Politics Justice Clarence Thomas Asks Questions in Court, 1st Time in 10 Years

Discussion in 'Blazers OT Forum' started by Denny Crane, Feb 29, 2016.

  1. Denny Crane

    Denny Crane It's not even loaded! Staff Member Administrator

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  2. Denny Crane

    Denny Crane It's not even loaded! Staff Member Administrator

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    FWIW, I'm a big fan of all the justices.
     
  3. jlprk

    jlprk The ESPN mod is insane.

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    I have all their cards, but chewed the gum long ago. Still got it though.
     
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  4. MarAzul

    MarAzul LongShip

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    "Thomas then asked how long the suspension of the right to own a firearm lasts.

    Eisenstein said it was indefinite."

    Is there any other case where a misdemeanor can get a persons Constitutional right suspended indefinitely?
     
  5. jlprk

    jlprk The ESPN mod is insane.

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    Not a lawyer, but I would guess that there are many. The bigger story is, Clarence Thomas is an even worse judge than the highly partisan Scalia.
     
  6. MarAzul

    MarAzul LongShip

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    Wow! Very impressive! Back when I chewed gum that came with cards, I don't think I knew one justice. No doubt I would have simple chucked the card.
     
  7. MarAzul

    MarAzul LongShip

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    My guess is, there are none. I also think this one should not exist.
     
  8. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    Sounds like a winner!

    In one of the cases, Stephen Voisine pleaded guilty in 2003 to simple assault after slapping his girlfriend in the face while he was intoxicated. In 2009, an anonymous caller reported that Voisine had shot a bald eagle with a rifle. He was then convicted under the gun law.
     
  9. jlprk

    jlprk The ESPN mod is insane.

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    I would need to see a list of what is a misdemeanor nowadays (a short list) and what is a felony (practically all crimes that you hear about). The biggest travesty of the evil legal system since the 80s is that Republicans have moved almost all of the former into the latter. You fished without a license? 2 days in jail. Etc., etc.
     
  10. MarAzul

    MarAzul LongShip

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    Where the hell are you speaking of? I can't think of a place west of Texas where the Republicans are in charge of anything.
     
  11. Denny Crane

    Denny Crane It's not even loaded! Staff Member Administrator

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    The article and Thomas' questions seem to be about moving the latter into the former.

    The guy in the case has two black marks. He struck a woman, domestic violence, one time (that we know of), 13 years ago. No gun involved. On this fact alone, is he a risk to shoot his girlfriend? Doesn't seem so to me.

    The second mark against him is that he shot a bald eagle (tastes like chicken!). As far as I'm concerned, ANY crime committed with a gun is deserving of a significant prison term, no parole. I'm ok with the judge using discretion, since not all cases are the same.
     
  12. oldfisherman

    oldfisherman Unicorn Wrangler

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    Killing a Bald Eagle is a federal felony crime, not a misdemeanor. Convictions carry a maximum fine of $250,000 or two years of imprisonment.
     
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  13. Denny Crane

    Denny Crane It's not even loaded! Staff Member Administrator

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    From the article in the first post.

    But Thomas peppered Eisenstein with several questions about Second Amendment gun rights, a topic no other justice had asked about. He noted that the law allows someone convicted of a misdemeanor assault charge to get a lifetime ban on possessing a gun "which at least as of now results in suspension of a constitutional right.''

    "The suspension is not directly related to the use of a weapon?'' Thomas asked.
     
  14. Denny Crane

    Denny Crane It's not even loaded! Staff Member Administrator

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    More:

    The other case involves William Armstrong III, who pleaded guilty to simple assault in 2002 after pushing his wife during an argument and leaving a "red mark.'' Eight years later, police searching Armstrong's home discovered six firearms and ammunition.
     
  15. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    Good, I guess he lost his gun rights.
     
  16. dviss1

    dviss1 Emcee Referee

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    Um.... All of Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, and Montana?
     
  17. oldfisherman

    oldfisherman Unicorn Wrangler

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    It depends on how long his prison sentence was for.

    In order to be prohibited from owning a gun under the current Fed law, a convicted felon must have been convicted of a crime that is "punishable by imprisonment for more than one year. But, certain "white collar" crimes that result in a felony conviction don't prohibit those felons from owning guns.
     
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  18. jlprk

    jlprk The ESPN mod is insane.

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    No, it depends upon how long of a supposed standard sentence his crime is assigned. Many felonies, i.e. "crime that is punishable by imprisonment for more than one year," routinely get plea-bargained sentences of 1 month or less. The sentence on the books is stated as more than a year (i.e. a felony) in order to mentally torture the accused into taking the plea bargain and not use the court's precious time.

    In other words, almost all crimes are included in that category. The distinction between felony and misdemeanor is bullshit.
     
  19. oldfisherman

    oldfisherman Unicorn Wrangler

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    You make it sound like our prisons are almost empty.

    US Federal Prison Overpopulation

    Parole was abolished for federal inmates in 1987 and inmates must serve at least 85% of their original sentence before being considered for good-behavior release. In addition, strict-sentencing guidelines were adopted in response to rising crime rates in the 1980s and early 1990s.

    The yearly increases in the federal inmate population have raised concerns from criminal justice experts and even among DOJ officials themselves.

    Do we also need to get into the overpopulated state, county and local jails?
     
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  20. Denny Crane

    Denny Crane It's not even loaded! Staff Member Administrator

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    I'm witnessing a beat down.

    ;)
     

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