The Corrupt Thinking of Republicans

Yesterday I wrote about the corruption brewing within Republican ranks. Today, we have the corrupt -- read dishonest -- thinking of Republicans, when Rep. Steve King suggested that Congress could write laws to bar the Supreme Court from citing past cases covering Obamacare.

I'm being generous, of course, to suggest that King has corrupt thinking because the less generous description is that he's flat out stupid:

The bill claims that "Under Article 3, Section 2" Congress is allowed to "to provide exceptions and regulations for Supreme Court consideration of cases and controversies."

Uh, no, that's not what it says. This is what Article 3, Section 2 of the US Constitution actually says:

The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority;--to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls;--to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction;--to controversies to which the United States shall be a party;--to controversies between two or more states;--between a state and citizens of another state;--between citizens of different states;--between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects. 

In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a state shall be party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.

Section 2 specifically states that judicial power extends to all cases; the second paragraph delineates in which cases the Supreme Court has original or appellate jurisdiction. The particular quote that King's bill uses refers to the ability of Congress to establish specific rules to provide SCOTUS with original jurisdiction where it would have ordinarily been appellate jurisdiction.

I'm no rocket scientist nor am I law professor, but I'm quite certain that I'm slightly smarter than your average bear, and this bear says King is full of shit, specifically bull shit but also a clump or two of some horse shit mixed in there. Of course, I'm no connoisseur of shit, so don't hold me to that, please, as King could very well be 100% dumb shit.