Dear Asha, I have followed you for a very long time and think that you do tremendous work. I am not American, nor do I live in the US. I am Norwegian, live in Norway, Political Scientist by education, and follow US affairs and politics closely. I am grateful for your efforts. This last weeks developments and your comments have pushed me from being an interested reader to an ardent supporter of your work. I have therefore just now signed up as a subscriber and paid my yearly subscription. Keep up your important work. Best Torstein H Jacobsen
I too have been impressed with Asha Rangappa's analysis and writing and just paid up yesterday so she can keep it up. I also sent this analysis titled "Bloodless Coup" to my sisters and brother, and several friends.
It's quite apparent she is very bright just reading her writings, but seeing or hearing her speak is inspiring, and a real treat.
Thanks. I cannot give a Norwegian perspective, just my own personal views. As to the upcoming election. I think it is too late to replace Biden even if one would have wanted to. But I think it is imperative to sell in the combined Biden/Harris ticket immediately - preferably quite some time ago. And thus reach out much more broadly to potential voters. Give Biden/Harris close to equal billing and do it now!
"No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man's permission when we require him to obey it."
~ Theodore Roosevelt, 1904
"One man is above the law and all others are below it; nor do we question the one man when he disobeys it."
~ Supreme Court, 2024
What a depressing difference these intervening 120 years have made!
As our sitting President said last night, the office of the presidency is now entirely a matter of character.
This is only the end game if:
1. Biden wins in November.
2. Enough openings appear on the Supreme Court in the next four years to allow liberals to take the majority.
3. A case appears before the Court during the next four years that will allow the Court to overturn yesterday’s ruling.
If all that happens, we’re safe.
Otherwise, we’ll still be fighting to retain our democracy every four years, and it’s Game Over as soon as any Republican wins, be it in 2028, 2032, 2036...
This "VOTE removes stubborn orange stains" shirt is perfect for these times 👇 🤣
Or Biden gets a grip and expands (through suasion if nothing else -- that is the priority) the Court as should have happened, forseeing this day as his electorate surely did four years ago.
Excellent review of a legally terrifying situation. If Trump does manage to get legitimately re-elected, the 248 years of Democratic history will suddenly become the beginning of a fascist authoritarian dictatorship, and it really is scary! So we must all pull together to defeat this three headed snake so we can reverse this horrible legislation and return the country's to the will of the people and the consent of the governed!
Lynne, and any other Trump MAGA fans. Since you seem to have a jaded view of Trump's criminal activity, GOP corruption and Project 2025, I would like you to watch this video interview of Judge Luttig, a top conservative constitutional scholar and several times considered as a Supreme Court nominee. I agreed with his entire presentation on presidential immunity, not because I'm any type of legal scholar, but because he addresses constitutional core elements with truthfulness and the actual words of the Constitution.
In other words if you are still supporting Trump, morally & legally, you are supporting egregiously corrupt behavior by Trump, the Supreme Court, the GOP and Project 2025, aka. a detour into Russian style, brutal fascism. You say you've been watching the demise of America for 3.5 years, I think you are wrong, I think you have been watching conservative media [telling you] that you are witnessing America's demise when just the opposite is true, with the intent of snookering you for the benefit of a handful of very wealthy individuals.
Check out the video, see what a diehard, Reagan Republican, Constitutional scholar judge says. And then know this, that conservative media is saturated with Russian and Australian disinformation merchants, that have strived to pass their contempt for America, on to blocks of American voters. They and the GOP have sold white Americans on the idea that they are victims. We are a lot of things but we are not victims of woke or empathy
for others. We have a constitutional obligation to treat our fellow citizens fairly, and with decency, as put forth by the 14th amendment's (equal protection clause,) We (are) the victims of ulterior motives, however, by wealthy people, that are afraid the masses are wising up to their trickery and gaining too much power.
Finally, whenever a news item gets your juices going, do what a lot of liberals do, fact check it. You will find after a while, there are news sources that you don't bother with, because their veracity can not be trusted. Enjoy the video.
Hey Lynne: You've been completely brainwashed by drinking too much Trump Kool-Aid, and you must be living under a rock if you can't comprehend what the Fascist Freedom caucus and Project 2025 are planning if they win in 2024. God help us if you do!
