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McCook Gazette

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Editorial

Trump's judicial appointments to have long-term consequences

Friday, December 30, 2016

The supply of ammunition seems to have improved and not everyone was clamoring to buy guns following the November election, thanks to the perception that Trump was less likely than Hillary Clinton to push for gun control.

That's not the case in California, where sporting goods stores have been struggling to supply semi-automatic rifles ahead of a new law which bans certain features.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed six bills in July which bans guns with quick-release magazines and other features. That pushed gun sales up 40 percent, a million firearms sold by Dec. 9 compared to 700,000 in all of 2015.

This year's sale include 364,643 semiautomatic rifles by Dec. 9, compared to 153,931 last year.

California's situation could easily become a national phenomenon if federal and Supreme Court judges decided to interpret the Second Amendment in a manner that did not guarantee personal ownership of firearms.

That seems more unlikely since Donald Trump has promised to appoint judges cut from the same cloth as the late Antonin Scalia, a conservative icon.

That promise was enough to persuade many voters to ignore other misgivings and vote for Trump, who will have the opportunity to fill 103 judicial vacancies left by President Obama.

Conservative voters concerned about abortion, sexual orientation, gay marriage and other sensitive issues tended to choose Trump.

Obama found only 54 judge positions open when he took over the reins from George W. Bush eight years ago, and Democrats accuse Republicans in Congress of stonewalling his nominees.

Lest Trump's actions be taken for granted, however, it could be noted that his older sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, is known as a moderate.

Appointed to the bench by Ronald Reagan and elevated to the circuit court by Bill Clinton, she has spoken out against women's claims of sexual harassment but also struck down a New Jersey law banning late-term abortions as unconstitutional.

The appointment of conservative judges is a priority for Vice President-elect Mike Pence, but it remains to be seen whether Trump will stick to his guns when it's time to submit his nominees.

Whatever choices he makes, America will be forced to live with them for much longer than his short-term decisions.

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  • If you are one that believes the Supreme Court is the final arbiter of what is lawful and constitutional, then you have believed a lie and a myth that Jefferson warned about. The States still retain their rights to this day to defy the federal judiciary, which has become an oligarcy. We just need strong statesmen as governors and legislatures to make that stand!

    In writing to William Jarvis, Jefferson said, "You seem . . . to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy."

    The germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the constitution of the federal Judiciary; an irresponsible body (for impeachment is scarcely a scare-crow) working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped."

    -- Posted by ramrodd on Sat, Dec 31, 2016, at 10:38 AM

  • Save your breath.

    Americans know per the plain language of the amendment that it is the "right of the People to keep and bear Arms", not the power of the states to organize militias (which is presumed), that is guaranteed.

    You can 'nuance' until the Chick fil A heifers stop hawking chicken, but the reality is that with isolated exceptions, the U.S. has awakened as to the actual meaning of the amendment and the Founders' intent in guaranteeing it.

    And now, we have President Trump and one or more SCOTUS appointments who will solidify what should have occurred naturally in the first place.

    Not to mention hundreds of lower federal court appointments who will have the same impeccable understanding of orginalism.

    And there is nothing, NOTHING you can do about it.

    Ah... life is indeed beautiful.

    -- Posted by BJH` on Sat, Dec 31, 2016, at 1:38 PM

  • BTW, the banner should read, "Trump's judicial appointments to have long-term BENEFITS".

    You're welcome.

    -- Posted by BJH` on Sat, Dec 31, 2016, at 1:41 PM
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