The Supreme Court Just Reminded Us Why It’s So Important To Vote

Posted by | June 30, 2014 13:39 | Filed under: Contributors News Behaving Badly Opinion Tommy Christopher Top Stories

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The Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision makes it tempting to see its narrow ruling in Harris v. Quinn‘s as a minor victory on a bad day, but the case that threatened to destroy public unions is as clear an example as any that this is why you must always vote. In a 5-4 decision on Monday, the court ruled in favor of home health care workers who didn’t want to pay dues to a public union that they weren’t members of. However, the ruling was sufficiently narrow to preserve the right of public unions to collect dues from other types of non-members. The court could have extended its ruling to any public employee who objects to a union’s activities, but it didn’t, so that’s kind of a win, right?

Not exactly, since the existence of public sector unions wasn’t supposed to have been at issue in the first place. From SCOTUSBlog:

This seemed an unlikely case to even raise that issue, but raise it, it surely did. The case only involves home-care workers who provide medical services for patients one on one, and the prospect that their activities might pose a threat to labor peace appeared remote indeed. Several members of the Court, though, were insistent that this case raises very large issues about labor relations in the public sector — an issue that is stirring up a good deal of agitation around the country, especially in state and local government.

Aside from what was said explicitly from the bench, the atmospherics of [the] argument suggested strongly that this case has very large potential. The mood of the Court’s more liberal members was one of obvious trepidation, and that of its more conservative members — except for Justice Scalia — was of apparent eagerness to reach anew the core constitutionality of compulsory union support among public workers.

The argument that threatened the existence of public unions was the notion that public union activities are necessarily issues of “public concern,” and the collection of dues from anyone constitutes a violation of the First Amendment. Instead, the court relied mainly on the differences between the private home care providers and full public employees.

Along the way, though, the court’s conservative members provided a road map to future challenges to public unionization…READ MORE

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Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Tommy Christopher

Tommy Christopher is The Daily Banter's White House Correspondent and Political Analyst. He's been a political reporter and liberal commentator since 2007, and has covered the White House since the beginning of the Obama administration, first for PoliticsDaily, and then for Mediaite. Christopher is a frequent guest on a variety of television, radio, and online programs, and was the villain in the documentaries The Audacity of Democracy and Hating Breitbart. He's also That Guy Who Live-Tweeted His Own Heart Attack, and the only person to have ever received public apologies from both Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

54 responses to The Supreme Court Just Reminded Us Why It’s So Important To Vote

  1. R.J. Carter June 30th, 2014 at 13:41

    Damn straight it’s important to vote.
    The next President is going to have the opportunity to fill seats. And filling the right seat could have upset these Constitutionally-affirming decisions.

    So get out and vote. Republican.

    • Anomaly 100 June 30th, 2014 at 13:46

      Oh, YOU!

    • Khary A June 30th, 2014 at 13:55

      Oh it’s good to see the familiar “faces” How about this?…Vote wisely, make informed choices and choose the person who you feel will bring the country as a whole to a better place.

    • fancypants June 30th, 2014 at 14:26

      Vote republicon ?
      only if I want the middle east to become our 52nd state Which will most likely happen in 2016 if people are not too careful

    • BanditBasheert June 30th, 2014 at 20:10

      Don’t you mean Catlicker?
      Or maybe Protestant?

      Because before long your religion will determine whether you are permitted to vote in this country. Women lose their voting rights first …
      we have time to wait and see.

  2. R.J. Carter June 30th, 2014 at 13:41

    Damn straight it’s important to vote.
    The next President is going to have the opportunity to fill seats. And filling the right seat could have upset these Constitutionally-affirming decisions.

    So get out and vote. Republican.

  3. Jeff Allen June 30th, 2014 at 14:12

    The headline is correct, although we should be voting simply because we have been privileged with the power to do so, todays decisions re-affirm the importance of that privilege. As R.J. said get out and vote, but vote your conscience, not your party.

    • Billy Jackson June 30th, 2014 at 14:44

      Well said, and glad to see you made it over here!

      • Jeff Allen June 30th, 2014 at 15:47

        Thanks, good to be here. I had to add the conscience part as I found my self voting less and less Republican in recent years. In fact I officially left the party recently, disavowing my Republican affiliation complete with a list of “why’s” to the Chairman Preibus.

        • Billy Jackson June 30th, 2014 at 16:44

          Ha. I’m still registered with the party. I only keep my affiliation official to annoy R.J. :-)

          • R.J. Carter June 30th, 2014 at 18:11

            Grrr…!

