Tag Archives: Roberts

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The Roberts Corporate Court Strikes Again


By  CAP Action War Room

The Powerful Over the People

Yesterday, we celebrated two landmark Supreme Court rulings advancing LGBT rights, but a closer look at the rest of the Supreme Court term reveals a wide variety of troubling rulings. These rulings may be on different issues, but they all have a common theme: whenever possible the High Court’s conservative wing puts the interests of the powerful above those of the people. This term the Supreme Court has issued rulings attacking voting rights, consumer rights, workers’ rights, and more.

In particular, the Roberts Court chooses to side with powerful corporations at almost every possible opportunity. Even conservative-leaning Supreme Courts in the past have not sided with corporations as often. For example, in cases where the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce intervened, they won barely more than half the time under Chief Justice Rehnquist. Since Chief Justice Roberts and Alito joined the court in 2006, the Chamber has won 70 percent of its cases. Over the past two terms alone, the Chamber has prevailed in a whopping 88 percent of its cases. In fact, the Roberts Court is the most pro-corporate Supreme Court in more than six decades.

Here’s a few of the areas where the court trampled on the people at the expense of the powerful:

  • Voting Rights: Just this week, the Court gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. As a result, six states are already moving forward with voter suppression laws that previously would’ve been held up or blocked entirely. If individuals cannot vote, they of course cannot vote for politicians who support progressive or populist policies or vote against those who are the tools of corporate special interests like polluters, insurance companies, and Wall Street banks.
  • Workers’ Rights: In two decisions also handed down this week, the Court made it much harder for victims of workplace discrimination to seek justice. The first case severely limited the definition who counts as a supervisor, making it much easier for people to be intimidated out of taking action against harassment by their bosses. A second decision issued the same day made it much easier for corporations or supervisors to retaliate against individuals who complain about discrimination.
  • Human Rights: In April, the Court severely limited a 200 year-old law that allowed individuals to use the U.S. civil court system to seek recourse for human rights violations committed abroad. Chief Justice John Roberts led a splintered court in ruling that several Nigerians alleging an oil company aided an abetted torture, arbitrary killings, and indefinite detention could not sue, because the corporate conduct occurred outside the United States. It is now essentially impossible to hold anyone accountable for such conduct.
  • Consumer Rights: The Roberts Court has made a habit of issuing rulings that limit the ability of individuals to file class action lawsuits and/or seek justice outside the arbitration system that heavily favors corporations. The Court issued several such rulings this term, making it harder for individuals or even millions of individuals impacted by wrongdoing or some other harm to take on powerful corporations.

In addition, the Court ruled in favor of pharmaceutical companies, authorized what should be unconstitutionally intrusive police collection of DNA, undermined the rights of indigent defendants, and sided with big developers and trampled on “local community rights,” among other unfortunate decisions.

Based on the cases the Court has agreed to hear next term, it appears we may be in for more of the same. The Court will hear cases on abortion rights, housing discrimination, the separation of church and state, the ability of the president to fill executive vacancies in the face of Senate obstruction, affirmative action, and environmental laws, just to name a few potentially explosive decisions.

When the Court managed to rule against corporate interests and the powerful, it almost always came over the objections of Chief Justice Roberts and the other members of the Court’s conservative wing.

BOTTOM LINE: In spite of some bullets dodged and landmark victories, the Roberts Corporate Court continued to distinguish itself by overwhelmingly favoring corporate interests and the powerful over the rights and interests of individuals and the American people.

***The Progress Report team is conducting a short survey to make The Progress Report a more useful resource for our readers. Don’t be scared–we promise it’s only a few minutes! Please fill it out now to help us improve this newsletter for you.***

Black History

the Senate led by Dems :::::::::::: S.954, the Farm bill CONGRESS :::::::::::: the Republican led House


visitors-memorials-eve

The Senate stands in adjournment until 10:00am on Tuesday, May 21, 2013.

  • Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business for one hour with the Majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final half.
  • Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S.954, the Farm bill.
  • The Senate will recess from 12:30pm until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.
  • At 12:00 noon today the Senate will observe a moment of silence to honor the victims of the tornado in Oklahoma.

Following the moment of silence at noon, the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote in relation to Cantwell amendment #919 (tribal participation in soil and water conservation programs).

Following the votes Senator Gillibrand will be recognized and intends to offer amendment #931 (restore SNAP cuts with offset).

