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John G. Roberts Jr., in his year-end report on the federal judiciary, didn’t call out JD Vance by name. But the chief justice took an unmistakable — and well-deserved — swipe at the vice president-elect over his reckless suggestions that it is sometimes acceptable to defy the rulings of federal courts.


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Roberts has multiple concerns when it comes to defending the imperative of an independent judiciary: violence or threats of violence directed against judges; efforts to intimidate them, fueled by the rise of social media; and disinformation, including by foreign actors. But on the eve of the inauguration of Vance and Donald Trump, Roberts’s most compelling warning involved the prospect of government officials defying court orders.
Judicial independence, he wrote, “is undermined unless the other branches [of government] are firm in their responsibility to enforce the court’s decrees.” He cited, of course, the response to the court’s 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, when governors throughout the South sought to defy court orders to desegregate public schools.


“The courage of federal judges to uphold the law in the face of massive local opposition — and the willingness of the Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations to stand behind those judges — are strong testaments to the relationship between judicial independence and the rule of law in our Nation’s history,” Roberts observed.
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And in case you missed the pointed reference to the role of both Republican and Democratic administrations in enforcing court orders, Roberts went on, and he’s worth quoting in full.
“Every Administration suffers defeats in the court system — sometimes in cases with major ramifications for executive or legislative power or other consequential topics,” Roberts wrote. “Nevertheless, for the past several decades, the decisions of the courts, popular or not, have been followed, and the Nation has avoided the standoffs that plagued the 1950s and 1960s. Within the past few years, however, elected officials from across the political spectrum have raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings. These dangerous suggestions, however sporadic, must be soundly rejected.”
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...=mc_magnet-opmarcuscourt_inline_collection_19

These words cannot be read in a vacuum — nor, I suspect, were they written in one. Because of all the “elected officials from across the political spectrum” who have toyed with defying court orders, the most prominent by far — and the one who ought to know better — is JD Vance, Yale Law School Class of 2013, whose wife, Usha, clerked for Roberts from 2017 to 2018.
And yet defying the courts is something Vance has repeatedly suggested. “If I was giving him [Trump] one piece of advice, fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state,” Vance said on a 2021 podcast. “Replace them with our people. And when the courts — because you will get taken to court — and when the courts stop you, stand before the country like Andrew Jackson did and say: ‘The chief justice has made his ruling. Now let him enforce it.’”
This was no casual, one-off comment.


Vance reiterated his position — although he tried to soft-pedal it — in a February interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos:
Vance: “The president has to be able to run the government as he thinks he should. That’s the way the Constitution works. It has been thwarted too much by the way our bureaucracy has worked over the past 15 years.”
Stephanopoulos: “The Constitution also says the president must abide by legitimate Supreme Court rulings, doesn’t it?”
Vance: “The Constitution says that the Supreme Court can make rulings, but if the Supreme Court — and, look, I hope that they would not do this, but if the Supreme Court said the president of the United States can’t fire a general, that would be an illegitimate ruling, and the president has to have Article II prerogative under the Constitution to actually run the military as he sees fit.”


Then, in an interview with Politico Magazine the following month, Vance made clear that he meant defiance of the federal courts, and not just in the narrow case of the president’s authority over the military.
“If the elected president says, ‘I get to control the staff of my own government,’ and the Supreme Court steps in and says, ‘You’re not allowed to do that’ — like, that is the constitutional crisis,” Vance said. “It’s not whatever Trump or whoever else does in response. When the Supreme Court tells the president he can’t control the government anymore, we need to be honest about what’s actually going on.”
So, here we are. Trump and Vance are about to be sworn in. The prospect of a standoff between the Trump administration and the courts is not theoretical — it is real. Trump’s contempt for the courts and the rule of law has long been evident. Now, he will have Vance by his side, seemingly ready to egg him on.


When the Trump administration loses an important case before the Supreme Court — and its first-term record implies that is likely — will Vance counsel defiance and what Roberts called “open disregard”?
That would be, as Roberts warned, a dangerous suggestion. Usha Vance should urge her husband to mind the Constitution and the chief justice. Meanwhile, the rest of us need to brace for what Roberts might have to report a year from now.

I haven’t seen any threads about this yet. It seems to me like a huge gamble by Colorado and probably a big mistake. What say you, HORT?

The State of Iowa will pay $5.2 million to the family of a 21-year-old Wisconsin woman who was hit and killed by a state-owned runaway tractor while she was sunbathing at Clear Lake State Park in July 2020.



“After several years of litigation and negotiations, the parties were able to resolve this case through mediation,” according to the deputy attorney general’s recommendation to settle, which the State Appeal Board did Tuesday. “This represents a very reasonable settlement in light of the nature of this case and considering other verdicts and settlements in Iowa and around the country for other wrongful death cases.”


As stipulated, the state will pay $3.4 million to Mercedes Kohlhardt’s estate and another $1.7 million in attorneys fees.