Actually you "bottom feeders" represent about 30%+ percent of voters, that's why your Great Leader had to attempt a coup on Jan. 6th because he's nothing but a thug, a dictator and a loser!
Enough. All Maya. Your words give great detail to the rise and abuse of power. Now how about the response? How about the executive declaring the court action as illegal and illegitimate usurpation of power. How about marching military personal into the court and removing the lawbreaking justices? Declaring their action as unconstitutional identifying the laws they broke. No person is above the law. Identity those constitutionally egregious actions And replacing the justices. And holding Roberts et al for trial. Enough with the explanations or descriptions. Our democracy will be history if Trump wins as it already is prepped. As you describe so apply.
Here's what I see going forward: All of us get active in getting Dem control in Congress as well as the Presidency. That means donations and volunteering - canvassing if you live in the state, phone calls, postcards, etc., - for the three Senate Dems in toss-ups, Tester in MT, Brown in OH and Rosen in NV as well as the 22 House races that are toss-ups (https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings).
Then, the Dem-controlled Congress can do three things: See if they can make the case for impeaching one or more of the justices for this specific decision (showing it was a political decision that violated the rule of law?) and pass legislation to increase the size of the court.
Then as soon as the new justices are seated, get a state to bring a case that gets this decisio overturned.
I have to confirm that Sherrod Brown has done so much for Ohio, we desperately need him to continue pulling for middle class working people, in our state and across the country. He deserves the support and I'm happy to provide mine, small as it is.
I wish we could either expand the court or remove Thomas and Alito on ethics grounds before the election - I don't trust this court at all to rule justly on squabbles re: the election, I believe they intend to cheat.
Under the law, the only way a justice can be removed is if he is impeached by Congress. That's not going to happen with this Congress. But you are right, we are gonna be in legal gumbo for months. The Rs will accuse the DNC of something illegal if the nominee is not Harris (which I think is unlikely). Will it prevent the election from taking place? Who knows. As soon as Biden drops out (which I think is likely), the best legal minds who are pro-democracy need to head all of that off at the pass.
Excellent piece. Any ideas on how this impacts impeachment? Makes no logical sense to me that a president can be impeached for a high crime or misdemeanor if that crime is considered an official act.
This decision has no impact on impeachment. It addresses immunity from criminal prosecution and says explicitly (page 34) that impeachment is a political process by which the president can be removed from office.
Excellent article and assessment, of what turns out to be the most radicalized court in our nation's history. My earliest civic lessons were about 60 years ago, but way back then even, we learned about ex post facto laws and bills of attainder.
Thanks to chief Justice Roberts, and the Court's sanctioning of bribery through Citizens United, and his further direction of the dismantling of voting rights, we have a Court corrupted by billionaire bribery, partisan extremism and religious fervor. With the Court's new found power it was able to bypass Congress to legislate the Court's own ex post facto & bills of attainder, of a farcical presidential immunity. (Meshes well with corporate free wheeling pollution made possible by overturning Chevron deference.)
Thank you Asha for explaining what this Court has been up to, in such an understandable way. (Justice Roberts' concurring opinion is written with the type of complexity that shady lawyers use to hide a nefarious intent.) It is pretty obvious that our conservative Court wing is operating motivated by a corrupt mens rea. Whether that corruption was formed by years of far right group think, oligarch corruption, religious fervor, Russian subversion or some combination thereof is anyone's guess,(due to newly SCOTUS passed executive immunity we may never know) but we the people have to put an end to this judicial madness. That starts with educating the electorate and our fellow citizens, of the dangers we face. And ends with voting blue, up and down the ballot and then applying political pressure. Below is a PBS Frontline video documentary about Lt General Mike Flynn, Trump's former, Russia friendly, felonious National Security Advisor. The 53 minute video gives us a real sense for the danger we are in, not just from the bribe operation of the very wealthy, but from a large well funded, terroristically radicalized, Christofascist movement. See the video here.
(Justice Roberts' concurring opinion is written with the type of complexity that shady lawyers use to hide a nefarious intent.) Thank you for pointing this out. I think so too.
