The Supreme Court has had everyone on pins and needles for the last several days, promising to release opinions, tantalizing us with a few, and saving the rest for later. Most of the big stuff is out, except for the ruling on the health care mandate. That, it would seem, they are saving until the very last minute. So, more on that later.
Meanwhile, Governor Bone-finger Jan Brewer was kind of smacked down by the Supremes, with her crowning achievement largely gutted. She played it off like a win, but it wasn't. Three fourths of it was declared unconstitutional, and the fourth part is still under review. I'm glad the law is mostly done away with, because it just seemed like one of the top ten ways Republicans can be mean (in an endless list), and it just isn't necessary. And, while I can hardly tolerate Jan Brewer's fake-gloating, it's better than real gloating, and I'm sure she's not so happy-clappy on the inside.
[Excerpt]
High court strikes down key parts of Arizona immigration law
. . .The justices struck down three other parts of the law:
One making it a crime for an illegal immigrant to work or to seek work in Arizona;
One which authorized state and local officers to arrest people without a warrant if the officers have probable cause to believe a person is an illegal immigrant;
And one that made it a state requirement for immigrants to register with the federal government. . .
Gahhh. Don't click to embiggen. Image from Jezebel.
Republican Governors and legislatures seem to be in a competition for which one of them can overreach the most. At least two of those Governors are up for recall, less than two years into their tenures. And Jan Brewer, the dragon ladycatcher's mitt Governor of Arizona has topped them all. Many states have been enacting draconian anti-abortion laws since the GOP cleaned up in the 2010 elections. But as far as I know, none dared claim that life begins two weeks before conception.
The real reason for that audacious claim is so that the counting starts earlier, and that the 20-week limit becomes 18. So one more time, they're passing laws that chip away at what seemed to be settled law. And they seem to be turned back the clock to the time of back-alley abortions. [Excerpt]
Uteruses Everywhere Weep As Arizona Governor Signs Insanely Restrictive Abortion Bill Into Law
Arizona made big strides today in its quest to be one of the absolute
worst places to be a woman—or to even have a woman in your family.
Governor Jan Brewer signed into law the hideous bill
that redefines a pregnancy as beginning at two weeks before conception.
That's the earliest of any state, so if you want to get a jump start on
living, try to be conceived in Arizona. The law effectively bans
abortions after 20 weeks gestational age—err, 18 weeks if you're using
the old counting system—except in cases of medical emergency. As
draconian as it sounds, it shouldn't change much since very few of those
abortions are even performed in the state at the moment. . .
