Justice Kagan Calls Out Conservative Colleagues For Democracy Fail

Folks, I’m sipping my coffee and reading about Justice Elena Kagan’s latest comments on the Supreme Court’s handling of election and voting-related cases, and let me tell you, it’s a real doozy. Two weeks before the midterm elections, Kagan basically said the court has been asleep at the wheel, “kind of blinded itself to the very deleterious effects of their rulings on how the political system works.” I mean, that’s a pretty strong statement, especially coming from a Supreme Court Justice. She also said the court “has created a democracy that does not work as well as it should,” which is a pretty bold claim.

Kagan’s been dissenting left and right as the conservative majority on the court has been gutting voting rights protections over the past decade. And I’ve got to say, her timing is impeccable – just as the midterms are around the corner and everyone’s talking about the challenges to democratic norms in the era of President Donald Trump. She said, “I do think it’s just about the most important thing that the court does,” when it comes to election law. You can’t help but wonder what’s going through the minds of the conservative justices, bless their hearts.

Kagan described voting rights as “foundational” and said that if you get democracy right, you can count on the political system to work well. She’s got a point, folks – if the system is rigged or flawed, you can’t expect good outcomes. And let’s be real, the court’s recent decisions on voting rights and campaign finance have been pretty controversial. I mean, who doesn’t love a good partisan gerrymander, right? Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, and now we’ve got a CNN article about it.

Kagan’s remarks came during a conversation with Catholic University law professor J. Joel Alicea, who’s a former law clerk to Justice Samuel Alito. That’s interesting, folks, because Alito’s been on the opposite side of Kagan in many of these cases. The school’s Center for the Constitution and Catholic Intellectual Tradition hosted Kagan, and it was her first time speaking on campus. Alicea gave her the chance to expound on her dissenting views, and boy, did she take advantage of it. She talked about her dissents in cases like Louisiana v. Callais and National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission.

I’ve got to say, Kagan’s especially dismayed by the Louisiana case, where the majority gave state legislators more latitude to draw maps that might dilute the political power of Black and Latino voters. She read parts of her dissent from the bench and lost her voice – now that’s passion, folks. And let’s not forget her 2019 dissent in Rucho v. Common Cause, where she condemned the court’s decision forbidding federal judges from reviewing partisan gerrymanders in congressional maps. She said the problem is that the justices in the majority don’t seem to care about the consequences of their decisions.

Kagan’s likely to remain on the losing side of these cases for the near future, and she admitted, “I have found myself in dissent in this area more than I would like.” Well, you can’t win ’em all, right? But hey, at least she’s speaking her mind and making the conservative justices think twice. And who knows, maybe someday the court will wake up and realize what’s going on.

In conclusion, Justice Elena Kagan’s comments on the Supreme Court’s handling of election and voting-related cases are a real eye-opener. She’s sounding the alarm on the potential consequences of the court’s decisions, and it’s about time someone did. As I finish my coffee and wrap up this article, I’ve got to say, it’s been a wild ride. And let’s be real, folks, the Supreme Court’s decisions on voting rights and campaign finance are no laughing matter – but hey, at least we can laugh at the absurdity of it all. 🙄

Big Elephant

Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.

Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.