A quotation from Felix Frankfurter

This Court sits to interpret, in appropriate judicial controversies, a Constitution which, in its Bill of Rights, formulates the conditions of a democracy. But democracy is the least static form of society. Its basis is reason, not authority. Formulas embodying vague and uncritical generalizations offer tempting opportunities to evade the need for continuous thought. But so long as men want freedom, they resist this temptation.

Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American jurist, teacher; US Supreme Court Justice (1939–62)
Pennekamp v. Florida, 328 U.S. 331, 350–351 (1946)
[concurring]

More about this quote: wist.info/frankfurter-felix/86…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #felixfrankfurter #abstraction #oversimplification #generalization #authority #formula #billofrights #Constitution #democracy #dynamics #freedom #generalization #judicialsystem #justice #reason #rubric #SCOTUS #thoughtfulness

A quotation from Felix Frankfurter

The preservation of the community from divisive conflicts, of Government from irreconcilable pressures by religious groups, of religion from censorship and coercion, however subtly exercised, requires strict confinement of the State to instruction other than religious, leaving to the individual’s church and home indoctrination in the faith of his choice.

Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American jurist, teacher; US Supreme Court Justice (1939–62)
McCollum v. Board of Education 333 U.S. 217 (1948)
[concurring]

More about this quote: wist.info/frankfurter-felix/85…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #felixfrankfurter #churchandstate #conflict #division #education #firstamendment #freedomofreligion #government #publiceducation #religion #religiousfreedom #SCOTUS #seculargovernment

A quotation from Abe Fortas

Under our Constitution, free speech is not a right that is given only to be so circumscribed that it exists in principle, but not in fact. Freedom of expression would not truly exist if the right could be exercised only in an area that a benevolent government has provided as a safe haven for crackpots.

Abraham Fortas (1910–1982) American academic, jurist, lawyer; US Supreme Court Justice (1965–69)
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503, 513 (1969) [majority opinion]

More about this quote: wist.info/fortas-abe/86206/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #abefortas #scotus #civilrights #Constitution #dissent #firstamendment #freespeech #freedomofexpression #freedomofspeech #protest #rights

A quotation from Felix Frankfurter

The nonsectarian or secular public school was the means of reconciling freedom in general with religious freedom. The sharp confinement of the public schools to secular education was a recognition of the need of a democratic society to educate its children, insofar as the State undertook to do so, in an atmosphere free from pressures in a realm in which pressures are most resisted and where conflicts are most easily and most bitterly engendered. Designed to serve as perhaps the most powerful agency for promoting cohesion among a heterogeneous democratic people, the public school must keep scrupulously free from entanglement in the strife of sects.

Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American jurist, teacher; US Supreme Court Justice (1939–62)
McCollum v. Board of Education 333 U.S. 216–217 (1948)
[concurring]

More about this quote: wist.info/frankfurter-felix/85…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #felixfrankfurter #education #firstamendment #freedom #freedomofreligion #nonsectarian #religiousfreedom #school #SCOTUS #sectarianism #secular #seculargovernment

For likely the first time in modern history, the Supreme Court decided more cases in fast-tracked, secretive proceedings than in open court.

Watch us break down how a once-rare emergency process became the norm.
https://www.propublica.org/article/supreme-court-shadow-docket-explainer?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#SupremeCourt #SCOTUS #Law #Courts #Transparency #Video #Explainer

A quotation from Felix Frankfurter

The history of liberty is the history of the observances of procedural safeguards.

Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American jurist, teacher; US Supreme Court Justice (1939–62)
McNabb v. United States, 318 U.S. 332, 347 (1943) [majority opinion]

More about this quote: wist.info/frankfurter-felix/14…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #felixfrankfurter #scotus #freedom #law #legalprotection #legalrights #liberty #procedure #process #ruleoflaw

A quotation from Felix Frankfurter

If nowhere else, in the relation between Church and State, “good fences make good neighbors.”

Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American jurist, teacher; US Supreme Court Justice (1939–62)
McCollum v. Board of Education, 333 U.S. 232 (1948)
[concurring]

More about this quote: wist.info/frankfurter-felix/11…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #felixfrankfurter #churchandstate #Constitution #establishment #firstamendment #freedomofreligion #religion #religiousfreedom #SCOTUS

A quotation from Abraham Fortas

Any departure from absolute regimentation may cause trouble. Any variation from the majority’s opinion may inspire fear. Any word spoken, in class, in the lunchroom, or on the campus, that deviates from the view of another person may start an argument or cause a disturbance. But our Constitution says we must take this risk, and our history says that it is this sort of hazardous freedom — this kind of openness — that is the basis of our national strength and of the independence and vigor of Americans who grow up and live in this relatively permissive, often disputatious, society.

