Robert Reich

Thanks to the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling this May, the EPA was forced to remove protections from most of America's wetlands this week.

Harlan Crow's firm lobbied for the rollback while he secretly plied Justice Thomas with gifts.

Anyone see a problem here?

Aug 31, 2023 at 7:15pmWeb
Show threadDavePerrino ✅Aug 31, 2023
@rbreich everyone except Republicans and the Federalist Society.
Show threadErik Uden 🚩Aug 31, 2023
@rbreich No Problem at all! This is how the system is supposed to work. In western countries it isn't corruption, it's lobbyism ;)!
Show threadSkepticAug 31, 2023
@rbreich
Apparently one now gets the court they pay for.
Show threadConnorAug 31, 2023
@rbreich the dots are so close together that you don't even need a line. It's just a pile of dots.
Show threadTexasProgressiveAug 31, 2023
@rbreich Yes, Roberts needs to resign and Thomas needs to retire!
Show threadOshun JonesAug 31, 2023
@TexasProgressive @rbreich Why would they? There is no incentive to resign…
Show threadDarcySep 1, 2023

@oshunj @TexasProgressive @rbreich

And to impeach them will take a majority in the house and a 2/3 vote or 67 votes in the senate.

It's a joke!
51% vote puts them on the court but a 67 vote to remove them!!!

Show threadRupert V/Aug 31, 2023
@rbreich Actually, no.
I can't imagine Thomas voting for government regulation over private profit whether he was paid to or not.
Show threadMidwest BobAug 31, 2023
@rbreich Crow’s firm should rebrand as Bribes R Us. They could start a really huge business of blatant bribes to various “conservative “ politicians. Save money not having to route the money through off shore banks, etc.
Show threadMatthewAug 31, 2023
@rbreich
Also thank retired IL House Rep John Shimkus, who helped draft law to "update the language" surrounding wetlands.
@GottaLaff
Show threadarensbAug 31, 2023
@rbreich But Crow pinky-swore that he didn't have any cases before the court!
Show threadConatusPrincipleAug 31, 2023
@rbreich After the news broke about the gifts from Crow, did all of this have any concrete consequences or repercussions for Justice Thomas? European here so I haven't been following the story after the first revelations.
Show threadisotope239 🥸💻🇺🇦😣Aug 31, 2023
@Conatusprinciple @rbreich So far, there have been absolutely no consequences for Justice Thomas whatsoever. He seems convinced that he's impervious to any action to relieve him of his seat on the bench and to date, he's been right.
Show threadMartin NuttyAug 31, 2023

@rbreich

Hmmm I'm guessing we're gonna see a lot of devlopment 'garchs ready to pave over those "worthless lands"

Rather than destroy what we have, what provides habitat for our threatened #biodiversity, what provides #CleanWater for both #wildlife and us humans, why not focus on redeveloping #brownfield sites, derelict buildings, and urban sites lying unimproved because of #RealEstate speculation?

We can do far better, far greener, far cleaner

#GreenDevelopment #Environment

Show threadShoqAug 31, 2023
@rbreich no Mr Secretary, as always, you're the only one who sees these any of things. The rest of us are probably just stupid. You could be the best diagnostician whoever lived. But we don't need one of those. We need a doctor with some remedies. Do you know any of those Mr Secretary?
Show threadVirginia HollowayAug 31, 2023
@rbreich oh, the plying wasn’t secret at all. Justice Thomas was very much aware it was going on.
Show threadLorq Von RayAug 31, 2023
@rbreich - I see that Harlan Crow is one of the problems here but neither socially nor politically do we possess the temerity or spine to "fix the problem". And so the problems remain ...probably to happen all over again.
Show threadRose Nicolle 🃏 (She/her)Aug 31, 2023
@rbreich huge problems and many to come for vegetative, wildlife and fish species.
Show threadTrump & Epstein: Biz partners.Aug 31, 2023

@rbreich
Justice Thomas is (w/o question), the MOST CORRUPT scotus justice in U.S. history. 🤬

But he couldn't have done this alone. He had 4 accomplices (3 of which were rammed onto the Court by an equally corrupt Far Right congress that changed the rules to do it.) 😞

Show threadBc Clarity Carlton-MartinAug 31, 2023
@rbreich Yes, the mercury levels are already higher.
Show threadMike McGrawAug 31, 2023
@rbreich
Whatever America used to be, it’s now the land of, “Sorry, we can’t do that any more.”
This is our motto for nearly everything.