The case stems from Kohlhardt’s visit to Clear Lake State Park with her boyfriend and her boyfriend’s father on July 28, 2020, according to the family’s February 2023 lawsuit. She was sunbathing in the grass at about 4 p.m. while Iowa Department of Natural Resources employees worked nearby.


One of those workers parked a 2013 John Deere 4720 tractor on a hill “above park visitors participating in recreational activities on and around the beach and water,” and he left it there in neutral, with the bucket elevated, and without fully engaging the tractor’s brake, according to the lawsuit.


With no one attending it, the unsecured tractor rolled down the hill, striking Mercedes and “causing multiple severe blunt force injuries to her head and other severe injuries,” the lawsuit reported.


Although she was breathing “for a period of time,” the woman eventually died from her injuries. In addition to the worker, Kohlhardt’s family argued the state is responsible for its employees.





“An unattended tractor does not roll down a hill and strike a person, causing their death, if reasonable care is exercised,” according to the lawsuit.


The state in responding to the lawsuit in 2023 denied the worker left the tractor’s gear in neutral and that he failed to fully engage the brake and properly park it. The state did admit the tractor operator left the vehicle and began working “in close proximity.”


The state, in court documents, listed several possible defenses — including immunity, statutes of limitations, and negligence on the part of the plaintiff.


In advising the appeal board to accept the settlement, however, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Peterzalek said, “A tractor owned by the state and operated by a state employee was not parked properly and left unattended.”


“The tractor rolled down a hill toward the beach in a rapid and uncontrolled manner,” Peterzalek wrote. “Ms. Kohlhardt attempted to get out of the way of the runaway tractor, but tragically she was run over.”

FYI.

The woke mayor of Los Angeles failed to deploy the city's crisis team to areas ravaged by the apocalyptic wildfires for a week, it has emerged.

The Palisades Fire - the first of several blazes to erupt in LA - broke out on Tuesday last week, but Mayor Karen Bass did not call on her crisis response team until seven days later, The New York Post reports.

Edward Alamo, interim director of the Crisis Response Team (CRT), reportedly sent an email to volunteers a few days after the deadly fires first broke out to inform them that 'at this time, we are not deploying to shelters or community resource centers'.

Volunteers were 'stunned' that the CRT, which they allege is 'more well funded' than any other crisis team in the country, spent days just 'sitting on its hands, not responding at all' while entire neighborhoods were being leveled by the fires.

Bass, according to a former LAFD Battalion Chief, could have actioned the team immediately because she 'doesn't have to wait for a request' and has 'all the authority to deploy them at their discretion'.

It is unclear why Bass waited to deploy the volunteer organization that her public safety department oversees.

The CRT reports directly to Deputy Mayor Brian Williams, who has been placed on administrative leave since mid-December when the FBI raised his over a bomb threat he allegedly made against City Hall last autumn.

Williams has not yet been arrested or charged with a crime, but still remains on leave. His attorney told KCAL that he 'strongly maintains his innocence and intends to vigorously fight the allegations'.

The CRT also lacks a permanent director and has had a job opening available for the role since last year.

Joseph Avalos, who served as CRT director for 13 years, says he cannot understand why the team was not deployed to help fire victims.

Avalos, whom Bass fired in May last year, alleged that multiple volunteers received call outs to help with small incidents, such as traffic crashes, but were not actioned amid the fires.

'I got some phone calls from current CRT members that they're still on standby and not involved yet,' he told the Post. 'Quite honestly, I don't understand why.'

Christopher Anyakwo - one of Williams' staffers - has denied claims that the organization is being sidelined and told the newspaper 'the CRT is currently helping at the disaster recovery center'.

A spokesperson for Bass told the newspaper that the CRT is working 'right now' but did not specify when the team was officially deployed.

'We are grateful that they answered our call to serve,' the spokesperson added.

The CRT was created in 1992 to provide assistance to victims of fires, crimes and other incidents.

Its volunteers are trained to offer 'immediate, on-scene, practical and emotional support to survivors,' the organization's website states.

Bass has been heavily criticized over her response to the catastrophic wildfires that have killed at least 25 people and destroyed more than 12,000 homes and other structures.

Meanwhile, Williams - who oversees the city's fire department - was placed on administrative leave less than three weeks before the fires erupted.

FBI agents searched Williams' home on December 17 after an investigation allegedly determined he made the September bomb threat against City Hall.

The Los Angeles Police Department investigated the threat after it was first reported and determined that Williams was 'likely' the source of the threat.

But due to his working relationship with the LAPD, the investigation was handed over to the FBI, who then carried out a search of his home.

Bass, shortly after the raid, issued a statement saying her 'number one job is to keep Angelenos safe' and promising to 'hold people who commit crimes accountable'.

Her statement has now come under scrutiny, as it is nearly identical a remark she made over the weekend regarding the city's response to the apocalyptic fires.

Bass, whose spokesperson claimed said that she took the 'matter very seriously', quickly issued a statement after the raid, saying: 'My number one job is to keep Angelenos safe.