Abraham Fortas (1910–1982) American academic, jurist, lawyer; US Supreme Court Justice (1965–69)
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503, 508 (1969) [majority opinion]

More about this quote: wist.info/fortas-abe/13226/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #abefortas #America #argument #belief #Constitution #control #debate #disagreement #dissent #disturbance #firstamendment #freespeech #freedom #freedomofexpression #freedomofspeech #heterodoxy #majority #openness #opinion #popularopinion #SCOTUS #troublemaking #protest

A quotation from Hugo Black

In the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. The Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell.

Hugo Black (1886–1971) American politician and jurist, US Supreme Court Justice (1937–71)
New York Times Co. v. United States 403 U.S. 713, 717 (1971) (concurring)

More about this quote: wist.info/black-hugo/36400/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #hugoblack #scotus #censorship #firstamendment #fourthestate #freepress #freedomofthepress #government #journalism #media #meme #priorrestraint #SCOTUS #tyranny #watchdog

Alt...

The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. - Hugo Black

« We repeat today what we have held before: An officer may enter a home without a warrant if he has “an objectively reasonable basis for believing that an occupant is seriously injured or imminently threatened with such injury.” »

What's wrong with this statement – and I don't mean the morality of it.

https://brywillis634737.substack.com/p/order-in-the-court?r=pvxh5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

#Philosophy #law #scotus #language #objectivity #law #justice #harm #injury #threat #jurisprudence #reason #belief #SadPanda #blog #substack

More than a dozen #Texas families of multiple faiths sued to block the #law after it was signed by Gov #GregAbbott (R) last year. They argued the statute violates the #FirstAmendment ban on the government establishing #religion, known as the #EstablishmentClause, & improperly forced the #Christian faith onto students.

The families are being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas, & Americans United, a group that advocates for the #SeparationOfChurchAndState.

#SCOTUS

The case would be one of the most significant dealing with #religion in #PublicSchools since an ideologically divided #SCOTUS ruled in 2022 that a former public high school football coach’s on-field prayers were protected under the #FirstAmendment’s right to #FreeSpeech.
In the current case, the [ultra-conservative] US Court of Appeals for the #5thCircuit in New Orleans upheld the #Texas #law on a 9-8 vote, overturning a lower-court ruling that found the measure #unconstitutional.

#Constitution

The justices are expected to decide in coming months whether to take up the case, which is being closely watched as conservatives…work to expand #religious “rights” [ #Christian #evangelism ] in public spaces & opponents battle them in court. In April, a conservative appeals court upheld the law in a narrowly divided opinion.

#SCOTUS #law #Constitution #EstablishmentClause #SeparationOfChurchAndState #TenCommandments #education #PublicSchools #schools #Texas

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

#SCOTUS asked to hear case on #Texas #law requiring #TenCommandments in #schools


The case could set up a landmark clash over the #SeparationOfChurchAndState.

With this #SupremeCourt, I truly fear the outcome.

#law #Constitution #EstablishmentClause #education #PublicSchools

#GiftArticle
https://wapo.st/4xaYNcK

#CivilLiberties groups Monday asked #SCOTUS to hear their challenge of a #Texas #law requiring that all #PublicSchools’ classrooms display the #TenCommandments, potentially setting up a landmark clash over the #SeparationOfChurchAndState.

#Constitution #EstablishmentClause #education #schools

#Scotus justice Alito took undisclosed luxury fishing trip to #Alaska with Billionaire Paul Singer before Singer’s cases came before the Court

https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court

CCIA’s Director of the Litigation Center Burke Kappler examines a recent Supreme Court ruling that expands our #Privacy rights in the digital age. #SCOTUS’ ruling in Chatrie v. United States is a significant win for digital privacy, reaffirming that handing information to a tech company for one purpose does not mean handing it to the government for another. https://ccianet.org/articles/the-supreme-court-expands-privacy-rights-to-more-squarely-encompass-your-digital-footprint/

The Supreme Court is letting Texas enforce its App Store Accountability Act. Under-18s need a parent's OK to download any app. To spot minors, though, Apple and Google must age-verify everyone. Like carding every customer at the bookstore door, a judge said.

#SCOTUS #ageverification #indigoprivacy

Today, in lieu of scheduled celebrations of a US that is held hostage by forces bent on dismantling democracy, I am re-posting an essay I wrote in September 2024, prior to the last election, about the considerable repair work that American democracy needs to protect itself from tyrants.

https://netsettlement.blogspot.com/2024/09/repairing-democracy.html

#politics #USPolitics #4th #july4th #FourthOfJuly #US250 #US250th #Democracy #Freedom #Constitution #SCOTUS #ElectoralCollege #Gerrymandering #voting #impeachment #CitizensUnited #Rights #Corporations #Marriage #Abortion #Pardons #DEI #Religion

On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against 16-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson, who had been fighting for five years to compete on her school's girls' track team as a transgender athlete. James Dale lost at the same court 26 years ago, after he had been expelled from the Boy Scouts for being gay. Here's an open letter from Dale to Pepper-Jackson, showing his support and admiration for her.

https://flip.it/sYrSa8

#TransRights #LGBTQ #SCOTUS

DAMN STRAIGHT! 👍

#SCotUS #GOPHypocrisy

Alt...

leftylady.bsky.social wrote: Clarence Thomas says the 14th Amendment should be read narrowly because it was written for formerly enslaved people. By that logic, the 2nd Amendment was written for muskets, not AR-15s. Funny how that kind of originalism only shows up when it's convenient.

