This time it’s Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito….
They are ALL feeling the heat on the Texas ruling (and few more) that has been strongly criticised for the ‘way’ he was done and its result…..
Politics is a word being used more and more in sentences about the court….
Not Law…..
Justice Samuel Alito leapt into a political fray over the Supreme Court on Thursday, lashing back at critics who have accused the justices of increasingly issuing momentous decisions on its emergency docket without the benefit of a full briefing or oral arguments.
Alito said complaints about the court’s “shadow docket” are misplaced and intended to conjure up images of justices conspiring to advance their ideological agendas under the cover of darkness.
“The catchy and sinister term ‘shadow docket’ has been used to portray the court as having been captured by a dangerous cabal that resorts to sneaky and improper methods to get its ways,” Alito said during a speech at the University of Notre Dame. “This portrayal feeds unprecedented efforts to intimidate the court or damage it as an independent institution.”
One measure of how directly Alito was stepping into the political battle: As he acknowledged during his speech, just yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to air criticism of the high court for its use of the so-called “shadow docket” in high-profile cases.
In his address, Alito repeatedly railed against the media for propagating what he called “unfair and damaging attacks” on the court, but also accused “political figures” of doing the same.
“The media and political talk about the shadow docket is not serious criticism,” Alito insisted. At another point, he snarked at the press: “Journalists may think we can dash off an opinion the way they dash off articles.”
In defending the high court against its critics, the George W. Bush appointee discussed in some detail three recent, high-profile emergency rulings. They include a decision earlier this month allowing a controversial Texas abortion ban to go into effect, a ruling last month requiring the Biden administration to reinstate the Trump-era Remain-in-Mexico policy for many who are present at the border seeking asylum, and another decision from August blocking enforcement of a coronavirus-related, federal ban on evictions…
Note….
Alito follows Thomas, Breyer and Barrett in going public to defend their court and decisions…