It is even worse, worse: a corrupt and all-powerful executive lends its power to the DOJ, which in turn lends its power to whomsoever it pleases. In short, the nation is quickly rife w "connected" criminals against which there is no defense. We become Putin's Russia: a Mafiya state. Amusingly, all the businessmen who salivate at the prospect of a deregulatory regime will soon find their businesses taken from them altogether and awarded to the most loyal cronies. Not everyone gets to be a kleptocrat in the SCOTUS criminal regime.
Wishing and hoping that the dems will take both houses is urgently needed, sure, but there is no time to lose. Biden has to wake up and someone has to wake him (Michelle, Hillary?). We can’t aim high enough. Their process follows the Nazi playbook - takeover of the legal system - the courts the legal means of order. We can’t wait to “win” elsewhere. Asha we need you to guide Biden to an actionable course that moves in the left direction. As Sandy noted “ if they can make the case for impeaching one or more of the justices for this specific decision (showing it was a political decision that violated the rule of law?) and pass legislation to increase the size of the court.” No this has to be achieved now and by Biden with Democrats supporting. If Trump wins all bets are off. Executive actions will overrule any legislative actions. Come on. Wake up. What Asha described is clear. Consider: Alito recently described abortions as experimental cancer treatments. What the hell does that mean? Read Lucien Truscott’s piece on this. They are going full steam ahead. Sorry for being all over the place.
there's so much that's wrong with this opinion, but the particular sophistry that bothered me is the Court suggesting they were making law, not based on this exigencies of this case, but with an eye toward the historic...
how many times has the court told us they are there to decide cases and contriversies? That they aren't in the business of deciding cases that aren't before them, or issuing advisory opinions?
here, they throw all that out the window. they explicitly refuse to decide the case before them.
here's my problem: they are judges with life tenure. All they have to do for the rest of thier working lives is to decide cases. So they 100% should decide this case, on the facts before them, and then, if it happens that another case comes along in which the Executive's functioning and perogatives would truly be chilled by an colorably politically-motivated prosecution (in a way that hasn't happened in 242 years of the Republic), they can decide that case.
I am a new subscriber and I joined because of your forthright response to the Trump immunity ruling last week. I read both your responses and watched your "Its Complicated" dialog and appreciate how frank you are discussing how far the court has leaned towards protecting Trump from criminal prosecution.
My question is: do you think the court will permit a free and fair election?
We know what the MAGA team is planning: disruption of vote counting including at polling stations, as well as through state Att. Generals. We know what Project 25 is preparing for: rapid and complete state capture. We know what the SCOTUS ruled last week: the administrative state can be replaced by a unitary executive and there will be no crimes that won't be deemed "official conduct."
We also know that _all_ of the most popular and considered _authoritative_ media is controlled by the billionaire class and is unanimous in blaming Biden (for his age?) while distracting from Trump's authoritarian takeover.
Your concluding statement: "May God help us" seems more honest to me then your admonition to vote Dem because that is our only lever left. It seems unavoidable to me that the court will interfere in the election and rule for Trump.
I joined because you are the educator most clearly laying out this status. I am among those who are looking for effective responses to these conditions. It is unlikely that the Democrats will mount a successful counter without significant popular pressure. Is there a successful counter that we could be lifting up? (additional justices? )
The first thing that struck me was the combinatorics… Why fight the established system that sorts ‘acts’ according to criminality when you can carve out a whole new class of *official* acts, and thus a whole new set of rules to sort them?
Dear Asha, I have followed you for a very long time and think that you do tremendous work. I am not American, nor do I live in the US. I am Norwegian, live in Norway, Political Scientist by education, and follow US affairs and politics closely. I am grateful for your efforts. This last weeks developments and your comments have pushed me from being an interested reader to an ardent supporter of your work. I have therefore just now signed up as a subscriber and paid my yearly subscription. Keep up your important work. Best Torstein H Jacobsen
Thank you so much 🙏🏽
Welcome Mr. Jacobsen, I believe you will enjoy the experience here. I look forward to you joining the office hours discussion.
