganda machine proudly announced yesterday that it had secured the “television premiere” of “2000 Mules,” a fake documentary about non-existent voter fraud in the 2020 election. The movie, which is the brainchild of far-right crank Dinesh D’Souza, has been debunked over and over and over and over and over*.
I, for one, am looking forward to seeing if we’ll be treated to this helpful and legally thorough disclaimer again:
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Where Things Stand: Desperate Michigan GOP Guv Candidate Tells Voters To Try Not Thinking About Abortion
It’s been an incredibly shameless pivot to the general election season for the current crop of Republican candidates hoping to secure wins in November. As they face the music on the electability of their extreme views, we’ve seen the candidates — some of whom have not only pushed Big Lie propaganda as policy positions, but have launched their entire political careers on the back of Trumpy election denialism — flail around, walking back or entirely reversing their stances on the 2020 election in recent weeks.
Desperate GOPers such as Blake Masters in Arizona have also attempted to completely re-write their views on abortion, as Roe’s overturning has turned out to be incredibly unpopular among Americans, and an energizing rallying cry for Democrats.
But Tudor Dixon’s recent spin might be among the most flagrant yet.
Continue reading “Where Things Stand: Desperate Michigan GOP Guv Candidate Tells Voters To Try Not Thinking About Abortion”Well, Lookee Here
Big props to TPM’s Josh Kovensky. A few hours after TPM published his exclusive story on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals sitting on an appeal for nearly seven years without issuing a ruling, the court finally ruled in the case a few minutes ago. Here’s the latest.
11th Circuit Rules On Case Seven Years Later, Hours After TPM Story
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in a case on Monday more than seven years after the matter was first filed, and hours after TPM published an article about the delay.
Continue reading “11th Circuit Rules On Case Seven Years Later, Hours After TPM Story”Election Deniers’ Voting Machine Schemes Have Become Part Of The 2022 Midterms
Since Trump asserted that Biden stole the 2020 election despite all evidence suggesting the opposite, the Big Lie has spread like a cancer through nearly every part of the democratic process. Roles that are integral to polling sites — including poll watchers and election administrators — have been targeted by conservative activists, who have sought to politicize them and take them over.
Continue reading “Election Deniers’ Voting Machine Schemes Have Become Part Of The 2022 Midterms”DOJ Tries To Sidestep MAGA Judge With Quick Appeal, Enraging Trump
The Justice Department asked an appeals court last week to do an end run around the Florida federal judge that keeps contorting the law in favor of former President Trump.
Continue reading “DOJ Tries To Sidestep MAGA Judge With Quick Appeal, Enraging Trump”Jackson Tangles With Gorsuch In Her First Oral Argument Appearance
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made her first oral argument appearance Monday in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, the Supreme Court’s first case of the term. It centers on whether certain wetlands warrant federal government protection.
Continue reading “Jackson Tangles With Gorsuch In Her First Oral Argument Appearance”