The Texas GOP--from the same state party that gives Representative Joe "I'm sorry" Barton--has gone out of its mind. Someone over at Media Matters, who clearly needs to be given hazard pay, looked through the Texas Republican Party platform. While there is so much stupid in there, for me, this one takes the cake:
Further, we urge Congress to withhold Supreme Court jurisdiction in cases involving abortion, religious freedom, and the Bill of Rights.
Um, then what should the Court do? Argue over whether blacks get three-fifths of a vote? This is insane, and it's the only way people like Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson end up looking good not awful.
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It is insane to most people, but these clowns seem to have an in-state base to whom stuff like this is just hunky-dory.
"Gone" implies that they weren't at some point. I admit I'm young, but I don't remember them being anything else.
Amusing. Typically (AFAIK, IANAL) if the Supreme Court does not have jurisdiction in a particular area, then the entire federal court system doesn't either. Sounds like a good-ol' States Rights issue. We don't want the feds looking over our shoulder and telling us what's constitutional and what isn't. Texans know how to decide that for themselves.
I was going to make a comment about the ignorance of someone thinking Congress could just pass a law to limit the Supreme Court's jurisdiction. But then I decided to review the US Constitution, and found this:
Does that mean that it is within Congress's power to legislate exceptions to SCOTUS's jurisdiction? Frankly, that would be extremely scary!
I think it would be funny for Congress to pass a law restricting the Supreme Court and then having the Supreme Court overturn the law for its "breathtaking level of inanity." Even Roberts would have fun writing that decision.
The whole Texas Republican Platform makes me miss Molly Ivins more than ever.
Is Texas a real place? It seems like an imaginary place, like Bizarro world.
Brawndo's Got What Texans Crave! It's Got Electrolytes!
That's what happens when the sane people leave a party. Only the crazies are left. It seems like each state's GOP are trying to outcrazy each other. The problem, of course is that a good portion of the country is either just as insane, or are one-issue idiots who will vote for the GOP because of abortion, gays, guns, etc.
@qetzal
I think congress has control of the breadth federal court system. But the supreme court is an appellate court so that there must be a lower court; fed and state courts.
That said, I may be mistaken and welcome any corrections
@qetzal
It's been a while since my Con Law classes, but I think the key to the stupidity is the first sentence of the second paragraph, "In all Cases...in which a State shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction." That power of Congress (AFAIK) only extends to the cases where SCOTUS would have appellate jurisdiction. Most of the cases the Texas GOP seem to want Congress to withhold would probably fall under original jurisdiction, rendering their wants unconstitutional.
Great. I was going to try to get some work done. Now I'm going to have to look up case law.