Day 1252: "Combustible atmosphere."

WTF Just Happened Today

Monday, June 24, 2024

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1/ The Supreme Court upheld a federal law that prohibits anyone subject to a domestic violence restraining order from having a gun. Chief Justice John Roberts said there was “no question” that the federal law banning firearms for domestic abusers is constitutional, saying it uses “common sense” and is applicable “after a judge determines that an individual poses a credible threat” of physical violence. The 8-1 decision – Justice Clarence Thomas was the lone dissenter – limits the court’s 2022 decision that vastly expanded Second Amendment rights by narrowing the ability of state and local governments to restrict guns outside the home. The decision comes a week after the court ruled that a federal ban on “bump stocks,” which makes semi-automatic rifles fire more rapidly, was unlawful. (CNN / NPR / Washington Post / Associated Press / NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg)

• Clarence Thomas Says Domestic Abusers Should Own Guns. “In his dissent, Thomas wrote that stripping a domestic abuser’s right to own a gun pursuant to a protective order was a due process violation, calling it ’an automatic, uncontestable consequence of certain orders.’” (Daily Beast)

• The Supreme Court Walks Back Clarence Thomas’ Guns Extremism. “Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion walked back maximalist rhetoric—recklessly injected into the law by Justice Clarence Thomas—that had imperiled virtually every modern regulation limiting access to firearms.” (Slate)

• Justice Samuel Alito absent from Supreme Court session for second day in a row. “Alito’s absence, for which the Supreme Court has not provided an explanation, is unusual because it’s the end of the term and the justices have issued nine opinions over the last two days.” (CNN)

• Supreme Court Signals Term Ending in July as Trump Ruling Looms. “The US Supreme Court signaled it will take the unusual step of extending its term into July as it finishes work on about a dozen cases, including Donald Trump’s bid for immunity from prosecution for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss.” (Bloomberg)

2/ Judge Aileen Cannon appeared skeptical of Trump’s arguments that Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel in the federal classified documents case. Trump’s lawyer argued that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment o...

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