8-22-15 Hodgepodge

A "Civil War Stomach Wound" to the Leviathan State?

A recent Supreme Court decision is already reverberating across a vast swath of law not previously thought to conflict with freedom of speech:

Floyd Abrams, the prominent constitutional lawyer, called the decision a blockbuster and welcomed its expansion of First Amendment rights. The ruling, he said, "provides significantly enhanced protection for free speech while requiring a second look at the constitutionality of aspects of federal and state securities laws, the federal Communications Act and many others."

The article goes on to speculate that freedom of speech or lots of regulations might "have to give". I am not so optimistic about which that would be in today's intellectual and cultural climate. (HT: The New Clarion)

Weekend Reading

"[P]art of my job, both in my office and in this column, is to provide perspective, to help people make sure that they're not taking their relationship and what it has to offer for granted." -- Michael Hurd, in "Does Your Relationship Make You Happy?" at The Delaware Wave

"Emotional abusers are ultimately weak because they are banking on an irrational viewpoint in order to get their way." -- Michael Hurd, in "Emotional Abuse in a Relationship" at The Delaware Coast Press

A Tale of One-and-a-Half Justices

Via HBL, I learned of a George Will column comparing Supreme Court Chief "Justice" John Roberts and Justice Don Willett of the Texas Supreme Court:

Judges like Chief Justice Roberts consider it virtuous to refuse to closely examine and forthrightly invalidate laws that, like the one Lochner overturned, arise from disreputable motives and have unjust consequences. To such judges, Justice Willett responds: "Judges exist to be judgmental, hence the title."

More details, especially regarding the 110-year-old Supreme Court decision the two differ on, can be found in the column, as can a nice closing paragraph.

-- CAV