Scrutable

I dare we can put stuff from around the world in this thread

Another controversial US Supreme Court decision.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61224856

Some arguing that the court is wrong on the facts of the case


https://twitter.com/steve_vladeck/statu ... 5520875522?

s=21&t=Rd9LsVQP0u62gqmLpLEhoQ

Here’s a good breakdown of all the b.llsh.t in the decision https://twitter.com/davewiner/status/15 ... 901omrwC_g

The blessing is that a decision made by distorting the facts does not change the law and bind other judges. Another judge faced with similar facts can see what is really there and make a different decision.

The sadness is that the Supreme Court would so distort the facts to get a decision its members politically desired. It looks like a court in some corrupt country with a captured legal system when it does that. The US Supreme Court is not fit for purpose. It wouldn't pass muster in the EU. It is contrary to the rules of the EU to have a politically appointed supreme court, hence the current dispute between the EU and Poland over its judicial institutions.

Meanwhile, in Britain, we could also do with a bit more separation of church and state. The state education system and the House of Lords are the main offenders.

Meanwhile, rather more clearly damaging to the separation of church and state in the US is the decision last week in Carson v Makin. This struck down the State of Maine's ban on using public funds at religious schools.

Sotomayor J.'s dissent included the observation that this ruling “leads us to a place where separation of church and state becomes a constitutional violation.” It reverses repeated rulings against challenges to the law.

Though in Britain, we have never stopped using public funds at religious schools. The Maine case was about relatively small sums of money for supplementary services that might now be accessible to private religious schools. In Britain, we have many entirely state-funded religious schools.