Shocking!: Another SCOTUS Victory For Trump!

"The Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Trump's administration to withhold more than $4 billion in foreign aid funding, granting its request for emergency relief in a dispute over money that Congress has already approved."

"The high court's decision follows an order that Chief Justice John Roberts had issued earlier this month, which temporarily froze a district court injunction requiring the Trump administration to spend the money Congress appropriated for foreign-aid projects by the end of September. The court appeared to divide 6-3, with Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court's three liberals, dissenting."


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-trump-foreign-aid-funding/

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

"The Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Trump's administration to withhold more than $4 billion in foreign aid funding, granting its request for emergency relief in a dispute over money that Congress has already approved."

"The high court's decision follows an order that Chief Justice John Roberts had issued earlier this month, which temporarily froze a district court injunction requiring the Trump administration to spend the money Congress appropriated for foreign-aid projects by the end of September. The court appeared to divide 6-3, with Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court's three liberals, dissenting."


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-trump-foreign-aid-funding/

Hi Rod, life has been coming at me fast and furiously, so I don’t have the energy to comment at length.   Please note that these are preliminary rulings, not the end of democracy.

Originally Posted by James Brown

Hi Rod, life has been coming at me fast and furiously, so I don’t have the energy to comment at length.   Please note that these are preliminary rulings, not the end of democracy.

Hmm, you mean you've got better things to do than read and comment on the astromart political forum?! Well, I, in a huff,  never will understand this and here I am posting on topics of national interest, a a veiled attempt to keep the forum going, and nobody bothers to respond. I mean these aren't Davis posts, for crying out loud. 

And your excuse is that you're too busy?! Aren't you retired? Aren't all you guys retired? How busy can you be? Are you training and planning on going up on the next Amazon launch like William Shatner did at age 90? Ok, if that's the reason, then you're excused...

Originally Posted by James Brown

Hi Rod, life has been coming at me fast and furiously, so I don’t have the energy to comment at length.   Please note that these are preliminary rulings, not the end of democracy.

Getting down to cases here, I think we need to add some context specific to SCOTUS and it current modus operandi.

In regards to "preliminary rulings", herein lies the problem.

Case in point:

1. Kavanaugh defended the shadow docket rulings as essentially not being complete and fully articulated decisions and certainly not at the level of a precedent.

2. Alito and Gorsuch issued a warning to a lower court judge that their rulings decided in such dockets should not be obviated by his actions.

3. The lower court judge responded that while he was sorry and didn't intend to undo a SCOTUS decision, he didn't  realize the shadow docket decision that evidently superseded his decision that was based upon his citation of a precedent did, in fact, constitute a new precedent!  Ouch!

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

Getting down to cases here, I think we need to add some context specific to SCOTUS and it current modus operandi.

In regards to "preliminary rulings", herein lies the problem.

Case in point:

1. Kavanaugh defended the shadow docket rulings as essentially not being complete and fully articulated decisions and certainly not at the level of a precedent.

2. Alito and Gorsuch issued a warning to a lower court judge that their rulings decided in such dockets should not be obviated by his actions.

3. The lower court judge responded that while he was sorry and didn't intend to undo a SCOTUS decision, he didn't  realize the shadow docket decision that evidently superseded his decision that was based upon his citation of a precedent did, in fact, constitute a new precedent!  Ouch!

On the merits of this particular case, do you actually think that the Trump administration is exceeding executive authority?  I have not read the briefs or studied this at all, but my first impression is that it is perfectly normal operation of the government for Congress to approve a top-level budget and for the Executive to implement the actual expenditures.  Different Presidents have different priorities.  You know, elections have consequences.  This is surely not the first time that dramatic changes in governmental spending priorities were made mid-expenditure, when administrations change.  

I get it that it sucks for the affected former recipients of an expenditure, but that does not make it unconstitutional.  

On the other hand if this is indeed an unconstitutional move by the Trump administration, we can discuss the biases of the Court when they issue a final ruling.  J

Originally Posted by James Brown

On the merits of this particular case, do you actually think that the Trump administration is exceeding executive authority?  I have not read the briefs or studied this at all, but my first impression is that it is perfectly normal operation of the government for Congress to approve a top-level budget and for the Executive to implement the actual expenditures.  Different Presidents have different priorities.  You know, elections have consequences.  This is surely not the first time that dramatic changes in governmental spending priorities were made mid-expenditure, when administrations change.  

I get it that it sucks for the affected former recipients of an expenditure, but that does not make it unconstitutional.  

On the other hand if this is indeed an unconstitutional move by the Trump administration, we can discuss the biases of the Court when they issue a final ruling.  J

"On the merits of this particular case, do you actually think that the Trump administration is exceeding executive authority? "

It's one thing for an administration to reallocate funds that haven't been utilized--which is a practice engaged in by various administrations--but it's quite another thing to retract funds that have already been authorized by congress, allocated and executed for their intended programs. Will the cons in SCOTUS concern themselves with this merit of the case that is really the point of contention? I doubt it and therein lies the problem...