          • BanditBasheert June 30th, 2014 at 20:09

            Hubs did that for awhile – then he changed to (I) – but we still get the GOP surveys which we have a great time filling out – and then mailing back with no postage. He was “raised” as a Republican but even his wonderful mother was appalled and horrified at what the GOP had become, before she died.

          • ARealHousewifeInOC June 30th, 2014 at 20:40

            I’m definitely registering as a republican and plan on voting nothing but democrat!

    • Khary A June 30th, 2014 at 16:42

      I’m glad you as well see voting as a privilege and not a right.

  4. Jeff Allen June 30th, 2014 at 14:12

    The headline is correct, although we should be voting simply because we have been privileged with the power to do so, todays decisions re-affirm the importance of that privilege. As R.J. said get out and vote, but vote your conscience, not your party.

    • Billy Jackson June 30th, 2014 at 14:44

      Well said, and glad to see you made it over here!

      • Jeff Allen June 30th, 2014 at 15:47

        Thanks, good to be here. I had to add the conscience part as I found my self voting less and less Republican in recent years. In fact I officially left the party recently, disavowing my Republican affiliation complete with a list of “why’s” to the Chairman Preibus.

        • Billy Jackson June 30th, 2014 at 16:44

          Ha. I’m still registered with the party. I only keep my affiliation official to annoy R.J. :-)

          • R.J. Carter June 30th, 2014 at 18:11

            Grrr…!

          • BanditBasheert June 30th, 2014 at 20:09

            Hubs did that for awhile – then he changed to (I) – but we still get the GOP surveys which we have a great time filling out – and then mailing back with no postage. He was “raised” as a Republican but even his wonderful mother was appalled and horrified at what the GOP had become, before she died.

          • ARealHousewifeInOC June 30th, 2014 at 20:40

            I’m definitely registering as a republican and plan on voting nothing but democrat!

    • The last of the Thousad Sons June 30th, 2014 at 16:42

      I’m glad you as well see voting as a privilege and not a right.

  5. ARealHousewifeInOC June 30th, 2014 at 14:18

    It’s a PHUCKYOOOO!!!! and your religious beliefs kinda day!

  6. ARealHousewifeInOC June 30th, 2014 at 14:18

    It’s a PHUCKYOOOO!!!! and your religious beliefs kinda day!

  7. Bob Waas June 30th, 2014 at 15:17

    This is to all those who have been pounding their fists and saying, “IT’S THE LAW!” regarding the SCOTUS ruling on Obamacare, well the same court has just gone 4-0 against the liberals on the recent rulings, so I guess “IT’S THE LAW!” on these too.

    Now we all have something to complain about.

  8. Bob Waas June 30th, 2014 at 15:17

    This is to all those who have been pounding their fists and saying, “IT’S THE LAW!” regarding the SCOTUS ruling on Obamacare, well the same court has just gone 4-0 against the liberals on the recent rulings, so I guess “IT’S THE LAW!” on these too.

    Now we all have something to complain about.

  9. Obewon June 30th, 2014 at 16:37

    Thankfully Koch bros bribed Scalia, Alito, Roberts & Thomas were shotdown by Kennedy on GOP mandating Trans Vaginal Probing for the 98% of U.S. women using birther control. OB/GYN: ‘Maam! Cerebral deficiencies prove this fetus will be a RWNJ!’
    Mom: ‘Dr! Pull the plug and end it’s suffering now!’ Just say no to RWNJ’s.

    Multiple Scientific Studies Confirm: Extreme Conservatism Linked to Racism, Low I.Q. http://aattp.org/multiple-scientific-studies-confirm-extreme-conservatism-linked-to-racism-and-low-i-q/

  10. Obewon June 30th, 2014 at 16:37

    Thankfully Koch bros bribed Scalia, Alito, Roberts & Thomas were shotdown by Kennedy on GOP mandating Trans Vaginal Probing for the 98% of U.S. women using birther control. OB/GYN: ‘Maam! Cerebral deficiencies prove this fetus will be a RWNJ!’
    Mom: ‘Dr! Pull the plug and end it’s suffering now!’ Just say no to RWNJ’s.

    Multiple Scientific Studies Confirm: Extreme Conservatism Linked to Racism, Low I.Q. http://aattp.org/multiple-scientific-studies-confirm-extreme-conservatism-linked-to-racism-and-low-i-q/

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