65 Comments
author

Apologies, all, for the influx of hate-posters.

To folks new here, I am fine with disagreement. If you are hateful or personally attack me or other commenters, though, I will freely, quickly, and eagerly block you.

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Why are Justices allowed to own stocks???

(See also: Congress)

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What's striking is the extent to which Alito's gone off the deep end - acting as if he's a high school drop out at a Trump rally. Beyond the ethical issues there's an obvious problem with judicial temperment and decorum befitting someone sitting on this country's highest court. He clearly lacks that at this point. Not only as to outside activities but it was also evident in Dobbs when he told women to go piss off and vote if they didn't like the result - as if that's something that should have ever been in the decision. It would all be juvenile if he didn't hold the position he does.

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Alito infamously shook his head and mouthed “not true” in response to Obama during a SOTU. This is nothing new.

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I guess the difference now is that he would mouth “f-ck you.”

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Not easy to be the worst on this court but he's trying his damnedest.

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Don't you think it's actually effortless for Alito to be the worst followed by Thomas, followed by Gorsuch, followed by Kavanaugh, followed by Coney-Barrett, followed by Roberts?

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There may be hope for ACB. Roberts is devious.

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Yeah, he’s really off the deep end. Apparently he sold a stock that was going down in value. Also, apparently his wife hung an upside down flag. Wow, really crazy deep end stuff.

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The flag shit is off the deep end for a sitting Supreme Court justice. You would be pissing in your diaper if a liberal justice did the same thing. And sale of the stock and purchase of Coors betrays a conflict.

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The only conflict would be if Anheuser or Molton appeared before him in court, given he owns their stock. Selling stock that's about to tank is smart, regardless of the cause.

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May 21·edited May 21

Wrong. There can be an appearance of impropriety as the result of bias and pre-judging an issue. Have you ever taken professional responsibility? Not an attorney, huh?

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And stock sales doesn't show a bias or prejudging anything but market pressure. And I've taken ethics courses.

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You’re too dense and are purposely ignoring the boycott purpose for me to waste any more time on this. Mute. Block.

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I think it betrays a rational mind.

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May 22·edited May 22

I think your comment betrays an asshole.

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Seems like everyone who disagrees with you has something seriously wrong with them. Quite a pattern.

I’m sorry you have to put up with such villainy and ignorance everywhere you go.

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May 21Liked by Chris Geidner

Congrats on getting picked up by so many other news sources on this story!

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Anyone wonder how many of SCOTUS think the election was stolen???

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We know it's at least two.

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What does Brett Kavanaugh think about all this? I hear he likes beer.

I suppose all of this needs to be documented for history. Nevertheless it often feels like our side goes to great lengths to demonstrate or prove the obvious, that we have a fascist movement running amok in this country that doesn't care about human rights, civil rights, democracy, ethics, the rule of law, truth, or any other decency.

Are we persuading anyone of anything? Serious question; I don't know. Or has everyone who is going to pick a side already picked one, and it's just fiddling while Rome burns?

We know what's happening. What's the plan of action for any of us to do anything about it? Because right now it's pretty clear to me we're losing the war.

I don't mean at all to pick on this article; it's just a general frustration of mine. It's like trying to prove Hitler is a bigot when what we need is to shut down Auschwitz. Everyone is doing the former because no one knows how to do the latter.

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Ooh, a high school kid liked beer. Sick burn!

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Kavanaugh is rich enough now to drink good beer. The stuff made by big beer conglomerates is generally not good.

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Folks we have a new fascist movement in this country and it’s not the side that has their panties in a bunch over a guy with an upside down flag (I can hear the “USA USA USA” chant through your internet connection) who sold a little bit of stock at a loss. LOL

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There’s nothing about this fascist movement that is “new”—unless you haven’t been reading and paying attention for the last 45-50 years. Charles Koch took up the right-wing drive after Nixon, and he organized it with a vengeance. Books have been written. Articles published . . .Since you called me a “modal reader,” you might as well bring some references and knowledge to back your up your opinions, because I bring SUBSTANCE to my opinions and I am well-read in the facts and history.

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If Trump can openly sell the country to Oil billionaire Fascists, and SCOTUS traitors get to pass off their biases, bigotry and BS hypotheticals as “valid opinions” to be entered into law, then it just makes sense for every Libertarian Fascist official to partake in insider trading.

