I’ve always thought that Bush’s enduring legacy wouldn’t be the clusterf*** he left behind in the White House. No, it’s in the Supreme Court. Nowhere else in the American government can one president influence America for so long. Back in 2000 the Naderites insisted that there was no difference between the democrats and republicans, that both were corporate pawns. Seven years later do you think they’ve learned their lesson yet? I doubt it, but the Roberts court has been trying it’s damnedest to prove them wrong:

• Barred challenges to Bush’s Faith Based Initiatives: The court ruled by a 5-4 vote that because the Bush Administration’s “faith-based” initiative is funded with White House discretionary funds such initiatives can’t be challenged by taxpayers. Never mind that we’re the ones funding that discretionary find.
• Declared that if an employer can get away with discrimination for 180 days (6 months) they can’t be sued: The Roberts Court ruled that corporations can discriminate against women and anybody else they please as long as they can get away with it for at least 180 days without being called on it by their employee victim. So basically if a woman doesn’t find out they’re the victim of wage/promotion discrimination until after they’ve worked with a company for 6 months there’s abso-friggin-lutely nothing they can do about it but quit. Nice…
• Ruled that students don’t really have free speech: Apparently being punished for being an attention whore is now legal in public schools, as long as you’re being punished for mentioning drugs. Funny, I never heard about a drug exemption to the first amendment…
• Ruled that schools can’t do anything about segregation: Say you’ve got a local school district where either through population changes or or natural causes you end up with racially segregated public schools. I’m sure by now it should be obvious that such a situation isn’t healthy, and many school districts have taken active steps to prevent it. Too bad for them that the Supreme Court did what many a closet racist does: they’ve completely banned any consideration of racial makeup in school planning. By ignoring racism and it’s causes they’re perpetuating it. Wasn’t this issue settled back in the 70’s?
• Justices End 96-Year-Old Ban on Price Floors: If you ask me this is the most insidious ruling so far. According to the guys over at Corrente the Supreme Court’s decision to throw out a legal precedent dating all the way back to 1911 banning retail minimum price fixing will cost the average family of for between $750 and $1000. I don’t know about you, but that sure as hell might as well be tax increase sponsored corporate welfare.

Does anyone honestly believe that a Gore-influenced Supreme Court would have ruled the way the Roberst court has? Does anyone really think that Gore would have used the power of appointment to try and roll back literally the last century? I doubt it. The purpose of this post is really quite simple. It’s my chance to say thanks to the Naderites. Thanks for ****ing up our courts for most of the rest of my generation. We appreciate it. View some other bloggers reactions to the Supreme Courts Price Floors Decision (courtesy in part of Memeorandum): shamanic (The Newshoggers); Scott Lemieux (Lawyers, Guns, and Money), Jon Siegel (LAW PROF on the LOOSE) – he’s a law professor… nuff said; Kevin Sullivan *** Crossposted at Blue Collar Heresy Thanks to the amazing Jon Swift for linking in with Brown v Board of Education’s Original Intent – Thanks also to our good friend Michael P.F. van der Galiën for linking in with Is Lady Justice Colorblind?

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