"The 'Constitution Restoration Act' authorizes Congress to impeach judges who fail to abide by 'the standard of good behavior' required by the Constitution. If they refuse to acknowledge 'God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government,' or rely in any way on international law in their rulings, judges also invite impeachment. In essence, the bill would turn judges' gavels into mere instruments of 'The Hammer,' Tom DeLay, and Christian-right cadres."
A solid article in the Nation on discussion that's been escalating these past couple post-Schaivo weeks. It's an interesting parallel to the Nuclear Option talk. In both cases it seems short-term outcomes are more important than long-term principles to the Right. Politicians of all stripes have been guilty of this for centuries, but it's a strategy that always backfires at some point (in this case hopefully BEFORE they ram their agenda through).
I'm less enamored of the filibuster, with its segregationist history, but the independence of the judicial branch is absolutely fundamental to the entire checks and balances concept. It's one more sign of the hubris of the current ruling class: trying to enact radical changes on a razor-thin majority with almost parliamentary discipline.
Politics
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