Supreme Court Notebook: State of Union No-Show

[choie]

Source: Associated Press

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer Mark Sherman, Associated Press Writer – Sat Oct 16, 9:59 am ET

WASHINGTON – When Supreme Court justices enter the House of Representatives in their black robes for the president's next State of the Union address, Samuel Alito does not plan to be among them.

The justice said the annual speech to Congress has become very political and awkward for the justices, who he says are expected to sit "like the proverbial potted plant."

Of course, Alito did not remain impassive at the most recent State of the Union speech by President Barack Obama. He reacted to Obama's unusual rebuke of the court for its decision in a campaign finance case by shaking his head and mouthing the words "not true."

The 60-year-old justice, an appointee of President George W. Bush, acknowledged with a smile that his colleagues "who are more disciplined refrain from manifesting any emotion or opinion whatsoever."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_supreme_court_alito

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Son of a Bitch

[jaxx]

1. Smarmy piece isn't he?

Go ahead and stay home Sammy...nobody gives a fuck.

[Supersedeas]

51. Citizen's United is paying big dividends -- conflict of interest accomplished??

[SpiralHawk]

2. Another republicon going AWOL

Freaking chickenhawk RepubliCorporatista judge does not serve the citizens of the USA anyway. He just serves his corporate masters...

Good riddance.

[activa8tr]

18. Good one! n/t

[Warpy]

3. The only excuse should be illness

Alito is acting like a petulant child.

[SnakeEyes]

22. historically justices haven't gone to the SOTU

only in recent times have they attended in numbers. Even then not all of them

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ZenKitty]

44. Indeed

[FarPoint]

4. His absence will be just that..... a complete

Repug political statement........Teabagger style! By that I mean, he will be doing the complete opposite of what he claims.......

[David Zephyr]

5. Fantastic! History has recorded Alito's bad behavior at his final State of the Union Address.

I like this.

The video recording we've all seen of his petulant behavior will forever be the memory Americans will have of this shitty man forever.

I like that.

[thelordofhell]

6. You're a Supreme Court Justice not a big baby

What a piece of work this asshole is.

[pruple]

7. Can Fat Tony hang out with him?

[KoKo]

20. Just rewatched "GodFather II" the other night. I think that "some group" finally got their ultimate

champion in Alito...and add in Scalia. I'm not dissing Italian Americans...but those two are obviously "owned" by someone.

:scared:

[No Elephants]

38. What about Roberts and Thomas? Does Godfather II remind you of them, too?

You are dissing Italian Americans. You just don't get that you are.

[KoKo]

48. They are run by the RW Fundies....

Equal opportunity...

[billymayshere]

8. Fucking corporate rat fucker!

You should feel fortunate that Obama doesn't have the conviction to call for your impeachment at the State of the Union.

[myrna minx]

9. Stay classy. n/t

[annabanana]

10. His "not true" turned out to be VERY true. .. . and he can't take it.

I find Alito to be the worst of the bloodless, lipless, mean spirited wizened ideologues in Washington. There may be words for that particular breed of excrement, but I don't know them.

[No Elephants]

45. I believe "modern Republican" covers it.

[mikeSchmuckabee]

11. Good, turn in the taxpayer pay check on the way out, scumbag.

[BlueJac]

12. Just the turd he has always been.......

nothing new here. I hope the dems that allowed him to be on the court such a bag full of shit now.

[Enthusiast]

13. If ever there was a justified remark

by a President during a state of the union speech it was Obama's castigation of the supremes for the Citizens United decision. Fuck those fascists in robes.

[AnnieBW]

14. He's probably going to be banging Clarence Thomas's wife

She'll be teabagging him.

B-)

[davidinalameda]

43. that's just an image that I didn't need

:puke:

[ixion]

15. "the annual speech to Congress has become very political..."

Funny, that was NEVER a problem when Chimpy was jaw-bonin' the SOTU.

[SnakeEyes]

23. He didn't attend most of Chimpo's either

2001-2005 he wasn't there

[No Elephants]

39. Wow. Defending Alito really motivates you! He wasn't a Justice 2001-2005.

[CanonRay]

16. Yet another Republican coward

Yawn, I lost count.

