Certain Supreme Court justices suddenly become very conscious of "appearances"

https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/editorial-cartoons/joel-pett/article276683961.html

Cartoon captures Alito's and Thomas's new-found awareness of others' opinions.

Charlie Cooper

Canadian corporation run by Canadians has funded both DeSantis and the Florida Democratic Party

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/06/toronto-based-company-accused-of-making-illegal-foreign-political-contributions?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=toronto-company-making-illegal-political-contributions%2f6%2f28%2f2023&emci=3152ddb6-e615-ee11-a9bb-00224832eb73&emdi=6cd9ff59-e815-ee11-a9bb-00224832eb73&ceid=8234144

Charlie Cooper

DeSantis agency sent $92 million in covid relief funds to donor-backed project

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/06/28/desantis-hosseini-interstate-covid-money/

A major DeSantis political donor is planning two big development projects. Both projects will benefit now from 92 million in covid relief funds that will be used to build an interchange off of I-95.

Charlie Cooper 

 

U.S. Supreme Court crushes the Independent State Legislature Theory

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1271_3f14.pdf

This is the majority opinion itself, penned by Roberts, and signed by Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, Barrett, and Jackson. Although the North Carolina Supreme Court eventually reversed its ruling (after an election changed the balance on that court), it did not restore the gerrymandered maps. Therefore, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the case is not moot. Judicial review by state supreme courts pre-dates Marbury v. Madison, and the elections clause of the U.S. Constitution does not carve out an exception to that basic feature. The Court found precedent for considering federal election laws by state legislatures to be subject to the usual checks and balances.

Charlie Cooper

Alito's wife has assets related to fossil fuels

https://theintercept.com/2023/06/26/samuel-alito-oil-gas-supreme-court-environment/

Justice Alito has ruled many times to reduce the power of the EPA to protect the air and water from fossil fuel interests. His wife has a contract for drilling on land she inherited.

Charlie Cooper

Sen. Sinema takes airline money and pushes for reduction in pilot training hours

https://theintercept.com/2023/06/23/kyrsten-sinema-pilot-training-airline-industry/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Intercept%20Newsletter

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a former military pilot attacked Sen. Sinema's amendment to reduce in-flight training requirements for airline pilots as a real risk to passengers. She receives money from associations connected with the airlines, critics charge. The pilots' and flight attendants' unions say that her amendment would make air travel less safe.

Charlie Cooper

National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is gaining

https://www.newsweek.com/americans-are-quietly-getting-closer-ditching-electoral-college-opinion-1807948

Minnesota has joined, and Nevada and Michigan could well be next. That would bring the total of electoral votes of the states signed on to 224, and states with 46 more would be needed for it to go into effect.

Charlie Cooper