The Trace, a publication devoted to stopping gun violence, assessed the Supreme Court decision striking down restrictions on gun ownership in New York. The law that was overturned has been in place for over 100 years. One thing this ruling proves: this Court doesn’t care about public safety. Despite numerous gun deaths and massacres, despite Buffalo and Uvalde, the Court relaxes restrictions on carrying guns in public. This is a Court that does not care about precedent, social stability, human life, or public safety. It will use any rationalization available to justify its extremist opinions. It is “originalist” when that suits its purposes. But not really originalist because if it were, Amy Coney Barrett and Clarence Thomas would resign at once. Neither qualify to serve on the Court or even to vote by the terms of the original Constitution.
The Trace reported:
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court struck down New York’s restrictive firearms licensing law, a decision that could transform gun ownership in New York City and affect at least five other states with similar regulations. In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority endorsed, for the first time, a constitutional right to carry a gun in self-defense outside the home.
New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen is the Supreme Court’s first major Second Amendment ruling since 2010, when the Court struck down Chicago’s handgun ban. Writing for the majority, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas said Americans have a two-part right to “keep” guns in their homes and “bear” them in public.
“This definition of ‘bear’ naturally encompasses public carry,” Thomas wrote. “Most gun owners do not wear a holstered pistol at their hip in their bedroom or while sitting at the dinner table.”
The scope of the decision had been anticipated following the leak in May of a draft opinion voiding federal abortion protections. Legal experts told us at the time that the apparent sidestepping of precedent in that draft document, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, could signal a similarly wide ruling in Bruen. The court did not go as far as calling into question all licensing schemes, including the 43 states that have “shall-issue” permitting laws, but it did leave the door open for potential challenges.
“Because these licensing regimes do not require applicants to show an atypical need for armed self-defense, they do not necessarily prevent ‘law-abiding, responsible citizens’ from exercising their Second Amendment right to public carry,” Thomas wrote.
“It’s going to have huge impacts because the court changed the entire standard for evaluating Second Amendment claims,” said Jake Charles, the executive director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law. “It’s much broader than I was expecting it to be.”
The decision also rewrites the methodology federal courts use when deciding Second Amendment cases. Since 2008’s District of Columbia v. Heller, which established that the Second Amendment includes the right to bear arms in the home, lower courts judging contested firearms legislation have considered whether a particular law furthers the government’s interests in things like reducing crime in addition to historical precedent.
Please open the link and read the rest.

Tenure at the Supreme Court should be limited time and not…until death us do part.
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Even if indicted and convicted (which he won’t be, Dems are too weak to go for the jugular as well as way too fearful of “not losing”), Trump will have left an indelible mark–a large fecal stain–on this country for decades to come.
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I wouldn’t bet on Trump not being indicted and convicted of a crime, if not for his coup attempt, he may be found guilt of something else like his lying and cheating on his taxes and property values. The cases pending in New York state and city haven’t gone away. The news has just focused on the January 6th investigation instead because it’s bigger news right now. And there the investigation going on in Georgia for that phone call to find thousands of votes so Trump would win that state.
Why? Because it isn’t just Democrats and most independents that want the traitor in prison or a grave, but also at least one-third of Republicans including Mitch McConnell and DeSantis. Include every Republican at the state level that hasn’t joined his MAGA Big Lie cult.
Most if not all of the witnesses to testify in front of the January 6 committee are Republicans and those that didn’t take the 5th and refuse to answer questions also want the traitor gone one way or another.
“Litigation Tracker: Pending Criminal and Civil Cases Against Donald Trump”
“On both the criminal and civil litigation fronts, former President Donald Trump faces a bevy of lawsuits and investigations, with more cases likely to follow. Some are civil suits stemming from his pre-presidential business dealings. Others are defamation claims from women he allegedly assaulted. More still are criminal probes and civil actions that scrutinize his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The Chart below tracks all these cases. It will be continually updated as major legal developments occur.”
https://www.justsecurity.org/75032/litigation-tracker-pending-criminal-and-civil-cases-against-donald-trump/
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Lloyd,
I enjoy your posts by the way…
I don’t know, man. There’s been a “bevy of lawsuits and investigations” facing Trump for years, none of which (impeachments included) produced anything or amounted to anything of consequence or import because there’s a bottomless pit of cash to appeal in hopes of pricing plaintiffs out.
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“he may be found guilt of something else like his lying and cheating on his taxes and property values.”
Far more likely than that the US AG (Attorney Go-easy) will indict him for insurrection, and not **just because the evidence is stronger for the tax cheating and inflation of property values.
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Although the evidence for inciting insurrection is pretty damned strong
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There is considerable precedence for the Attorney Go-easy NOT pursuing criminal charges against high level operatives (in government and industry) who have committed serious crimes (financial fraud and even widescale homicide), despite the presence of overwhelming evidence.
Just one example: “failure” of Obama’s AG to go after individual big bankers guilty of billion dollar financial frauds perpetrated on the public.Front Line did a whole piece on that.
Also, where were/are the US AG criminal prosecutions of the Sacklers who fraudulently advertized and marketed a highly addictive drug which resulted in the addiction , ruined lives and the death of hundreds of thousands of Americans?
Anyone still waiting for US AG prosecution of those is going to have a very long wait. I hope they like elevator music.
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I agree, Lloyd, but look what happened to the great case in the Southern District of NY: fell apart, 2 lead prosecutors who had been working on the case for months (or year) quit, because someone @ the top decided not to pursue it/drop it. Didn’t hopes lie there that it45 would be prosecuted & jailed?
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You have no idea what DOJ is doing. We do know that they have executed search warrants and obtained a lot of records that plainly involve an investigation. They also asked Congress for more funds for additional personnel specifically for this case.