Toasting,
I too have been impressed with Asha Rangappa's analysis and writing and just paid up yesterday so she can keep it up. I also sent this analysis titled "Bloodless Coup" to my sisters and brother, and several friends.
It's quite apparent she is very bright just reading her writings, but seeing or hearing her speak is inspiring, and a real treat.
Torstein *
My autocorrect changed your name for me...to Toasting.
WE are toasting right now!
Currently it's 111⁰F outside now at 4:40 PM in Hyampom, California.
It will be nice to have the Norwegian perspective, i often ask my relatives in Norway theirs..welcome..
Thanks. I cannot give a Norwegian perspective, just my own personal views. As to the upcoming election. I think it is too late to replace Biden even if one would have wanted to. But I think it is imperative to sell in the combined Biden/Harris ticket immediately - preferably quite some time ago. And thus reach out much more broadly to potential voters. Give Biden/Harris close to equal billing and do it now!
👍
"No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man's permission when we require him to obey it."
~ Theodore Roosevelt, 1904
"One man is above the law and all others are below it; nor do we question the one man when he disobeys it."
~ Supreme Court, 2024
What a depressing difference these intervening 120 years have made!
As our sitting President said last night, the office of the presidency is now entirely a matter of character.
This is only the end game if:
1. Biden wins in November.
2. Enough openings appear on the Supreme Court in the next four years to allow liberals to take the majority.
3. A case appears before the Court during the next four years that will allow the Court to overturn yesterday’s ruling.
If all that happens, we’re safe.
Otherwise, we’ll still be fighting to retain our democracy every four years, and it’s Game Over as soon as any Republican wins, be it in 2028, 2032, 2036...
This "VOTE removes stubborn orange stains" shirt is perfect for these times 👇 🤣
libtees-2.creator-spring.com/listing/vote24
Or Biden gets a grip and expands (through suasion if nothing else -- that is the priority) the Court as should have happened, forseeing this day as his electorate surely did four years ago.
Your Shelley quote captured the moment perfectly. I think we are in the midst of a perfect storm that may ultimately make Trump’s election possible.
It is so important that we vote in November.
Excellent review of a legally terrifying situation. If Trump does manage to get legitimately re-elected, the 248 years of Democratic history will suddenly become the beginning of a fascist authoritarian dictatorship, and it really is scary! So we must all pull together to defeat this three headed snake so we can reverse this horrible legislation and return the country's to the will of the people and the consent of the governed!
And Vladimir Putin will be one of his chief advisors in advising him on how to keep 'we the people', in line.
Lynne, and any other Trump MAGA fans. Since you seem to have a jaded view of Trump's criminal activity, GOP corruption and Project 2025, I would like you to watch this video interview of Judge Luttig, a top conservative constitutional scholar and several times considered as a Supreme Court nominee. I agreed with his entire presentation on presidential immunity, not because I'm any type of legal scholar, but because he addresses constitutional core elements with truthfulness and the actual words of the Constitution.
In other words if you are still supporting Trump, morally & legally, you are supporting egregiously corrupt behavior by Trump, the Supreme Court, the GOP and Project 2025, aka. a detour into Russian style, brutal fascism. You say you've been watching the demise of America for 3.5 years, I think you are wrong, I think you have been watching conservative media [telling you] that you are witnessing America's demise when just the opposite is true, with the intent of snookering you for the benefit of a handful of very wealthy individuals.
Check out the video, see what a diehard, Reagan Republican, Constitutional scholar judge says. And then know this, that conservative media is saturated with Russian and Australian disinformation merchants, that have strived to pass their contempt for America, on to blocks of American voters. They and the GOP have sold white Americans on the idea that they are victims. We are a lot of things but we are not victims of woke or empathy
for others. We have a constitutional obligation to treat our fellow citizens fairly, and with decency, as put forth by the 14th amendment's (equal protection clause,) We (are) the victims of ulterior motives, however, by wealthy people, that are afraid the masses are wising up to their trickery and gaining too much power.
