Top 5 Scalia Rulings that helped Progressives

[tencats]

By Juan Cole | Feb. 14, 2016

http://www.juancole.com/2016/02/top-5-scalia-rulings-that-helped-progressives.html

I don’t imagine Justice Scalia and I would have agreed about very much. But perhaps his passing is an opportunity to point to a few things on which we, as Americans, did agree, because of our commitment to the Constitution, however different our interpretation of it might be in general.

1. Scalia took important stands to preserve the Fourth Amendment, which forbids unreasonable, warrantless searches by government of our personal effects and papers.

2. In Kyllo v. United States in 2001, Scalia wrote the majority opinion that the government can’t use infrared imaging to look inside your home from the street without a warrant.

3. Scalia concurred in a crucial ruling by the court that the Environmental Protection Agency has the right to regulate carbon dioxide emissions.

4. In EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Scalia last summer wrote the majority decision. The court found that the stores had to offer Muslim-American Samantha Elauf a faith accommodation even if she did not ask for one. A&F had declined to hire her when she interviewed for a sales job wearing her Muslim headcovering or hijab because the firm said it had a policy against employees wearing hats

5. Scalia also joined the rest of the court in deciding that a jailed Salafi Muslim had a right to grow a beard.

Read it all here at:http://www.juancole.com/2016/02/top-5-scalia-rulings-that-helped-progressives.html

[Bucky]

1. I knew about the infrared decision, but the Muslim beard ruling was unanimous

SCOTUS appointments aren't important for the slam dunk decisions.

[valerief]

2. 4 & 5 means rules of law should accommodate religion. That leads to churches not paying taxes,

faith-based subsidies, and Hobby Lobby bullshit.

[Shemp Howard]

3. Thanks for posting that.

It's a reminder that people on the other side of the aisle usually DO have some good qualities. Being wrong, even very wrong, does not automatically equate with being evil.

Conservatives and progressives alike often refuse to admit that. And that's a pity, because when you demonize your opponents very bad things can happen. Consider the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1950's as just one example.

But notice that I had to use the word "usually" in my first sentence. Because I cannot think of a single good quality when it comes to Dick Cheney.

[Xipe Totec]

4. None of those decisions affected corporate America; his key demographic. nt

[brush]

5. Shouldn't we be posting a Top 20 list on how Scalia hurt the country?

I am not hiding it. I am enjoying this sense of schadenfruede right about now.