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SCOTUS and Janus: the end of stare decisis? (preserving bad precedent as valid law)
self | 6/28/18 | NewJerseyJoe

Posted on 06/28/2018 9:14:33 AM PDT by NewJerseyJoe

The Janus ruling was earth-shaking (in a hugely positive way). Way past time for out-of-control government unions (aka Democrat money-laundering machines) to be taken down at least one peg. But I thought the more important takeaway was SCOTUS putting in writing the idea that precedent is insufficient grounds for preserving bad law that conflicts with fundamental constitutional tenets.

"Fundamental free speech rights are at stake...and [prior precedent] Abood [v. Detroit Bd of Ed.] was poorly reasoned." - Justice Alito

It's really bad news for the lefties, who always scream about "settled law" and stare decisis. This ruling has huge implications for the future.


TOPICS: Government; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: alito; janus; precedent; scotus; staredecisis
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1 posted on 06/28/2018 9:14:33 AM PDT by NewJerseyJoe
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To: NewJerseyJoe

This could go back to Roe, which was based on an absurd extension of a non-existent Constitutional right. It could even be used to overturn the oft-abused “public accommodation” provisions of Brown vs. Board, which is founded on the refutable notion that “separate is inherently unequal.”

A lot of marxist oxen could be gored.


2 posted on 06/28/2018 9:20:08 AM PDT by IronJack (A)
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To: NewJerseyJoe
It's really bad news for the lefties, who always scream about "settled law" and stare decisis. This ruling has huge implications for the future.

Oh, yeah!!!

Think about abortion and the woman's 'right' to murder another human being.

3 posted on 06/28/2018 9:21:46 AM PDT by USS Alaska (Kill all mooselimb, terrorist savages, with extreme prejudice! Deus Vult!)
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To: NewJerseyJoe
Let's not be ridiculous.

Marriage between one woman and one man has bee the precedent since the beginning of time.

Murder without cause, aka abortion, has been a crime and is the precedent.

Gay marriage and abortion as "law" was not precedent but legislating from the bench.

4 posted on 06/28/2018 9:26:35 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: NewJerseyJoe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dred_Scott_v._Sandford


5 posted on 06/28/2018 9:29:07 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: Sacajaweau

Exactly!


6 posted on 06/28/2018 9:29:34 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: Sacajaweau
>> Let's not be ridiculous.
>> Marriage between one woman and one man has bee the precedent since the beginning of time.

Please note that the title I wrote specifically says BAD precedent.

7 posted on 06/28/2018 9:29:57 AM PDT by NewJerseyJoe (Rat mantra: "Facts are meaningless! You can use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!")
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To: Sacajaweau

Dredd Scot and Plessy v Ferguson were overturned.


8 posted on 06/28/2018 9:29:58 AM PDT by CharlesOConnell (CharlesOConnell)
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To: Sacajaweau
... and in my comment:
"precedent is insufficient grounds for preserving BAD law that CONFLICTS"
9 posted on 06/28/2018 9:31:21 AM PDT by NewJerseyJoe (Rat mantra: "Facts are meaningless! You can use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!")
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To: NewJerseyJoe

But my charge is that it does rise to be called precedent....it’s legislating from the bench.


10 posted on 06/28/2018 9:32:48 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: NewJerseyJoe
"It's really bad news for the lefties, who always scream about "settled law" and stare decisis. This ruling has huge implications for the future."

No. This is not a precedent for overturning precedents. It's happened may times before.

11 posted on 06/28/2018 9:34:47 AM PDT by mlo
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To: NewJerseyJoe

Correction to Post 10....Does NOT rise...


12 posted on 06/28/2018 9:35:49 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: NewJerseyJoe

Stare decisis does not apply to the Supreme Court. It can not because it is the highest court. That fact used to be taught in high school American history.


13 posted on 06/28/2018 9:36:40 AM PDT by captain_dave
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To: CharlesOConnell

Dred Scott was mainly overturned by the passage of the 14th Amendment.


14 posted on 06/28/2018 9:39:43 AM PDT by dirtboy
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To: NewJerseyJoe

“Fundamental free speech rights are at stake...and [prior precedent] Abood [v. Detroit Bd of Ed.] was poorly reasoned.”

So, the new precedent is not to honor poorly reasoned precedent. Should the Court honor this new precedent? Rejecting it would mean accepting its reasoning.


15 posted on 06/28/2018 9:41:38 AM PDT by rightwingcrazy
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To: NewJerseyJoe

“But I thought the more important takeaway was SCOTUS putting in writing the idea that precedent is insufficient grounds for preserving bad law that conflicts with fundamental constitutional tenets.”


This is not new...but it hasn’t happened for a while.

“Brown v. Bd. of Education” overruled the precedent in “Plessy v. Fergusen” - which took 58 years.

Hopefully, the extraordinarily poorly-reasoned “Roe v. Wade” will be similarly overruled. From the standpoint of the Constitution (i.e. NOT morality), I don’t mind if some state or states decide that the ability to have an abortion is somehow a basic right within their borders - but to state that it is part of the Constitution with no mention of it, while simultaneously stating that the RKBA doesn’t exist when it is there in plain black and white, is as intellectually dishonest, and is as much of an affront to legal reasoning, as one can imagine.

I remember my Constitutional Law professor stating exactly this. He went to great pains to stress that from the standpoint of legal reasoning, it did not matter one whit whether you agreed with the final decision or not, the important thing to understand as a law student was the process. He showed us how several underlying cases, and Roe itself, just made up law from whole cloth. He objected to that, even though he largely agreed with the decision. He wanted it repealed, and for Congress to either pass a law, or for a Constitutional Amendment to make that result legitimately legal. He was mostly conservative, but on this issue was at least an honest liberal (there aren’t many of them left).


16 posted on 06/28/2018 9:43:18 AM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: NewJerseyJoe

“Stare decisis” and “precedent” are excuses for ruling in accordance with past bad decisions instaed of ruling in accordance with the Constitution.


17 posted on 06/28/2018 9:48:58 AM PDT by Architect of Avalon
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To: captain_dave

Wrong. Stare decises applies to all courts. All it means is respect precedent.


18 posted on 06/28/2018 10:06:36 AM PDT by Okeydoker
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To: Architect of Avalon

Wrong. All it means is respect precedent. Since American law is based on the constitution, statutes and case law, the courts must use prior interpretations or there would be no consistency whatsoever. When a prior precedent is determined to have been faulty it is overruled.


19 posted on 06/28/2018 10:10:37 AM PDT by Okeydoker
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To: Okeydoker

You’re talking In Theory and I’m talking In Practice.


20 posted on 06/28/2018 10:59:03 AM PDT by Architect of Avalon
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