Finally, whenever a news item gets your juices going, do what a lot of liberals do, fact check it. You will find after a while, there are news sources that you don't bother with, because their veracity can not be trusted. Enjoy the video.
https://youtu.be/thzKQyaeuB4?si=0UlKGAZ0d6aHr-KA
Hey Lynne: You've been completely brainwashed by drinking too much Trump Kool-Aid, and you must be living under a rock if you can't comprehend what the Fascist Freedom caucus and Project 2025 are planning if they win in 2024. God help us if you do!
Actually you "bottom feeders" represent about 30%+ percent of voters, that's why your Great Leader had to attempt a coup on Jan. 6th because he's nothing but a thug, a dictator and a loser!
Enough. All Maya. Your words give great detail to the rise and abuse of power. Now how about the response? How about the executive declaring the court action as illegal and illegitimate usurpation of power. How about marching military personal into the court and removing the lawbreaking justices? Declaring their action as unconstitutional identifying the laws they broke. No person is above the law. Identity those constitutionally egregious actions And replacing the justices. And holding Roberts et al for trial. Enough with the explanations or descriptions. Our democracy will be history if Trump wins as it already is prepped. As you describe so apply.
Here's what I see going forward: All of us get active in getting Dem control in Congress as well as the Presidency. That means donations and volunteering - canvassing if you live in the state, phone calls, postcards, etc., - for the three Senate Dems in toss-ups, Tester in MT, Brown in OH and Rosen in NV as well as the 22 House races that are toss-ups (https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings).
Then, the Dem-controlled Congress can do three things: See if they can make the case for impeaching one or more of the justices for this specific decision (showing it was a political decision that violated the rule of law?) and pass legislation to increase the size of the court.
Then as soon as the new justices are seated, get a state to bring a case that gets this decisio overturned.
Thoughts anyone?
I have to confirm that Sherrod Brown has done so much for Ohio, we desperately need him to continue pulling for middle class working people, in our state and across the country. He deserves the support and I'm happy to provide mine, small as it is.
I wish we could either expand the court or remove Thomas and Alito on ethics grounds before the election - I don't trust this court at all to rule justly on squabbles re: the election, I believe they intend to cheat.
Under the law, the only way a justice can be removed is if he is impeached by Congress. That's not going to happen with this Congress. But you are right, we are gonna be in legal gumbo for months. The Rs will accuse the DNC of something illegal if the nominee is not Harris (which I think is unlikely). Will it prevent the election from taking place? Who knows. As soon as Biden drops out (which I think is likely), the best legal minds who are pro-democracy need to head all of that off at the pass.
Excellent piece. Any ideas on how this impacts impeachment? Makes no logical sense to me that a president can be impeached for a high crime or misdemeanor if that crime is considered an official act.
This decision has no impact on impeachment. It addresses immunity from criminal prosecution and says explicitly (page 34) that impeachment is a political process by which the president can be removed from office.
I've wondered the same thing; I suspect impeachment is gone, as well
Excellent article and assessment, of what turns out to be the most radicalized court in our nation's history. My earliest civic lessons were about 60 years ago, but way back then even, we learned about ex post facto laws and bills of attainder.
Thanks to chief Justice Roberts, and the Court's sanctioning of bribery through Citizens United, and his further direction of the dismantling of voting rights, we have a Court corrupted by billionaire bribery, partisan extremism and religious fervor. With the Court's new found power it was able to bypass Congress to legislate the Court's own ex post facto & bills of attainder, of a farcical presidential immunity. (Meshes well with corporate free wheeling pollution made possible by overturning Chevron deference.)
Thank you Asha for explaining what this Court has been up to, in such an understandable way. (Justice Roberts' concurring opinion is written with the type of complexity that shady lawyers use to hide a nefarious intent.) It is pretty obvious that our conservative Court wing is operating motivated by a corrupt mens rea. Whether that corruption was formed by years of far right group think, oligarch corruption, religious fervor, Russian subversion or some combination thereof is anyone's guess,(due to newly SCOTUS passed executive immunity we may never know) but we the people have to put an end to this judicial madness. That starts with educating the electorate and our fellow citizens, of the dangers we face. And ends with voting blue, up and down the ballot and then applying political pressure. Below is a PBS Frontline video documentary about Lt General Mike Flynn, Trump's former, Russia friendly, felonious National Security Advisor. The 53 minute video gives us a real sense for the danger we are in, not just from the bribe operation of the very wealthy, but from a large well funded, terroristically radicalized, Christofascist movement. See the video here.
https://youtu.be/lhRNDsLbOvQ?si=YziSOs2tAQiOriIy
(Justice Roberts' concurring opinion is written with the type of complexity that shady lawyers use to hide a nefarious intent.) Thank you for pointing this out. I think so too.
