H.R. 3920: Laying the Smack Down on Judicial Review
Posted on March 17, 2004 @ 7:44 am
For those of you who are still seething over the Supreme Court’s 1803 decision in Marbury v. Madison, there’s good news: H.R. 3920 (short title, “The Congressional Accountability for Judicial Activism Act of 2004″) has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Here’s an excerpt:
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL REVERSAL OF SUPREME COURT JUDGMENTS.
The Congress may, if two thirds of each House agree, reverse a judgment of the United States Supreme Court –
(1) if that judgment is handed down after the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(2) to the extent that judgment concerns the constitutionality of an Act of Congress.
It’s perfect for the member of Congress who isn’t a fan of checks, balances, or checks and balances! Of course, something like this will likely never get out of committee, but it’s an interesting bit of legislation nevertheless — especially since I’m teaching the judicial branch in class today and could always use a little extra content.
First spotted at Go Fish.
Posted by Jess | Filed Under In the News |
4 comments so far...
Leave a Comment
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
What perfect timing for your class! Heh!
Grrrr.
Hmm, well, actually, someone does need to slap the justices upside their heads every now and then.
As it stands, the Supreme Court has had a pretty heavy hand on the scales of justice, when you think about it.
Let’s see, they, according to the nice simple model I used to teach back in the “Day”, ‘interpret’ the law. Now, shouldn’t that balance out the Legislative and Executive Branches?…maybe. Well, it should, in theory balance it out…but iff (if and only if) the Justices have enough respect of the Constitution to actually interpret the law and not invent it as they go along.
I’m not going to get into any political debates here over specific rulings over the past hundred years, but, if ya look at it, they’re getting a bit nuttier and looser in their interpretation, I think.
Eh, well, it’s not that important considering that, at our current rate of collective whining, we’ll hand over absolute control to the “powers that be” within the next 20 years to keep us safe from ourselves. I’m just gonna sit back, wait, and see who’s first against the wall when Uber Bruder starts cleaning house on our behalf.
…gee, I’m depressed, or so jaded it’s depressing, one or the other…
throw the bums out if they can’t represent us