Protect women’s right to health care?
Guarantee equal rights to all citizens?
Stop massively polluting the planet?
Reduce waste dumped into the ocean?
Fight corruption on the Supreme Court?
…on and on.
Sorry, we can’t get that done. Ever!
So sad.
We have to fight back. Voting is very important, but probably not enough.
Show threadsean, with wordsAug 31, 2023
@rbreich is it capitalism and a corrupt system that is destined to both fail and kill as many people as possible, or is this one problem with one dude and then we’re good? You tell me.
Show threadBreck BeatieAug 31, 2023
@rbreich Is Clarence Thomas the most corrupt supreme court justice in the history of the US Supreme Court? Many people are asking the question.
Show threadcurtAug 31, 2023
@rbreich Related article, https://www.npr.org/2023/08/29/1196654382/epa-wetlands-waterways-supreme-court
Show threadSuburban DruidAug 31, 2023
@rbreich Yes, I *do*. Vast swathes of what we were told about the country as children, are -especially now - *Goddamned lies*.
Show threadcurtAug 31, 2023
@rbreich I think it’s safe to say that this decision means that only wetlands with an unbroken surface water connection, all/every year, will remain under EPA. Water runs down hill, land is not flat, and source volume is variable. This means that wetlands are constantly rising, falling, connecting to, and disconnecting from, downstream surface, and sub-surface sinks. A perpetual surface connection doesn’t seem particularly important in determining an areas distinction as a wetland.
Show threadbusticatedAug 31, 2023

@rbreich progressives need to get better at bribery..?

🫠

Show threadTotal ToddAug 31, 2023
@rbreich I am shocked! Shocked!!
Show threadJ. J. CunisAug 31, 2023
@rbreich this must stop.
Show threadsOlOw-NHAug 31, 2023

@rbreich

...not Clarence, because this Justice is blind...(to conflict of interest)

Show threadHaereAug 31, 2023
@rbreich what would happen if the EPA had not done this, despite the ruling?
Show thread12foxfireSep 1, 2023
@rbreich If ever we needed wetland protection, it is NOW! Think of how much worse the latest hurricane would have been without the undeveloped land where it hit to absorb the storm surge. Wetlands are essential to combat the climate crisis.
Show threadWCOW The ArchersSep 1, 2023
@rbreich
Crow is such a bad surname ever since Jim.
Show threadSamHughesSep 1, 2023
@rbreich America needs to retool it's highes court.
Show threadLarrySep 1, 2023
@rbreich
It's been a truism that an honest American politician was one who when bought, stayed bought. It was not as obviously true of the judiciary.
Show threadCyrusSep 1, 2023
@rbreich the problem is that we don't have enough cheerwine
Show threadpootie 🌱Sep 1, 2023

@rbreich as senator whitehouse says, "the captured court emerges"

😴💤💤💤

Show threadO'Shaq HennessySep 1, 2023
@rbreich We all do. What are we gonna do about it though?
Show threadRichard W. Woodley ELBOWS UP 🇨🇦🌹🚴‍♂️📷 🗺️Sep 1, 2023
@rbreich
No problem. America is the ultimate capitalist state. Everything is for sale to the highest bidder. That is how the market works and the market is never wrong.
Show threadCharLightSep 1, 2023
@rbreich There has to be a way to un-bench him.
Show threadGen X-WingSep 1, 2023

@rbreich GOP, GOP is the problem. Just everything comes back to them.

Any other party would have gotten rid of a judge so corrupt after it was found out. By they are all in on this. Every single one.

