The Court always rules in favor of the Court. When Chief Justice Roberts dissented against the other eight, he ruled against the court to preserve order in the Court. In this case, the students suing over free speech censorship probably don’t want to allow a private settlement to enable it to happen again. The concern at stake was whether the court can decide a real lawsuit after the basis is settled, but the injured party files suit for $1 anyway. Thomas thinks that $1 makes it real. Roberts doesn’t want judges giving opinions on problems that don’t exist—a judicial practice called “advisory opinion” that expired over 200 years ago. The problem is that this case is real, but it was privately resolved, thus the basis disappeared before the court had opportunity to rule.
The result is that anyone can sue anyone for $1 and SCOTUS could hear the case. That certainly favors the Court’s expanded abilities. The Court always rules in favor of the Court.
Europe isn’t happy about COVID-19 vaccines or the predicted third wave. Americans aren’t happy about how Democratic Governors Whitmer and Cuomo handled the pandemic. If nothing else, someone could sue them each for $1 and a Republican-appointed SCOTUS would get to decide their fates.
Law
Supreme Court: Bad GOP lawyering may have just saved the Voting Rights Act // Vox
Congress
Voting rights fight could move Democrats to finally end the filibuster // Yahoo News
More Democrats Join Effort to Abolish the Filibuster // NY Times
Pressures grows on Biden to take on the filibuster // WA Post
Washington as Usual
Senate passes COVID-19 plan, clearing way for nearly $2 trillion in relief // Yahoo News
Pence pushes false election fraud claims in denouncing Democratic reform bill // CNN
Democrats
Cuomo defiant as top New York lawmakers call on him to quit // AP
Republicans
Trump says he’ll campaign against Murkowski in Alaska next year // CNN
Trump sends cease-and-desist letters to GOP campaign committees // NBC News
CPAC: Trump targets Republicans like Liz Cheney, Mitch McConnell // USA Today
Violence, Radicalism & Terrorism
Boulder party on the Hill: Police looking to make arrests // NBC 9 Boulder
Security & Public Safety
Markets, Economy & GDP
China is sounding the alarm about a global market bubble // CNN