This is a privacy victory. It deserves to be celebrated. The Supreme Court ruled that geofence warrants violate the Fourth Amendment, 6–3.

https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/06/court-rules-that-law-enforcements-use-of-geofence-warrant-was-a-search

However, there’s a hidden detail that is worth flagging. And it’s not good.

This ruling arose from Chatrie v United States. Google gave generic cell phone records to the cops. No specificity means unconstitutional. Maybe.

The federal judge on the case agreed that it was unconstitutional. But she allowed evidence from the violation to be used anyway. Why? She cited that “even if there had been a violation of the Fourth Amendment, law enforcement officials had acted in good faith.”

In. Good. Faith.

This translates to “cops can violate the constitution if we believe their intentions are good.”

How many cops do you know who act in good faith?

#FourthAmendment #4thAmendment #Privacy #BigTech #SCOTUS #ChatrieVUnitedStates #Constitution #AbolishThePolice

YES!!!!!!

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
#SCOTUS Monday declined to take up an appeal from #Trump over a $5 million verdict & finding that he sexually abused & defamed #EJeanCarroll, a decision that means Trump will now HAVE TO PAY the magazine columnist.
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

#RapistInChief #criminal #law #rape #SexualAssault #defamation

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/29/politics/e-jean-carroll-trump-supreme-court

#SCOTUS struckdown a #Hawaii #law requiring people to get permission to carry #guns into stores & hotels, in its latest opinion backing #2A rights.

The court’s 6-3 decision means people can carry guns onto privately owned property like shopping malls & gas stations, unless the owners specifically say guns are banned at their establishments.

It’s a win for the #Trump admin, which argued the law violates the #SecondAmendment. It’s also a win for #MassShooting planners.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-guns-hawaii-trump-c5dbdf945bc870f70a03455f5eb1dec7

I guess it’s only protected if it’s *their* #religion.

#SCOTUS rules #Rastafari man can’t sue Louisiana prison officials who cut his dreadlocks.

#law #discrimination #FreedomOfReligion
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-prison-dreadlocks-rastafari-louisiana-f9b4d53346daee56335185542db3d4ec

SCOTUS rules that ordinary Americans do NOT owe income tax!

https://youtu.be/bTLYcr-JuDc

SCOTUS just contradicted a century of circuit courts and their malicious rulings subjecting Americans to the income tax. Will anyone notice?

[copypasta]

Dr Champion shows you the astounding words of a recent US Supreme Court decision, in which the Court explains why Americans need not pay income tax! The Court also bitch-slapped half the US Circuit Courts of Appeal in the process. A truly phenomenal decision! (Recorded December 4, 2024.)

[/copypasta]

#Taxes #IncomeTax #IRS #SCOTUS #courts #law #legal #money

The $94 Million Smart Meter Surveillance Scheme Exposed

https://youtu.be/onYWQJsWFpk

Sacramento residents discovered their utility company has been secretly feeding their private energy data to police without warrants, leading to a massive surveillance operation that generated $94 million in fines. This explosive investigation reveals how SMUD transformed smart meters into government spy devices, monitoring when you shower, sleep, or use appliances.

Innocent homeowners faced armed police raids for using electricity to power medical equipment or mine cryptocurrency. One resident was forced outside in his underwear at gunpoint, while another disabled veteran was threatened with arrest for refusing warrantless entry. The surveillance threshold dropped dramatically from 7,000 to just 2,800 kilowatt hours per month, making air conditioning use suspicious in Sacramento's brutal heat.

Internal documents expose how SMUD analysts actively mined customer data for police, checking over 10,000 homes in a single month. Despite California law explicitly prohibiting utilities from sharing precise meter data without warrants, SMUD violated these protections daily for a decade.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's lawsuit could reshape smart meter privacy nationwide. With the October 2025 court decision approaching, every American with a smart meter needs to understand how their utility company might be spying on them right now.

#SMUD #SmartMeters #EFF #Privacy #Utilities #Electricity #surveillance #SurveillanceCapitalism #Spying #4thAmendment #WarrantlessSearch #Constitution #CivilRights #Courts #Lawsuit #SCOTUS #Cops #Police #Extortion #Fraud

@privacy@a.gup.pe @infosec@a.gup.pe @infostorm@a.gup.pe