It is even worse, worse: a corrupt and all-powerful executive lends its power to the DOJ, which in turn lends its power to whomsoever it pleases. In short, the nation is quickly rife w "connected" criminals against which there is no defense. We become Putin's Russia: a Mafiya state. Amusingly, all the businessmen who salivate at the prospect of a deregulatory regime will soon find their businesses taken from them altogether and awarded to the most loyal cronies. Not everyone gets to be a kleptocrat in the SCOTUS criminal regime.
Wishing and hoping that the dems will take both houses is urgently needed, sure, but there is no time to lose. Biden has to wake up and someone has to wake him (Michelle, Hillary?). We can’t aim high enough. Their process follows the Nazi playbook - takeover of the legal system - the courts the legal means of order. We can’t wait to “win” elsewhere. Asha we need you to guide Biden to an actionable course that moves in the left direction. As Sandy noted “ if they can make the case for impeaching one or more of the justices for this specific decision (showing it was a political decision that violated the rule of law?) and pass legislation to increase the size of the court.” No this has to be achieved now and by Biden with Democrats supporting. If Trump wins all bets are off. Executive actions will overrule any legislative actions. Come on. Wake up. What Asha described is clear. Consider: Alito recently described abortions as experimental cancer treatments. What the hell does that mean? Read Lucien Truscott’s piece on this. They are going full steam ahead. Sorry for being all over the place.
there's so much that's wrong with this opinion, but the particular sophistry that bothered me is the Court suggesting they were making law, not based on this exigencies of this case, but with an eye toward the historic...
how many times has the court told us they are there to decide cases and contriversies? That they aren't in the business of deciding cases that aren't before them, or issuing advisory opinions?
here, they throw all that out the window. they explicitly refuse to decide the case before them.
here's my problem: they are judges with life tenure. All they have to do for the rest of thier working lives is to decide cases. So they 100% should decide this case, on the facts before them, and then, if it happens that another case comes along in which the Executive's functioning and perogatives would truly be chilled by an colorably politically-motivated prosecution (in a way that hasn't happened in 242 years of the Republic), they can decide that case.
Excellent opening lines
Thank you for the. clarification.
It is definitely time to unify our opposition to the fascist take over. Thank you, Asha, for calling DEFCON 1 on July 1st.
Thorough and compelling! And scary as hell!
Dear Sasha,
I am a new subscriber and I joined because of your forthright response to the Trump immunity ruling last week. I read both your responses and watched your "Its Complicated" dialog and appreciate how frank you are discussing how far the court has leaned towards protecting Trump from criminal prosecution.
My question is: do you think the court will permit a free and fair election?
We know what the MAGA team is planning: disruption of vote counting including at polling stations, as well as through state Att. Generals. We know what Project 25 is preparing for: rapid and complete state capture. We know what the SCOTUS ruled last week: the administrative state can be replaced by a unitary executive and there will be no crimes that won't be deemed "official conduct."
We also know that _all_ of the most popular and considered _authoritative_ media is controlled by the billionaire class and is unanimous in blaming Biden (for his age?) while distracting from Trump's authoritarian takeover.
Your concluding statement: "May God help us" seems more honest to me then your admonition to vote Dem because that is our only lever left. It seems unavoidable to me that the court will interfere in the election and rule for Trump.
I joined because you are the educator most clearly laying out this status. I am among those who are looking for effective responses to these conditions. It is unlikely that the Democrats will mount a successful counter without significant popular pressure. Is there a successful counter that we could be lifting up? (additional justices? )
The first thing that struck me was the combinatorics… Why fight the established system that sorts ‘acts’ according to criminality when you can carve out a whole new class of *official* acts, and thus a whole new set of rules to sort them?