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Will This Law Be Enforced?
18 U.S. Code § 1507 – Picketing or parading
Whoever, with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer, in the discharge of his duty, pickets or parades in or near a building housing a court of the United States, or in or near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer, or with such intent uses any sound-truck or similar device or resorts to any other demonstration in or near any such building or residence, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Nothing in this section shall interfere with or prevent the exercise by any court of the United States of its power to punish for contempt.
(Added Sept. 23, 1950, ch. 1024, title I, § 31(a), 64 Stat. 1018; amended Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)
Because the Dobbs case is still pending before SCOTUS, any demonstration at the homes of the justices to try to use intimidation to affect the outcome is flat-out illegal. The maximum fine is $5,000. Harassing justices at home and intimidating their kids is also beneath contempt. Their neighbors don’t deserve this chaos either.
What are the odds that the Biden DOJ will enforce this criminal statute as rigorously as they prosecuted stragglers in the Jan. 6 security fiasco? If they did, would Ms. Harris contribute to the defense fund even if there is no arson or urban destruction?
When the Kavanaugh family was hounded by media and other malignant idiots during his nomination ordeal, there were even phone calls to the parochial school where the Kavanaugh girls attended (where my wife teaches and my daughter is an admin). One caller asked if the school “still permitted” Kavanaugh to abuse female students in response to which my daughter offered a candid opinion about the caller.
If you want a diagnostic snapshot of the Kavanaughs, at the peak of the accusatory nonsense, Mrs. Kavanaugh brought a birthday gift for my daughter to the school and apologized for being a day late as if the ongoing avalanche of abuse and stress was no excuse. That such people are harassed by the scum of the earth is enraging.
Published in General
Zero. Nada. Those are the chances.
Biden spokesgirl Peppermint Patty wouldn’t even condemn the doxxing of the justices in yesterday’s press briefing.
Prosecuted?
Nope these people will be cheered as heroes to the Left not arrested.
Have there been protests at individuals’ homes yet? Is there no Republican in Congress who can make a big enough stink to pressure the DOJ to act? Can’t people be arrested on the spot? There must be someone who can make national news about the outrage we are experiencing.
Nope.
Political prisoners are for Republicans only.
There was talk of a GOP bill to establish enhanced security around the justices but that would not compel the DOJ to enforce if they chose not to do so.
What is funny is it not just Democrats, but I be Never Trumpers will stay silent too.
“This is the United States of America. No one is above the law.”
– Hillary Clinton
Now, she said that during the Mueller investigation of Donald Trump. But I’m sure she’d say the same thing in this case.
You’ve just got to admire the chutzpah for her to say something like that. Amazing.
SCOTUS has its own police force, so this is a question for Roberts. So the answer is probably “no”.
We can at least keep in mind what some of your on-line neighbors had to say before about the people involved and a president they perceived as encouraging the behavior:
I don’t think the SCOTUS cop force has the numbers to do home security and off-site crowd control. They are supposed to provide security for road trips for official duties and can provide an escort to and from the court building but Antifa control requires state and local manpower with a federal presence.
I would be very surprised if Roberts and the US Marshalls have not already discussed this in detail.
It would be fun to see the outcome of any criminal prosecutions before a federal judge for the crime of harassing more senior federal judges. Last line in the sentencing: “And by the way, good luck trying to appeal this, you idiot.”
Makes one long for a Fearless Fosdick law enforcement approach here (how old are you if you get that reference?) in which the officer is required to fire several warning shots into the head and chest areas of the suspect before taking any further action.
I’m not sure how many of the justices live in DC proper, so both Maryland and Virginia might be the place of concern for some of them. It wouldn’t surprise me if both states have their own similar laws that state police or sheriff organizations could enforce. I’m not certain about Hogan in Maryland, but I’d be very surprised if Governor Youngkin or Attorney General Miyares in Virginia would have any tolerance for harassing any of the justices that live here. I don’t think we need to rely solely on federal organizations to address this issue, if there are similar corresponding laws.
If nothing else, I’d think that state authorities could, in a good faith effort, choose to detain and arrest those they suspect to be in violation of the US Code and hold them for the right organization to get their hooks into them.
What are the odds you will see an ounce of intellectual consistency from Liz Cheney?
This is why we seemed to be screwed. Virtue is for naught without the courage to stand up for it.
