Bong Hits 4 Jesus No More

Today's (black) headlines:

High court ends ban on corporate-funded campaign ads
Los Angeles Times, Calif.

Increasing the rights of corporations

Ordinary taxpayers can't sue over faith-based program
Baltimore Sun, United States

Reducing the rights of citizens

Because the Constitution, evidently, should be proprietary.

Or,

Supreme Court Sides With EPA in Environmental Law Conflict
The Congressional Quarterly

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled today that the Environmental Protection Agency can hand over to states the authority to issue water pollution permits, even if doing so appears to violate the Endangered Species Act.

(See above)

Or,

Conservatives go 4-4 today at the Supreme Court
Washington Post, United States

Legal and political conservatives hit for the cycle Monday morning when they "won" four long-awaited rulings from the United States Supreme Court

And, finally, limiting free speech (the student wasn't at SCHOOL when the principal took offense to his sign and punished him for free speech) for citizens and sub-citizens:

Court limits student speech in 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus' case
Houston Chronicle, United States

Schools may prohibit student expression that can be interpreted as advocating drug use, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court in a 5-4 ruling.

Joseph Frederick unfurled his homemade sign on a winter morning in 2002, as the Olympic torch made its way through Juneau, Alaska, en route to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Frederick said the banner was a nonsensical message that he first saw on a snowboard. He intended the banner to proclaim his right to say anything at all.

His principal, Deborah Morse, said the phrase was a pro-drug message that had no place at a school-sanctioned event. Frederick denied that he was advocating for drug use.

"The message on Frederick's banner is cryptic," Roberts said. "But Principal Morse thought the banner would be interpreted by those viewing it as promoting illegal drug use, and that interpretation is plainly a reasonable one."

Morse suspended the student, prompting a federal civil rights lawsuit.

The winning side in the case was quick to assert that the decision was not anti-free speech

Welcome back to 1984.

the article continues:

In their concurrence, Justices Samuel Alito and Anthony Kennedy specified that the court's opinion provides no support for any restriction on speech that goes to political or social issues.

It's a narrow ruling that "should not be read more broadly," said Kenneth Starr, whose law firm represented the school principal.

Ken Starr! Ken Starr?!?!?

Welcome back to "the rule of law" and the 1998-9 impeachment.

The Volokh Conspiracy blog reports that Justice Anthony Kennedy has been 16 for 16 in 5-4 decisions (the new "swing" vote).

Don't know how today's glut of abortions of justice adds or detracts from that total. (The EPA decision was 5-4 with Kennedy).

I thought they were against abortion?

Oh, hell, welcome back to 1984. Thank ghod the statue of Justice wears a blindfold, else we'd see the Goddess puking in every courthouse in the land. Rehnquist and Taney ought to be cleaning up their cell in hell. Looks like they're due for plenty of company in the next few decades.

And there are FOUR MORE decisions forthcoming on abortion, segregation, the rights of defendants, and killing retards ... er, the death penalty for the severely mentally ill.

Courage. (You'll need it.)