The managers of the bill are also working on a Sessions amendment #945, but there may be an additional modification. If that modification is agreeable to both sides, it is their intention to adopt that amendment, as modified, prior to the caucus meetings.

  • 12:01pm The Senate began a roll call vote on Cantwell amendment #919 (tribal participation in soil and water conservation programs);Agreed To: 87-8

Cantwell amendment #919 was agreed to 87-8.

Senator Gillibrand offered amendment #931 (SNAP funding). The Sessions amendment #945 (eligibility criteria for agriculture irrigation assistance), as modified, was agreed to.

Following Senator Gillibrand’s statement, the Senate will recess until 2:15pm. After the lunch we will continue to process amendments to the Farm bill.

Senator Sanders asked unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment in order to call up amendments #963 (CFTC investigation on energy futures and swaps markets) and #964 (CFTC regulation of energy markets). Senator Stabenow said there is an objection to setting aside the pending amendment.

Senator Roberts has called up amendment #948 (SNAP). We are working on an agreement to have a couple votes this afternoon in relation to the Gillibrand and Roberts amendments. Senators will be notified when any votes are scheduled.

The following amendments are pending to S.954, the Farm bill:

The following amendments have been considered to S.954, the Farm bill:

  • Cantwell amendment #919 (Indian tribes – land and soil conservation programs) Agreed to: 87-8
  • Sessions amendment #945, as modified (eligibility criteria for agriculture irrigation assistance) Agreed to by unanimous consent
  • Roberts amendment #948 (SNAP) Not Agreed to: 40-58
  • Gillibrand amendment #931 (SNAP funding) Not Agreed to: 26-70

4:07pm The Senate began a roll call vote on Roberts amendment #948 (SNAP);

Not Agreed To: 40-58

4:35pm The Senate began a roll call vote on Gillibrand amendment #931 (SNAP);

Not Agreed To: 26-70

Senator Murray asked unanimous consent to proceed to H.Con.Res.25, that the amendment which is at the desk, the text of S.Con.Res.8, the budget resolution passed by the Senate, be inserted in lieu thereof; that H.Con.Res.25, as amended, be agreed to; the motion to reconsider be made and laid upon the table; that the Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses; and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees. This is the long way of saying she asked to go to conference on the Budget resolution.

Senator Paul asked that Murray modify her request to make it not in order to consider any conference report that includes reconciliation instructions to raise the debt limit. Senator McCain objected to Paul’s request.

Senator McCain then asked that the original Murray request be modified so that 2 motions to instruct conferees be in order, one related to the debt limit and the other related to taxes. Senator Paul  objected to the modification. Senator Paul then objected to Murray’s original request.

Following the period of morning business, the Senate resumed consideration of the Farm bill and Senator Stabenow called up Leahy amendment #998 (rural broadband).

 The Senate is now in a period of morning business until 6:30pm with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. There will be no further roll call votes tonight.

Tomorrow the Senate will resume consideration of the Farm bill and continue to process amendments.

As a reminder, at 4pm on Wednesday, May 22, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of Calendar #43, S.Res.65, resolution strongly supporting the full implementation of United States and international sanctions on Iran and urging the President to continue to strengthen enforcement of sanctions legislation.

There will be 60 minutes for debate equally divided and controlled in the usual form. Upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote in relation to the resolution. If the resolution is agreed to, the preamble will be agreed to. The motions to reconsider will be considered made and laid upon the table, all with no intervening action or debate.

  • This evening Senator Reid filed cloture on Executive Calendar #95, the nomination of Srikanth Srinivasan, of Virginia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. Unless an agreement can be reached, the cloture vote would occur 1 hour after the Senate convenes on Thursday.
  • WRAP UP
  • ROLL CALL VOTES1)      Roberts amendment #948 (SNAP) to S.954, the Farm bill; Not Agreed to: 40-58

    2)      Gillibrand amendment #931 (SNAP funding); Not Agreed to: 26-70

    LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

    Began the Rule 14 process of H.R.45, the Repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

    Began the Rule 14 process of S.1003, the Comprehensive Student Loan Protection Act. (Coburn)

    Began the Rule 14 process of S.1004, the Anti-Trust Freedom Act. (Paul)

    No EXECUTIVE ITEMS

******************************************************************************************

May 2013
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31

******************************************************************************************

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Watch Live House Floor Proceedings

Last Floor Action: 5/20
10:42:42 A.M. – The Speaker announced
that the House do now recess.

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 12:00 P.M.
today.

********************************************************************