Show threadKschaffsSep 1, 2023
@rbreich but. What do we do? Violence? We’re being played and plied left and right and the center will not hold. Spearhead an anti-gerrymandering initiative and help us
Show threadDoug Baker - Elbows Up! 🇨🇦Sep 1, 2023
@rbreich You get what you pay for.
Show threadPatricioSep 1, 2023
@rbreich Nuts! It makes no sense.
Show threadOpenDNA⚙️Sep 1, 2023
@rbreich How very traditional.
Show threadWendy LadySep 1, 2023
@rbreich pretty soon they'll roll back science classes as well so kids will think it's because God is mad as the reason hurricane surges are getting worse.
Show threadNicole ParsonsSep 1, 2023

@rbreich

In John Grisham's book, "The Pelican Brief" the wealthy just assassinated Supreme Court justices who tried to protect wetlands.

Not sure if it's better when the rich just buy the favors of a Supreme Court Justice instead.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pelican_Brief

The Pelican Brief - Wikipedia

Show threadM.S. Bellows, Jr.Sep 1, 2023

@Npars01 @rbreich I'm not much of a Grisham fan, but I love the "judicial philosophy" bit at the very end of this passage from "The Pelican Brief":

"'Biggest crowd ever!" Rosenberg yelled at the window. He was almost deaf. Jason Kline, his senior law clerk, stood behind him. It was the first Monday in October, the opening day of the new term, and this had become a traditional celebration of the First Amendment. A glorious celebration. Rosenberg was thrilled. To him, freedom of speech meant freedom to riot.

"Are the Indians out there?” he asked loudly.

Jason Kline leaned closer to his right ear. “Yes!”

“With war paint?”

“Yes! In full battle dress.”

“Are they dancing?”

“Yes!”

The Indians, the blacks, whites, browns, women, gays, tree lovers, Christians, abortion activists, Aryans, Nazis, atheists, hunters, animal lovers, white supremacists, black supremacists, tax protestors, loggers, farmers–it was a massive sea of protest. And the riot police gripped their black sticks.

“The Indians should love me!”

“I’m sure they do.” Kline nodded and smiled at the frail little man with clenched fists. His ideology was simple; government over business, the individual over government, the environment over everything. And the Indians, give them whatever they want.

Show threadStarkRGSep 1, 2023
@rbreich I would say sometime should just burn down the whole country at this point, but I quickly realised that would be redundant.
Show threadThreadbaneSep 1, 2023
@rbreich
I think the American oligarchs are sort of wasting their money "bribing" Clarence. He votes the Republican line anyhow, so they really don't need to curry any favor at all.
Show threadMadisonMonkeySep 1, 2023
@rbreich But but it has been reported mr crow had no business before the court in so so many articles talking about Thomas’s gifts
🤷‍♂️
#scotus
#news
Show threadS. LottSep 2, 2023

@MadisonMonkey @rbreich reported? By whom? It’s untrue.

Supreme Court Did Review Case Involving Harlan Crow ... - Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/04/24/supreme-court-did-review-case-involving-harlan-crow-contradicting-clarence-thomass-claim/amp/

Supreme Court Did Review Case Involving Harlan Crow—Contradicting Clarence Thomas’s Claim

The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal filed by an architecture firm suing a company that was part of the Crow family real estate portfolio in 2004.

Forbes
Show threadJohn DoyleSep 2, 2023
@slott56 @MadisonMonkey @rbreich in a country where billionaires can give as much money as dark money as they want, and more than 900 amicus briefs are submitted each term, nobody can know what business he has before the court.
Show threadS. LottSep 2, 2023
@jdoyleoss @MadisonMonkey @rbreich likely the Forbes article only scratches the surface.
Show threadRichy222Sep 4, 2023
@rbreich Kangaroo Court for the filthy rich
Show threadHitimsSep 17, 2023
@rbreich I believe in law they say "what were the reasonable person" think❓ these people could do is recuse themselves which they don't the most they could do is resign which I hope they do but if they don't resign what options are there?
Show threadMsMeropeMar 7, 2024
@rbreich oh we all SEE the problem, we just aren't rich enough to do anything about it.