You don’t know what DOJ is doing because you’re not SUPPOSED to know what they’re doing. They don’t talk to the press, they don’t talk to local authorities, unless they need something. And ethical rules for prosecutors are very different from the rules for attorneys in general. You find out what’s happening when they slap the cuffs on.
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“Dems are too weak to go for the jugular as well as way too fearful of ‘not losing’”
Anyone who has played sports knows that when one plays to “not lose” one almost always loses.
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Trump has left that stain already.
The Dems problem is not that they are afraid to lose but that they play by the rules, customs, and laws against an adversary that cheats.
Remember that McConnell said the Senate could not consider Obama’s SCOTUS candidate in March 2016 because it was a presidential election year.
But in 2020, he pushed through the confirmation of Barrett only two weeks before the presidential election.
He makes rules up, then breaks them, whatever serves his goal.
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& the DEMS allow him to, Diane.
Many of us have said, in conversations, that people seem to believe that itch mICKonnell is still in charge of the Senate , NOT Chuck Schumer. Because just WHAT does Schumer say? Not much.
I think his niece, Amy Schumer would do a better job: she has a BIG mouth, a LOUD voice & I could just picture a great cartoon w/her big head (it is), mouth open, bellowing orders & blowing away little turtle itch, lindsay graham cracker, marjorie boobert & the other assorted wing nuts.
&, unfortunately, Joe does the same (wasn’t there just a post here about a KY deal?).
We have been the laughing stock of the world w/our weak Dems, who are SUPPOSED to be in charge, & now, due to their inability to use majority rule, we are a tragedy. Did you all see the great cartoon of the Statue of Liberty captioned, “Please take me back to France?”
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It is amazing how tone deaf conservatives are. If they were really “pro-life,” they would be in favor of saving lives by restricting access to dangerous weapons. A pro-life position should also support a child tax credit for poor families, and they would also be in favor of abolishing the death penalty. Conservatives suffer from a severe case of cognitive dissonance.
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“I is amazing how tone deaf conservatives are. ”
Brain death can have that effect
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There are very few “true conservatives” these days. The Rethuglicans who claim to be “conservative” are actually regressive xtian fundie reactionary reich wingers.
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Hypocrisy. They are pro-life for fetuses but pro-neglect/pro-death for the born.
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Just sent out a great sign that was posted on Twitter–held by a young lady that says, “If you don’t like abortions, why don’t you just ignore them, like school shootings?”@
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& the Uvalde parents are still asking for answers…& getting bupkis.
BTW, the brave mom who ran back into the school has been getting harassed by the Uvalde Police (followed, & lights flashed at she & her mom when they went out for a night Walk; a cop car sitting outside her house).
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Thomas’ decision represents the worst of “law office history”. And what doesn’t help him he just ignores.
As one example, he refers to the phrase “bear arms” as if it meant civilian carry of firearms. But “bear arms” had a specific meaning at the time of the founding. It meant to perform military service, not to go around packing heat. Like Scalia, Thomas knowingly ignores this usage because it defeats his argument. He also discounts the evidence of extensive gun regulation at the time of the founding. Guns, and carrying guns, were subject to many state and local restrictions at that time, but Thomas just omits this history because he has an agenda. Unfortunately, it is not to divine “original intent”. It is to remake the nation to his liking, and the facts and history, and the public welfare, be damned.
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After the abortion decision, at least we can be certain Thomas doesn t mean “the right to bare arms”
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The Tommyban opposes such stuff.
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Not so funny, now, but when I used to co-teach as an 8th Grade IL L.D.Resource Teacher, the kids had to pass a U.S. & IL Constitution Test* to graduate middle school. I made flash cards w/the classroom teacher, & the one we used for the 2nd Amendment was a cute postcard I had found @ a card/gift shop that had a cartoon drawing of a cute bear (w/very hairy arms) & said, at the top, “The right to BEAR arms.” All the kids passed that one on the test.
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For the past month or so, someone in my big city neighborhood has been regularly shooting a gun, often at night but earlier too. It sounds like target practice & lasts up to 20 minutes. I’m close enough to fear bullets coming thru my windows but not close enough to be able to localize the sound, so I keep hoping someone closer who knows where it’s coming from will report it. People with guns are just itching to use them these days. THANKS SCOTUS
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P.S. The good news is that I’m not homeless anymore. I’m just not sure about how to change my screen name here.
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Bravo for having a place to call your own!
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Great to hear! HE!
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So glad to hear that!
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Great to hear some GREAT news, No Longer Homeless! 👍👍👍👍
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A lack of ethical behavior in many areas of society is the problem. It has nothing to do with faith belief “ethics” which are pseudo-ethics at most.
Carrying any weapon in public, concealed or not, except to transport (cased, not loaded and locked) to and from shooting/hunting venues, is UNETHICAL gun ownership. Lying about the circumstances of the Kennedy case as the majority opinion does is UNETHICAL. Implementing the standards and testing malpractice regime is UNETHICAL. There are far too many instances of unethical behavior. Whatever one can get away with is ethical is the American Way.
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The Christian religions all teach that God forgives those who repent”, so as long as you repent after shooting 17 kids and two teachers at an elementary school, you will be forgiven and can then go out and shoot 19 more.
As long as you repent after the last shooting before you die, you are golden.
That’s called the Golden Rule.
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*Oh, meant to refer to the * in comment below: seems to me that 6 of the “justices” need to be re-tested on the U.S. Constitution. Think they could pass?🤔
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Ask and Ye shall be forgiven
Repent and God forgives
No matter what you’ve done
No matter what you do
Repent and God loves you
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Put in the caring place by WordPress
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“When I use the Constitution” John Roberts said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less. “
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