[NYC Liberal]

17. I hate Alito but most of the SCOTUS hasn't attended for a long time:

2008: Roberts, Breyer, Alito, Kennedy
2007: Roberts, Breyer, Alito, Kennedy
2006: Roberts, Thomas, Breyer, Alito
2005: Stevens, Breyer
2004: Breyer
2003: Breyer
2002: Kennedy, Breyer
2001: Breyer

[No Elephants]

40. Alito is taking a snit, not simply not attending. Very inappropriate.

[KoKo]

19. I'm beginning to think Supreme Court Justices are better than you or I...They Last Forever!

No Stress...job appointment for life...ample vacation when court is not in session and you are more important than the President...but can make money on the side from Corporations.

[lobodons]

21. Does he even comprehend

How wrong he was? "That's not true" WTF!!?? What a dumbass!!!!!!

[Historic NY]

24. Hey alito go f--k yourself.

[onenote]

25. Most SCOTUS Justices don't attend. Only Breyer always attended

Neither Ginsberg nor Scalia, the opposite ends of the spectrum, have attended in nearly a decade. THere are a thousands of criticisms that can be levelled at Alito. Deciding to forego attendance at the SOTU isn't one of them. Here is a list of who has attended in recent years:

BUSH PRESIDENCY:
2008: Roberts, Breyer, Alito, Kennedy
2007: Roberts, Breyer, Alito, Kennedy
2006: Roberts, Thomas, Breyer, Alito
2005: Stevens, Breyer
2004: Breyer
2003: Breyer
2002: Kennedy, Breyer
2001: Breyer

CLINTON PRESIDENCY:
2000: None (due to illnesses and travel conflicts)
1999: O'Connor, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas, Ginsberg, Breyer
1998: Rehnquist, O'Connor, Souter, Thomas, Breyer
1997: Scalia, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas, Ginsberg, Breyer, White (retired)
1996: Rehnquist, O'Connor, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsberg, Breyer
1995: Rehnquist, O'Connor, Scalia, Ginsberg, Breyer, Blackmun (retired)

[newtothegame]

26. SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: State of Union no-show

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Supreme Court justices enter the House of Representatives in their black robes for the president's next State of the Union address, Samuel Alito does not plan to be among them.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5in1VZkp04afej_spUzQDz9MwFyAQ?docId=9283aeb14be74a9f96e8605fcf7b24e9

[MindandSoul]

27. I personally won't cry about this! In fact, good riddance!

[aquart]

31. If he can't take the heat he should retire from the Court.

You know what would be delightful? If he did retire and Obama appointed another woman.

[aquart]

28. He's rather not be told he's a treasonous POS, I guess.

Or whatever the polite presidential equivalent is.

[jaysunb]

29. Good !

I'd rather not see his smug face. :evilfrown:

[calimary]

30. Good. Maybe he's ashamed to show his face after cameras caught him talking back

to Obama about the People's United ruling from his nice comfy seat in the front of the room: "simply not true." Well, Mr. associate justice schmuck, it turned out to be ABSOLUTELY TRUE, and your smug arrogant assertion makes you look like an ass and an idiot.

Or maybe he's just being a piss-ant, unable to recognize what an ass and an idiot he made himself out to be that night.

[emulatorloo]

34. I don't think he has any shame. Just ego and entitlement.

[calimary]

36. You're probably correct.

[monmouth]

32. Now if Clarence Thomas, Scalia and Roberts are no-shows it

should be a pleasant evening. Good riddance to these three.

[onenote]

41. scalia and thomas will be no-shows. As will be Ginsberg.

None of them has shown up in years.

[glinda]

33. well isn't that special

[DFLforever]

35. He's hated Obama since his confirmation hearing

when Senator Obama noted Alito always seemed to take the side of the more powerful against the least powerful.

Talk about a damning evaluation of a judge and of a Catholic one at that.

I don't think Alito has ever recovered..it probably still haunts him in his sleep.

[newtothegame]

42. Actually I haven't gotten the impression he cared at all. nt

[MicaelS]

46. No big deal to me....

I've always thought that having so many of TPTB in one place and at one time, even if only once a year is a very bad idea.

Read the end of Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor to see why. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt_of_Honor

I see no reason for any Federal Justice / Judge, Senior Military Officer, or Cabinet Member to attend the SOTU. It should be POTUS and Congress, that's it.

[Nancy Waterman]

47. And Obama proved to be exactly right about the SC decision

Alito proved wrong.

[ProudDad]

49. Sounds like grounds for impeachment to me (n/t)

[Javaman]

50. alito thinks pretty highly of himself by calling himself a potted plant.

I think all potted plants have just been insulted.