'The only way to do that is to hold people who commit crimes accountable and to take real steps to prevent crime from happening in the first place.'


But critics are now questioning her sincerity after she made an almost verbatim remark over the weekend during a press briefing about the deadly fires.

A CBS News reporter, noting how the strong hurricane-force winds were set to further fuel the fires this week, asked Bass: 'Why are you not implementing broader closures right now to keep your constituents safe?'

'We are doing everything to keep Angelenos safe,' she replied, adding that the city would issue further closures if there was a 'need' to do so.

Bass named Williams deputy mayor of public safety in February 2023.

Williams' duties included oversight of the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Fire Department and the various police department that patrol Los Angeles International Airport and the Port of Los Angeles.

During his time as deputy mayor, Williams also worked on issues including police hiring, public safety spending and the search for a new police chief, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Williams had earlier served for seven years as the executive director of the Los Angeles County's Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, and was previously a deputy mayor under former Mayor James Hahn.

In that position, he oversaw management of public works and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

While the fires rage on, critics have questioned whether the city properly prepared for fire danger in the face of National Weather Service warnings about hazardous weather, even though firefighters were on alert and able to deploy assets beforehand.

Fire Chief Kristin Crowley fielded queries on Wednesday about a Los Angeles Times report that fire officials had opted against ordering 1,000 firefighters to remain on duty for a second shift last Tuesday as fires were beginning to grow out of control.

The Times cited critics who said the outgoing shift should have been kept on duty and that as many as 25 additional fire engines should have been moved into hillsides.

Crowley defended her department's preparation, saying it was impossible to know exactly where fires might break out and that some firefighters needed to remain in place to field ordinary emergency calls anywhere in the city.

'We did everything in our capability to surge where we could,' Crowley said.

The Times quoted Deputy Chief Richard Fields, who was in charge of staffing and equipment decisions ahead of the fire, as saying the scrutiny was welcome but that critics were too easily second-guessing decisions after the fact.

Looks like he had a bit of a gambling problem, and a hooker problem. I admit that I didn't follow the blog, but frequently saw it referenced and mentioned on TV lawyer talk. I assume @Aardvark86 will now need a new source for his SCOTUS update threads.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/16/supreme-court-lawyer-tax-evasion-poker-.html

I'm sorry, but this fvck'n dicksicle deserves his own thread. This asshole have been getting owned ALL GD WEEK! If you've owned him this week, please post here!

This, however, is my absolute favorite!
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RicoSuave:
Sacramento bureaucrats held up a fire department strike team of 60 firetrucks from Oregon. The truck teams were sent to help contain the Los Angeles fires and stopped for emissions testing since they didn’t have smog certificates.

Therefore, as LA burned, the fire trucks went through smog testing.

Santa Monica Observer posted:
“I just heard from my brother,” tweets Parker Caldwell, “a firefighter in Central Oregon, that the 60 firetrucks the state sent to support the LA fires are being held up in Sacramento for ’emissions testing.’ They likely won’t pass inspection and won’t be able to help… What a joke.”

“Update from our EF&R strike team leader – crews are going through inspection in Davis, California. They have been assigned to the #PalisadeFire, which is currently 6% contained. Safe travels to our team! #CaliforniaWildfires #wafirefighters”

Meanwhile, according to the Bend Bulletin, the strike teams were stopped in the Sacramento area before arriving in Southern California to complete mandatory vehicle safety checks. Oregon State Fire Marshal agency administrator Ian Yocum described the safety checks as a “critical” part of the mission.

Yocum said, “With moving this amount of equipment and firefighters, safety has to be our highest priority.”

They didn’t have smog certificates. However, LA was burning down.

Only eleven of them got going on Friday.

It seems dangerous to set emissions testing as a priority when the country is going through one of the worst disasters in its history.



Alaska Guy:

Once again, you were lied to, you sprinted here to open yet another thread on the same topic, only to be shot down.

You: “I just heard from my brother,” tweets Parker Caldwell, “a firefighter in Central Oregon, that the 60 firetrucks the state sent to support the LA fires are being held up in Sacramento for ’emissions testing.’ They likely won’t pass inspection and won’t be able to help… What a joke.”

Parker Caldwell:

OMG

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The dumpster cannot answer a reporters good question without lying and the illogic of whataboutism.

The question was about pardoning the violent Jan 6 attackers and he makes a statement that the prisons are terrible where they were at, yeah right like Dumpster has exact info about these Fed prisons. And then he makes a blanket claim that murderers dont go jail in places like LA, Chicago, etc (of course Blue states and cities) and of course that has to be a lie and the whataboutism is a nothingburger argument.

Another reporter called defense lawyers for some of these felons and these lawyers were not even finding the pardons correct.

The Dumpster is the same lying, illogical, anti-law slob

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The left isnt going to like those quotes lmfao

Participate in bowl games. Seems to me they should be payed. Coaches get bonuses for bowl games. .what s in it for the players?