The Supreme Court ruled Biden’s student-loan forgiveness is illegal, meaning borrowers will resume payments without debt cancellation this year.

  • Ertebolle@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Yeah, Democrats lost a Supreme Court seat because one old lady refused to retire and they lost out on months of judicial confirmations this year because a different old lady refused to retire.

    (if the Republicans take the Senate in 2024 I hope it’s by a narrow enough margin that they have to worry about 90-year-old Chuck Grassley the same way we’ve had to worry about Feinstein)

    • BraveSirZaphod@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Re: Feinstein, my understanding of why they’ve kept he is that, with her, the Dems have a one-seat majority on the Judicial Committee. The moment she resigns, it’s an even split. Customarily, the Senate would promptly appoint a replacement and all would be well. However, that vote would be subject to the filibuster, and the Dems don’t trust McConnell to not block it. If McConnell does block a replacement, then the Judicial Committee stays split and appointing any judges becomes completely impossible.

      They’d rather deal with Feinstein’s limited availability rather than take the gamble that they’d be allowed to fill a replacement. I agree that she should absolutely retire, but there are political games that have to be considered when the stakes are this high.

      • claymedia@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Don’t forget about the other seat that the Rs blocked Obama from filling. The SC could have been a 5-4 dem majority.

        • Ertebolle@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          Still can, we just have to avoid giving Republicans a window of Senate + WH control in which to replace Alito or Thomas. (and even if we only get one of them we get another crack at it a few years later with Roberts)

            • Ertebolle@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              Thomas is 75, fat, and I assume he’s not doing daily yoga, abstaining from alcohol, and following a strict vegan diet on all of these rich-guy junkets he goes on. Alito is 73 and likewise. Pure evil can get you an awfully long way - c.f. Henry Kissinger - but even so, the odds of either of them lasting much more than another decade are pretty slim.