Supreme Court
28th Amendment Goes to Court Steps
The copy of the 28th Amendment is delivered to the steps of the Supreme Court by Occupy the Courts in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25, 2012.
Email this pageOccupy the Courts: Big Picture 01/20/12
Thom and spokesperson for MovetoAmend.org, David Cobb discusses the latest developments from the "Occupy the Courts" movement at the supreme court in Washington, DC. Later in the show, Thom debates the week's hottest topics in the weekly rumble.
Public Citizen: DN! 01/05/12
Robert Weissman from Public Citizen explains what the organization is and provides details on the Supreme Court ruling that made money speech and granted corporations First amendment rights which allows them to spend however much money they want to influence election outcomes.
Liberty News TV: Supreme Injustice
An in-depth look at the political motivations and beliefs of the nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court.
GRITtv: The F Word: Let's Admit The Truth About American Royals
According to polls, only about 6 percent of Americans are following with any close attention the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. But that's not stopping the media fascination on both sides of the Atlantic with American's supposed fascination with Britain's royals. “Royal wedding reminds us why we tossed Brits,” ran one letter to a local paper recently. That exorbitant $80 million spent on a medieval style ritual in time of 21st century austerity. It's shameful. It's old world. It's just what Americans fought a revolutionary war to throw off. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Vince Warren: WikiLeaks Exposes Guantanamo Truth
"The real issue is who was actually at Guantanamo, how were they treated, and this revelation gives us another chance to look at that," says Vince Warren of the Center for Constitutional Rights, who joins Laura in studio to discuss the latest disclosures from WikiLeaks--nearly 800 files on the detainees at the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Though President Obama promised to close the prison when he was elected, it remains open and 172 people remain imprisoned there, Warren notes, and argues that this disclosure could be another opportunity to rethink that policy.
GRITtv: The F Word: Citizens United Allows Workplace Propaganda
We've talked a lot about the devastating effects of corporate cash on elections following the Citizens United decision, but a new story in The Nation shows that the Supreme Court's also made it a lot easier for companies to pressure their employees directly about voting. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Rep. Cory Mason: Counting Votes & Changing Minds in Wisconsin
"If people don't have trust and confidence in their elections, it's really hard to have confidence in the democracy writ large," says Wisconsin State Representative Cory Mason, noting the "gross incompetence or malice" involved in the sudden appearance, a day and a half after the polls closed, of 7500 votes for the conservative candidate in his state's Supreme Court race. Meanwhile, Wisconsin Democrats are moving forward with at least two recall elections for Republican state Senators who supported Scott Walker's union-busting, and Cory joins Laura to discuss via Skype from his district--which just happens to be the same district as that of Paul Ryan, the House GOP's leader on budget issues.
GRITtv: Dorian Warren: The 'Walmart Way' and Koch's FOIA request in Wisconsin
"It's a targeting of workers' abilities to come together against big companies," says Columbia University professor Dorian Warren of the Walmart v. Duke case. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments from both sides on whether a class-action lawsuit that pits female employees since 1998 against the corporate giant Wal-Mart will be permitted. Plaintiffs say that the level of gender discrimination is so entrenched that is has become part of the corporate culture. A class-action lawsuit would ensure that workers have the resources and voice to take on an opponent as formidable as the world's largest retail chain. If the decision to block a class-action suit is made, workers will be left with individual lawsuits and few other options. And, more GOP maneuvering in Wisconsin: the state GOP, with Koch backing, have issued a FOIA request for the email address of several UW Madison professors. They would like to prove that state email addresses were used for illegal lobbying after professor William Cronon published a blog outlining the role of the conservative think-tank American Legislative Exchange Council in drafting legislation around the country.
GRITtv: Ed Pilkington: Uncloaking the Koch Brothers
The Koch brothers have operated largely beneath the radar of most Americans for years, convening twice-yearly meetings for the past 8 years of some of the richest and most powerful conservatives in the country. Their meetings have even been attended by Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Thomas; part of the five-vote majority on the Supreme Court that handed down the Citizens United ruling, and their Americans for Prosperity buses appear at Tea Party events around the country. But this week, they had a little surprise--their gathering wasn't a secret any more, as around a thousand protesters showed up outside their Rancho Mirage, CA getaway. Ed Pilkington of the Guardian was there, and he joins us to give us the story.
