Friends and Citizens of the United States: We’re at an inflection point. One need only look to the streets of Minneapolis to understand that the strong man is here, pushing authoritarianism down the throat of democracy. Renee Good is dead for no reason other than exercising a First Amendment right to observe, speak, and refuse unlawful seizure.
The “Don’t Tread on Me” folks are joining ICE, treading on you. Any of us could have been Renee.
We still look for hope in our judiciary, and our lower courts have held the line. But this week, the New York Times reported something remarkable:
the data suggests that in the 13 appellate courts, there is increasingly such a thing as a Trump judge. The president’s appointees voted to allow his policies to take effect 133 times and voted against them only 12 times. Ninety-two percent of their total votes were in favor of the administration.
92%.
At his confirmation as Chief Justice, Chief Justice Roberts described his job in baseball terms:
I will be open to the considered views of my colleagues on the bench, and I will decide every case based on the record, according to the rule of law, without fear or favor, to the best of my ability, and I will remember that it’s my job to call balls and strikes, and not to pitch or bat.
With those odds, there is little double that Trump-appointed judges have rejected the Chief Justice’s advice. I have never heard of a baseball game with 92% balls or 92% strikes.
I have heard of a no-hitter.