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May 21·edited May 21

This is your modal reader, Chris. Lmfao

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He is the opposite of what a Supreme Court Justice should be.

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This literally turned my stomach, even more than the flag.

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May 21·edited May 21

Hahahaha. Robin the lib. Robin the flag defender. Robin, should we recriminalize desecrating the flag? Is your metamorphosis to pure authoritarian complete?

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Who said we should criminalize desecrating the flag? Turning it was a protest of ideas, divesting was a protest of people—that is what especially sickens me.

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Good old Sam Alito. Not an

ounce of bias in this

fruitcake.

The most narrow minded man

on the court!

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Anyone watching the news might think the stock was likely to drop. He'd be an idiot to not sell. Unless he were playing politics and held the stock for "moral support".

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Much as I hate Alito, I'm going to stay agnostic on this one. Alito seems to have been in tune with the anti-trans movement to recognize what the controversy would do to the stock. It doesn't really show any "insider" sort of trading unless he KNEW that Raichik’s post was forthcoming.

It might show a political decision lots of people make, to divest oneself of stocks where companies do something one doesn't agree with. But this wasn't really an in-your-face support of a reprehensible position that the flag incident was. Don't we all know that Alito, being who he is, has always been likely to vote against anything affirming LGBTQ rights, and particularly the T part?

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Even if he knew the post was going up, it wouldn't be insider trading if he waited until after the information was made public.

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right. Unless he directed his financial guy before the post went up. Does anyone really think Alito sat down at his computer and sold the stock himself?

The biggest problem I have with this as evidence of a need to recuse is that it is very borderline, knowing what we already know about Alito's views on these matters, and it diverts attention from the BIG issue caused by that flag. The last thing we need is a narrative of victimization broadcast by the right that interferes with the need for Congress to do SOMETHING about specifying when the need to recuse has teeth.

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author

I don’t know where either of you got that this has anything to do with — or even raises questions about — insider trading. That is not the issue, at all.

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it was mentioned in a comment. That's what I at least was responding to.

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author

That's not what this suggests:

"Much as I hate Alito, I'm going to stay agnostic on this one. Alito seems to have been in tune with the anti-trans movement to recognize what the controversy would do to the stock. It doesn't really show any 'insider' sort of trading unless he KNEW that Raichik’s post was forthcoming."

You're suggesting that's the issue that I raised, and it's not. The question is about recusal, specifically one of "bias or prejudice" and whether his "impartiality might reasonably be questioned."

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May 20·edited May 20Liked by Chris Geidner

I apologize if it looks that way. I'm quite aware that the issue here isn't insider trading and that you didn't suggest it was. It wouldn't have even occurred to me to mention it if someone else hadn't. I don't remember who.

My actual disagreement with your post is stated in the second paragraph of the comment you commented on. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be aware of all his lapses and I was glad to see this one explained.

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Chris, can you point us to your story on judges families making money off of fans of the prosecution of a defendant in his court? What about judges staff pressuring public institutions to purchase millions of dollars worth of their book? What about your story on judges owning “socially-responsible” (Democrat) funds?

Honestly, you should be embarrassed. Just own being a hypocritical partisan dork.

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Chris is just pointing out that it is illegal and unethical to ever sell or buy anything which happens to coincide with anything the right wing is saying at the moment.

I would choose your next words wisely. If you use any of the words that I, a dirty right winger and enemy of the state, have used, then you will also be under suspicion, you see?

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I would guess my words of choice are “vast overgeneralization” and “inability to distinguish.” Don’t know whether those words are USED by the dirty right. The concepts are certainly PRACTICED by them. (and yes, by the non-dirty-right, too, but in much less quantity).

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Maybe the rest of the media is getting it wrong though? That would be in character. Your reporting is always excellent and very thorough. Which is not true of what gets published by all the mainstream outlets who are motivated by the need to turn a profit for shareholders.

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He sold the stock to Kavanaugh!

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Dylan Mulvaney's ad came out on April 1, also called April Fools Day. Alito sold his stock in August 5, months later. This was recognition that Budweiser was a bad investment.

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Law Dork,

Thank you for your ongoing diligence and attempt to hold SCOTUS accountable and in public view.

With each passing day I become sicker and sicker by the blatant disregard of law and ethics that SCOTUS, our elected and appointed officials are, ha, "mandated" to follow.

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