Meet Sir Matthew Hale, the 17th century misogynist that Justice Alito mentioned 9 times in his leaked SCOTUS opinion
On The Reid Out, Joy Reid introduces us to a lovely English chap from the 17th century named Sir Matthew Hale. A barrister, judge, and jurist, Hale was responsible for such arguments as the fact that witches must be real because there were laws against them and that it was impossible for a husband to rape his wife. And, of course, he was vehemently against abortion.
Hale was responsible for the 1662 judgement that sent two women accused of witchcraft to their deaths. The case would serve as inspiration for the Salem witch trials. His ideas on rapeless marriage were the law of the land in England until 1991 and have continued to be cited in court as recently as 2009.
In Justice Alito’s leaked draft SCOTUS opinion on overturning Roe v Wade, he felt it worth citing the work of this “great common-law authority” nine times. That’s nine citations in a 98-page document.
Republic of Gilead, I am in you!
Image: John Michael Wright — Public Domain
Former twice-impeached president Donald Trump may have rushed his three SCOTUS picks, but he did manage to find poker-faced nominees who were as savvy in the disinformation department — especially on the topic of how they think — as the rest of the GOP. Here’s what they said, in part, when asked about Roe V.… READ THE REST
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has written a draft ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and it commands a majority on the court, reports Politico. It is the only draft Supreme Court ruling leaked to the public in modern history. The draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal… READ THE REST
Ketanji Brown Jackson today becomes the first black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court after a 53-46 vote by the U.S. Senate to confirm her nomination. All the Democrats voted for her, joined by Republican senators Susan Collins, Mittens “Mitt” Romney and Lisa Murkowski. Jackson’s confirmation won’t change the ideological balance of the court. But the confirmation… READ THE REST