Congress Assaults the Courts, Again

[Swede]

The House of Representatives took a little- noticed but dangerous swipe at the power of the courts this week. It passed an amendment to a budget bill that would bar money from being spent to enforce a federal court ruling regarding the Ten Commandments. The vote threatens the judiciary's long-acknowledged position as the final arbiter of the Constitution. It is important that this amendment be removed before the bill becomes law.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/18/opinion/19sat2.html

[Independent_Liberal]

1. Stop the wreckless abuse of power now!

This is getting ridiculous!

[napi21]

2. So this nitwit introduced an amendment. Has it been voted on?

I guess I don't understand the law as well as I thought I did. How can you have an ammendment added to a congressional bill that has nothing to do with the Ten Commandments, and basically says TS, I disagree with the court, pass and be enforced? I don't think you can do that! If they could, they would never have gone to the SCOTUS for decisions on the detainees, etc, and there would never be an argument about abortion or gay rights. Some Rep or Sen would just add an ammendment to a bille and say it's wrong, so THERE!

[housewolf]

3. The current House of Representatives is utterly out of control

they introduce measure after measure, ammendment after ammendment, bill after bill that are based on pure ideology with no logical rational behind them.

The House needs to be cleaned out in '06 and '08. This body is acting in the interests of a small minority of the population and for the purposes of garnering even more power and control unto themselves, while doing harm to the majority of Americans and America's future.

[Mythsaje]

5. Which is exactly why

I made THIS proposal.

http://sajewilliams.blogspot.com/2005/01/representation-by-lottery.html

There's a DU thread about it too.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3893415

[kcass1954]

4. Someone needs an 8th grade civics lesson again....

I'm referring, of course, to Representative John Hostettler, Republican of Indiana, who apparently does not understand what the job of the judiciary branch is. As a member of the House, he does not get to decide what is and what is not "constitutional".

<snip>

Mr. Hostettler declared that the ruling was unconstitutional, and inconsistent with "the Christian heritage of the United States."

<snip>