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

Hmm, you mean you've got better things to do than read and comment on the astromart political forum?! Well, I, in a huff,  never will understand this and here I am posting on topics of national interest, a a veiled attempt to keep the forum going, and nobody bothers to respond. I mean these aren't Davis posts, for crying out loud. 

And your excuse is that you're too busy?! Aren't you retired? Aren't all you guys retired? How busy can you be? Are you training and planning on going up on the next Amazon launch like William Shatner did at age 90? Ok, if that's the reason, then you're excused...

Hi Rod,

Too busy?  I never had a month like this when I was working!  Exhausted is more like it.  My wife's dad died at 95 in New York State early in the month.  My dad died at 94 in Indiana two weeks ago.  Lots of travel for us.  Both men had long fulfilling lives, but still it is an emotional time.  I was there in Indiana with mom and dad at their home in the woods when he passed.  It was peaceful, not at all unexpected at the end, and I think without much pain.  Still it seemed to come quickly (even though he has been sick for months) and it was very draining for me and mom to take care of him over the last few days and hold his hand as he took his last breaths. 

Then two days after dad died, a very close friend in her early 60s died tragically and shockingly.  It is an emotional gut punch, I am still reeling from it. 

Four days before my dad died, my son got married in Crested Butte Colorado.  It was a great wedding and very pretty.  My wife and the bride organized the wedding and dinner the day before.  That was tiring enough, especially for my wife, even without her dad passing just before.  We love our new daughter in law.  They are really happy.  But I had to hop a plane 12 hours after the wedding to go support my mom!  Home hospice was great, but they only do so much and the routine care was just me and mom.  I don't regret it at all, we are closer now than we ever could have been before.

A few days after dad passed, my wife and I flew back to Denver to look for a new place for mom to live.  She wants to be independent, but Indiana is not feasible.  Mom and dad lived in a house in the woods on 56 acres.  Mom would be too lonely there, even though town is just a few miles away.  All of her close friends have died over the years (she's 91) and my brothers live in Virginia and California.   She needs and wants to be near family.  Colorado is not perfect for my brothers, but it is better than any other alternative.  All of the grandkids either live here, or visit to go skiing once a year or so.  Denver is an easy flight from San Diego and Dulles too.  We are really looking forward to having her here.

We found a really nice senior independent/assisted living community with great apartments, a nice restaurant, a bistro, a bar, a theater and all the amenities.  It is like a resort!  We met lots of residents who were very welcoming and many of whom are widows too.  I think mom will really like it.  The logistics of moving her are taking a lot of effort and planning.  Also, we have three funerals in early October.  More trips to Indiana and New York.  Yikes!

Then, as if things were not hectic enough... we got a puppy, on Monday, a week ago.    

Seriously.  We had reserved him when he was born, eight weeks ago, back when we, maybe irrationally, though both our dads had several months or maybe a year to go.  The thinking then was that "after the wedding" would be a great time to train a puppy because we are both recently retired and won't be traveling for a while since we were taking care of aging parents.  Funny how life is.  

The puppy is a standard poodle from a local breeder.  He'll be about 60-70 pounds when he grows up.  He is multi-colored (they call it "black phantom" coloration) and it disqualifies him from being in a dog show!  Fie on those pretentious, dog-show bastards.  We were not intending on showing him in any case!  We'll keep his hair cut in an even short trim all over, no frilly poodle cut for us!  Poodles were bred as water dogs (they even have webbed feet) and we hope to train ours to be a strong hiker and a river-raft dog.  He's wonderful, but now me and my wife are tag-teaming house training, trips to Indiana to help mom pack, a major move to Colorado, and three funerals.  The pup is sleeping under my chair right now, so I have a minute to type, but don't expect me to post a lot between now and late October!

I started this post as a PM to Rod, but decided to post it generally.  I'm not 100% sure why, I know that posting personal stuff is risky.  But it has been therapeutic to write this down, and you guys are friends.  Jim

Attached Image:

Jim,
My condolences to you and your family on the recent losses of your loved ones and friend. 
My congrats on the news of the wedding, truly an uplifting event.

We had to have our dog, Lucky, put to sleep after 17 years, due to age and failing health. It hurts when you lose them because they become part of the family. We'll eventually get another, but not for awhile, and it'll likely be a rescue from a shelter like our previous dogs have been. Good luck on training yours...

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

Jim,
My condolences to you and your family on the recent losses of your loved ones and friend. 
My congrats on the news of the wedding, truly an uplifting event.

