Biggest attack on the Supreme Court by a President since 1937

Barack Obama is not the only president to try to bully the U.S. Supreme Court. Franklin D. Roosevelet did it famously in 1937. From reading on the web, those who believe the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore is the worst thing since Plessy v. Ferguson believe the Supreme Court had it coming.

I myself just find it bad form. The President is invited each year by the Congress to give the State of the Union Address. The event is held in the House chamber because of its larger size. Every dignitary in town is invited, including the justices of the Supreme Court, though few actually attend.

This year six attended. They sat on the front two rows as invited guests of the Congress and get chewed out by the President on national television. Obama told the world he thought their recent decision on political speech was wrong. (But should the Federal Elections Commission be able to censor the showing of an anti-Hillary Clinton film just before a primary?) House and Senate Democrats stood up and started cheering Obama and taunting the justices. Look at their body language. It reminds me of fans at a basketball game who don't like the referee's call.

Hot Air has a nice comment and the video.

One thing I promise not to do: if I become governor of my state, mayor of my city, or delegate to the Hibernian Society's national convention, I won't stand up and bully a bunch of judges who might need to decide a case in my favor.

One last story: A few years ago in my state the local trial judges asked their county (not my county) for a larger supplement to the state salaries, a common practice here. The county commissioners told them there was not any money in the budget for them. They thought it was over.

But something happened. When given a choice between fines and jail, the local trial judges selected jail. In fact, they went out of their way to prescribe punishments that did not involve fines. Within a few weeks, the county commissioners figured out that they could not afford the expenses of the justice system if the local judges did not issue fines. The county commissioners granted the increase in the local judges supplements.

I predict that the justices will knock President Obama down a peg or two and do it in such a way no one will learn of it.