Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall

Defense Department Removing Civil Rights Leaders’ Names From Naval Ships An Absolute Outrage!

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is on a tear, working to eliminate all civil rights heroes who have had US naval vessels named after them.

Already, the name of gay icon Harvey Milk is being removed, but this is just the beginning.

Also likely to have their names scrubbed from naval vessels are the following civil rights heroes:

Thurgood Marshall, first African American Supreme Court Justice

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, female Supreme Court Justice, who promoted gender equality and civil rights

John Lewis, Georgia Congressman, who marched for civil rights

Medgar Evers, Mississippi civil rights activist, who was assassinated

Harriet Tubman, Underground Railroad Conductor and Union Spy during the Civil War

Dolores Huerta, Labor leader and co-founder of United Farm Workers Union

Cesar Chavez, Labor leader and Civil Rights activist and co-founder of United Farm Workers Union

Lucy Stone, prominent activist for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery

Somehow, something must be done to avert this outrageous set of actions, totally uncalled for, and unAmerican!

It is simply an attack on race, gender, sexuality, and basic common decency of civil rights for all Americans!

The Massive Corruption Of Clarence Thomas

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It is shocking how corrupt and greedy Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is, and has been in the past third of a century since his hearings for the Supreme Court in 1991 revealed sexual harassment of Anita Hill.

Selected to replace the only earlier African American Justice, Thurgood Marshall, by President George H. W. Bush, his appointment and career stand out as possibly the biggest blunder made by the 41st President.

Thomas has gained at least $4 million in “benefits” from conservative activists, most notably Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo, and has led the attack on the great advancements of the Chief Justice Earl Warren Court (1953-1969).

By all standards of behavior, Thomas should resign from the Court, and should be impeached, but of course, neither will happen, and his horrendous tenure on the Court as it moves far to the Right, undermines all respect for the Court as an institution.

Thomas, sadly, is on the path to the possibility of serving longer on the Court than anyone, if he stays a member for the next three years. If he does, he will surpass the 36 years of Associate Justice William O. Douglas (1939-1975). At this time, already, Thomas is the 10th longest serving member of the Court in its history.

Thomas’s impact on constitutional law is also the fact that many of his law clerks are now federal district court judges, so his right wing views will carry on beyond his own time on the Court.

And sadly, his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, was involved in promotion of the January 6 2021 US Capitol Insurrection, as indicated by research into the behind the scenes events of that tragic day.

Supreme Court Justice Quality Way Down From Decades In The Past!

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Republican Party Presidents since 1953 have selected the vast majority of Supreme Court Justices!

Dwight D. Eisenhower 5
Richard Nixon 4
Gerald Ford 1
Ronald Reagan 4
George H. W. Bush 2
George W. Bush 2
Donald Trump 3
Total 21 with William Rehnquist listed twice under Nixon and Reagan

in 40 years of Republican Presidents

Democratic Party Presidents have had far fewer appointments!

John F. Kennedy 2
Lyndon B. Johnson 2
Jimmy Carter 0
Bill Clinton 2
Barack Obama 2
Joe Biden 1
Total 9

in 32 years of Democratic Presidents

So twice as many Repubican appointments as Democrats!

Eisenhower had Chief Justice Earl Warren, Associate Justice Potter Stewart, and Associate Justice William Brennan stand out!

Nixon had Chief Justice Warren Burger and Associate Justice Harry Blackmun stand out!

Ford had Associate Justice John Paul Stevens stand out!

Reagan had Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy stand out!

H W Bush had Associate Justice David Souter stand out!

On the Democratic side:

Kennedy had Associate Justice Byron White stand out!

Johnson had Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall stand out!

Clinton had Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Associate Justice Stephen Breyer stand out!

Obama had Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Associate Justice Elena Kagan stand out!

Biden had Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stand out!

So 9 Republican appointments and 7 Democratic appointments have stood out!

Now, sadly, we have a group of appointments by Republican Presidents (the two Bushes and Donald Trump) that have been extremist and involved in conflicts of interest, and are not interested in being in the moderate center of constitutional law!

These include Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and sadly, Chief Justice John Roberts!

White House Chief Of Staff Ron Klain Summarizes Joe Biden’s Record In Office After 19 Months!

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White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain has summarized Joe Biden’s record in office after 19 months.

After a period of struggle and disappointment, now Joe Biden’s record is quite amazing for a President in office just a bit more than a year and a half, a truly transformational President!

As Klain describes it in an interview with POLITICO, Joe Biden “has delivered the largest economic recovery plan since Roosevelt.”(Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal)

Biden has brought into law “the largest infrastructure plan since Eisenhower.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Interstate Highway System)

Biden has accomplished “the most judges confirmed since Kennedy.” (John F. Kennedy)

Biden has accomplished “the second largest health care bill since Johnson.” (Lyndon B. Johnson and Medicare) and (after Barack Obama and the Affordable Care Act)

Biden has “the largest climate change bill in history.” (since Jimmy Carter promoted need for change)

Also, we have seen the first gun control bill since Bill Clinton’s time. (Brady Bill legislation)

And Biden has placed the first African American woman on the Supreme Court (Ketanji Brown Jackson) (After Lyndon B. Johnson placed the first African American man on the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall)

Additionally, as many observers have noted, we have seen 9.5 million jobs created; accomplished the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years; forced the rich and corporations to pay their fair share of taxes; lowered drug prices and general health care costs, including insulin costs for Medicare recipients; lowered the national debt; confirmed the most diverse set of judges to the federal bench; accomplished the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the American Rescue Plan to combat the COVID 19 Pandemic; canceled some student loan debt; and passed the CHIPS and Science Act, and the PACT Act to help sick veterans from our wars.

In foreign policy, Biden ended America’s longest war (Afghanistan), which Donald Trump had arranged to end actually three months earlier than Biden; strengthened NATO by adding Finland and Sweden; took out Al Qaeda’s top leader; and come to the defense of Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

Retirement Of Stephen Breyer And Swearing In Of Ketanji Brown Jackson To Supreme Court

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Yesterday marked the end of 28 years of devoted service of Associate Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, and the swearing in of new Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace him.

We now have the third African American in Supreme Court history, and the first woman, following Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas.

Jackson will be, as Breyer had become, a member of the minority liberals on the Court, and it will likely be very frustrating to work with the most extreme right wing Court in a century, and with no likelihood of a move toward the political center.

Let us all wish Breyer a long retirement, and Jackson a successful few decades on the Supreme Court!