We had to have our dog, Lucky, put to sleep after 17 years, due to age and failing health. It hurts when you lose them because they become part of the family. We'll eventually get another, but not for awhile, and it'll likely be a rescue from a shelter like our previous dogs have been. Good luck on training yours...

Thanks for your thoughts!  Our last dog was a shelter pup, and lived with us for 14 years.  We have waited on retirement for the next one.  I would have loved another rescue, but we went with a poodle because I was semi-allergic to our last dog - not sure but we think she was a lab/collie mix.  In any case she shed a ton!  My allergies were nothing Allegra or Claritin would not take care of, but I hated taking Allegra all year round!  Poodles are hypoallergenic and that is a feature I really did not want to take a chance with.   Even the puppy fur has not made my eyes itch at all.  

Originally Posted by James Brown

Hi Rod,

Too busy?  I never had a month like this when I was working!  Exhausted is more like it.  My wife's dad died at 95 in New York State early in the month.  My dad died at 94 in Indiana two weeks ago.  Lots of travel for us.  Both men had long fulfilling lives, but still it is an emotional time.  I was there in Indiana with mom and dad at their home in the woods when he passed.  It was peaceful, not at all unexpected at the end, and I think without much pain.  Still it seemed to come quickly (even though he has been sick for months) and it was very draining for me and mom to take care of him over the last few days and hold his hand as he took his last breaths. 

Then two days after dad died, a very close friend in her early 60s died tragically and shockingly.  It is an emotional gut punch, I am still reeling from it. 

Four days before my dad died, my son got married in Crested Butte Colorado.  It was a great wedding and very pretty.  My wife and the bride organized the wedding and dinner the day before.  That was tiring enough, especially for my wife, even without her dad passing just before.  We love our new daughter in law.  They are really happy.  But I had to hop a plane 12 hours after the wedding to go support my mom!  Home hospice was great, but they only do so much and the routine care was just me and mom.  I don't regret it at all, we are closer now than we ever could have been before.

A few days after dad passed, my wife and I flew back to Denver to look for a new place for mom to live.  She wants to be independent, but Indiana is not feasible.  Mom and dad lived in a house in the woods on 56 acres.  Mom would be too lonely there, even though town is just a few miles away.  All of her close friends have died over the years (she's 91) and my brothers live in Virginia and California.   She needs and wants to be near family.  Colorado is not perfect for my brothers, but it is better than any other alternative.  All of the grandkids either live here, or visit to go skiing once a year or so.  Denver is an easy flight from San Diego and Dulles too.  We are really looking forward to having her here.

We found a really nice senior independent/assisted living community with great apartments, a nice restaurant, a bistro, a bar, a theater and all the amenities.  It is like a resort!  We met lots of residents who were very welcoming and many of whom are widows too.  I think mom will really like it.  The logistics of moving her are taking a lot of effort and planning.  Also, we have three funerals in early October.  More trips to Indiana and New York.  Yikes!

Then, as if things were not hectic enough... we got a puppy, on Monday, a week ago.    

Seriously.  We had reserved him when he was born, eight weeks ago, back when we, maybe irrationally, though both our dads had several months or maybe a year to go.  The thinking then was that "after the wedding" would be a great time to train a puppy because we are both recently retired and won't be traveling for a while since we were taking care of aging parents.  Funny how life is.  

The puppy is a standard poodle from a local breeder.  He'll be about 60-70 pounds when he grows up.  He is multi-colored (they call it "black phantom" coloration) and it disqualifies him from being in a dog show!  Fie on those pretentious, dog-show bastards.  We were not intending on showing him in any case!  We'll keep his hair cut in an even short trim all over, no frilly poodle cut for us!  Poodles were bred as water dogs (they even have webbed feet) and we hope to train ours to be a strong hiker and a river-raft dog.  He's wonderful, but now me and my wife are tag-teaming house training, trips to Indiana to help mom pack, a major move to Colorado, and three funerals.  The pup is sleeping under my chair right now, so I have a minute to type, but don't expect me to post a lot between now and late October!

I started this post a a PM to Rod, but decided to post it generally.  I'm not 100% sure why, I know that posting personal stuff is risky.  But it has been therapeutic to write this down, and you guys are friends.  Jim

Hi Jim, I had let my membership lapse and have been reading the forum from time to time, but haven't really felt like renewing until I read your post and it's worth the cost just to respond and to give you my condolences. What a month you've had. They lived long lives and I'm sure your Dad(s) are now in a better place, but that doesn't help with the hurt of losing them.

Love the pup. What's his or her name? I've wanted to get a Golden Retriever puppy for a while, but with all of my "world traveling" I've put it off. My son is home now and will be for a while so I'm thinking this spring after I get home from the Winter Star Party. We'll see.

Again, so sorry for you and your wife's loss. Take care my friend.
Jim M.