The Madisonian Origins Of Today's Neo-Serfdom, or Neil Gorsuch Tells A Joke About The Time He Wanted To Freeze A Trucker

Son of a criminal, Neil Gorsuch, made a really disgusting speech to the Federalist(-fascist) Society and waxed hilarious about his infamous dissent in the case in which he said that a company was within its rights to fire a trucker because he didn't choose to freeze to death as instructed by someone sitting in a heated office, somewhere.  Here, from Think Progress:


Which brings us back to Gorsuch’s Thursday night speech to the Federalist Society, an influential group of conservative lawyers. The premise of Gorsuch’s joke is that he was unfairly attacked during his confirmation hearing because he reached a result that was required by the law. A judge may be presented with a law, Gorsuch began his joke, and “immediately know three things.”

"One, the law is telling me to do something really, really stupid. Two, the law is constitutional and I have no choice but to do that really stupid thing the law demands. And three, when it’s done, everyone who is not a lawyer is going to think I just hate truckers."

The joke was a hit with the gathered Federalist Society members, who laughed and clapped uproariously after Gorsuch delivered his punchline.

But here’s the thing. Either Gorsuch is wrong, and his vote in TransAm Trucking v. Administrative Review Board was a cruel swipe at a man who, after nearly freezing death, was illegally humiliated by his employer. Or Gorsuch is correct, and what happened to Alphonse Maddin is the horrible consequence of a terribly worded law. Maddin’s case is neither an easy win for Maddin nor the slam dunk for Maddin’s employer that Gorsuch thinks it is, but whoever is right about the law, this case is a human tragedy.

Or, if you are Neil Gorsuch, it was an annoyance that briefly stood between you and a powerful job in Washington. And now it is something to joke about.

And such is the quality of asshole that the Republican-fascists are putting on courts, these days   But, one thing to notice is who is standing behind Gorsuch as he made his funny joke about how he was required by the friggin' Constitution (or his employee murdering interpretation of it) figuratively, at least, as well as in the Societies emblem on the podium.




That's goddamned James Madison, from whom you will be hearing more next week on this blog.  If you want to see where the assholim of Gorsuch and the Federalist-fascists was born.