Wisconsin's Supreme Court Is Allowing the Stench of Scott Walker to Linger Over the State
(Permanent Musical Accompaniment To This Post)
Being our semi-regular weekly survey of what's goin' down in the several states, where, as we know, the real work of governmentin' gets done, and where, in Paterson, that's just the way things go.
We begin, as we have so often recently in Tennessee, but not with the mess involving the speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Instead, we begin with this yob. From USA Today:
In an hourlong video of the sermon online, Detective Grayson Fritts, also a pastor at All Scripture Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, tells his congregation that he believes federal, state and county governments should arrest, convict and "speedily" execute LGBTQ people on no more grounds than a cellphone photo showing participation in a Pride event...
Fritts delivered his sermon June 2 at the church near downtown Knoxville on the first Sunday of Pride Month, which honors the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, considered a galvanizing moment in the gay rights movement.
First of all, what's a law-enforcement official doing preaching in a church? Second, what's a guy with these crazed views doing in law enforcement? That whole church and state thing has a lot going for it.
We move on to Wisconsin, where the state supreme court continues to allow the stench of the Scott Walker administration to linger over the state like the smell of hops lingers over Milwaukee. After Walker got squashed, his pet legislature passed a whole rat's nest of laws to make sure that the guy who beat him, Democrat Tony Evers, wouldn't have the full powers of the office because, you know, Democrats who win elections don't get those. That goes for attorneys general, too. From the Wisconsin State-Journal:
The order, in a second major case challenging the laws that passed after a Democrat was elected governor but before he took office, reinstates a law that reduced the power of Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul to drop out of or settle cases. It was issued less than 24 hours before a trial in the Dane County court case was set to begin. The ruling means that for now Kaul can no longer compromise or end most lawsuits brought on behalf of the state without Legislative approval. Kaul is now also prevented from compromising or settling an action brought against the state without a Legislative committee signing off. The law will remain in effect unless the Supreme Court decides to overturn it when it rules on multiple challenges to the law in the coming days or weeks.
The trigger here was Kaul's decision to withdraw Wisconsin from the lawsuit filed by multiple states against the Affordable Care Act. But Walker's pet legislature went to DefCon 1 as soon as Evers and Kaul were elected.
The 4-3 order from conservative-backed members of the court comes about a month after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in another major case from the League of Women Voters and other groups challenging the lame-duck laws. The court’s conservative-backed majority signaled skepticism of the challengers’ argument, which focuses on the legitimacy of the extraordinary session Republicans convened to pass their controversial legislation. Lawyers wanting the lame-duck laws thrown out argue extraordinary sessions, in which lawmakers call themselves into action outside of a regular session, are invalid and not sanctioned by law or the state Constitution.
By the way, this is what happens when you elect judges.
We skip along the upper latitudes to Vermont where, despite the Ben-and-Jerry's happy lefty vibes, guns are still very much a thing. From Vermont Public Radio:
Supporters of the legislation, called S.169, said the 24-hour waiting period approved by lawmakers earlier this year would have reduced suicide rates in Vermont by protecting residents from impulsive acts of self-harm. Scott said Monday, however, that Vermont has already enacted numerous restrictions on gun ownership during his tenure. He said universal background checks, raising the legal age to purchase a gun to 21 years old, and a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines - all of which Scott signed into law last year - address the supply-side of the gun-violence problem.
He also noted the passage last year of legislation that allows people to petition the courts to remove firearms from people who pose a danger to themselves or others, and a bill that allows police to remove guns from people cited for domestic violence. “With these measures in place, we must now prioritize strategies that address the underlying causes of violence and suicide,” Scott said in a written statement announcing his veto. “I do not believe S.169 addresses these areas.”
The political imperatives in Vermont are not as easily divined as you might think, and Scott, as we see, is not a gun-fondling fanatic. You may recall that Bernie Sanders took some incoming during the 2016 campaign over the ambiguities in his position on gun control. Chances are he will again, too.
And we conclude, as is our custom, in the great state of Oklahoma, where Blog Official Old Cowhand From The Rio Grande Friedman of the Plains brings us a tale of how our current vicious and incoherent immigration policy has been good for the budget of local police forces. From the AP:
Tulsa County Commissioners heard arguments Monday over the move to remain in ICE’s 287g programs through next summer. The 287g programs deputize local law enforcement for duties that are typically performed by ICE agents. Critics argue that deputizing local officials to screen people is profiling and will make immigrants less likely to report crime. Some said the program has been used to deport individuals for minor traffic violations, while others question whether local taxpayer money should be spent elsewhere...But Sheriff Vic Regalado said he won’t get rid of 287g as long as he’s in charge because it deals with immigrants who have committed serious crimes.
Regalado said ICE also gives the county $5 million each year. Tulsa resident Paul Bernett said he supports Tulsa County Jail asking anyone booked into the jail about their citizenship and notifying ICE agents. “I can see the deterioration of our country from the way it used to be and how well things went in the ’60s,” Bernett said. “They ain’t going that well now.”
Nostalgia for how well things were going in the '60's compared to now? This is a new thing.
This is your democracy, America. Cherish it.
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