It was another big day of decisions out the U.S. Supreme Court today, their last one of the session.
So, on today’s BradCast, we cover the new SCOTUS rulings knocking down the EPA’s rule limiting mercury and arsenic emissions by coal-fired power plants (the health of the citizenry be damned); allowing the beastly use of a certain type of drug in executions (while opening the door to a Constitutional challenge to the Death Penalty); and upholding [PDF] the Arizona voter referendum requiring an “independent” commission carry out Congressional and state redistricting, rather than the state Legislature, as perfectly Constitutional.
On that last ruling, a very important one in a number of ways, we speak today with Ted Downing, former AZ state legislator and the first head of its state Electoral Integrity Commission. While he agrees with me the decision was very good for the nation, for several key reasons, Downing, formerly a Democrat, now an independent, has quite a few concerns about the “so-called independent” redistricting commission created by the state’s 2000 voter referendum. Downing explains the “huge conflict of interest” in the structure of that commission which, he says, is completely “rigged” in favor of the Republican and Democratic parties.
Plus: More Trump-mentum, and even more Bernie-mentum, as both of those 2016 candidates continue to surge in New Hampshire polling! All of that and more on today’s BradCast…
Download MP3 or listen online below…
[audio:http://bradblog.com/audio/BradCast_BradFriedman_MoreSCOUTSRulings_TedDowningAZRedistrictingRuling_062915.mp3]
(Snail mail support to “Brad Friedman, 7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594 Los Angeles, CA 90028” always welcome too!)
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What the Republicans don’t seem to realize is that the AZ decision represents the true “govt of the people” triumph over the partisan politics of the state political apparatus. In AZ the people can directly amend the Constitution, whereas the lege can only propose changes that must be submitted to a popular vote. This is a direct win for the people over the apparatchiks.
Definitely an interesting session in the supreme court. Thank goodness Obama was there to put a couple of sane people in there, or none of these positive rulings would have happened including the Obamacare one.
Something that has been driving me crazy over the capitol punishment case is that I understood some states are allowing assisted suicide. I don’t remember hearing about any horrible problems there. Why can’t they just use that method instead of the one they’re trying to use.
Good!