The handful of GOP reps willing to make the thoughtful, yet unpopular stands (Cotton, Hawley, Scott, Paul, Jordan, Cruz, et al.) are vilified. Including by their own GOP-squishes (Romney, Bush, Cheney-both, McCain-both,[redacted]
(sidenote: It seems it was Eric Metaxas who wrote this, inferring DB’s intentions)
Let us hope they choose the municipality for their residence carefully.
I saw an article that 3 of the 6 doxxed live in VA. I assume the others live in DC. You know what they say, if you don’t have a right-wing Sheriff in your county, then you don’t live under rule-of-law.
I wonder why the justices don’t take the pressure off by simply issuing the opinion now.
All the doxing, protesting at their house etc is designed to make them change their vote. So just issue the opinion now. There’s no law saying they have to wait till whenever. There are lunatics out there who would seriously try to assassinate one of the judges because that alone would reverse the opinion.
I wonder if they are trying to balance the timing: not rushing to issue the decision, giving the impression of their caving under pressure; not waiting until they originally planned to issue it (I believe late June) and possibly inviting violence. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them issue it this month. We’ll see.
I could see if they’re in Loudon County, Mike Chapman would probably be a reliable guardian, but not sure about the others up there.
Then again Virginia State Police can be active anywhere and they are under R governor and attorney general, even if they are essentially the armed wing of the Virginia Democrat Party.
I’m going with Fairfax—McLean, Great Falls, somewhere in there. So no Chapman.
I think the violence that happens after the decision is issued is inevitable. It’s just a question of when it happens. But if I’m one of the five judges I want to take at least one motive away from the lunatics now.
And it would establish a good precedent: intimidate us and all you’ll get is what you don’t want sooner.
I found out today there is already a federal law on the books that prevents attempts at influencing judges, jurors, lawyers and other officers of the court via intimidation – 18 U. S. C. S 1507 – Picketing or Parading. We’ll see whether the Biden Administration will enforce this law.
It’s very scary to think what would happen if something happened to one of the five justices before the decision is issued. Beyond the fact that the decision would be reversed. Think of how that would reverberate through red America. An act of violence directly determining what the law will be. Has that ever happened since the Civil War? 50 years of working for the goal and it’s snatched away at the goal line by an act of violence. If you think things are bad now….
Yes, this is a danger. But I’ve been thinking that Biden’s emotional or social disenfranchisement of the SCOTUS, calling them MAGA people if I read that right. Is right out of the communist playbook, just as we recently saw with Maduro’s court cleansing.
Added: And so’s shutting up Press orgs that criticize him.
I assume that since the Biden Administration via spokesperson Jen Psaki has no objection to protests at the homes of Supreme Court Justices that they also have no objection to protesters with signs and megaphones outside Jen Psaki’s home pointing out that she is an evil liar who has no respect for the truth.
Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, if we look back for the last few years, with the violence of Democrats after George Floyd’s murder, and the Deranged Trump Partisans after the election and through January 6, 2021, it could be said that the least violent folks are Never Trumpers. The Never Trumpers are the peaceful Quakers in this world of American political violence.
Of course I abhor the doxxing of the addresses of the Justices. How you could possibly claim otherwise is beyond me.
It was said of Rudy Giuliani when he was campaigning for President that his sentences had three parts, “Noun” “Verb” and “9/11.” Could it be said of Bryan Stephens that whenever something, anything goes wrong in his world, be it global warming, Todd Akin, the New England Patriots, the Ukraine Invasion, UFO’s, or anything else, it should be blamed on those doggone “Never Trumpers,” and that he will challenge them to speak up and take responsibility for them?
This was from the best Post in the History of Ricochet. https://ricochet.com/859769/impeach-remove-bar-from-office/
For two months, President Donald Trump has promoted increasingly unhinged conspiracy theories and fanned the flames of outrage among his most dedicated supporters. Today, America learned that some people on the fringe took this all too seriously. Following a particularly ugly Trump speech, the crowd tore down barriers surrounding the US Capitol, assaulted police officers, and forced their way in. The following photos are not from Caracas or Minsk, but the capital city of the most powerful nation on earth.
At the Trump rally, Rudy Giuliani called for a “trial by combat.” He got it. Multiple injuries to law enforcement officers have been reported by the Capitol Police.
Shots were reported fired in the Capitol itself. One “protestor” was shot in the neck and carried away on a stretcher.
As the siege intensified, Trump blasted his own vice president on Twitter for refusing to break the law and overturn the election.
Senators, Representatives, and Capitol Hill staff fled the building for safety.
Later, Trump tweeted that his supporters shouldn’t use violence against the police. It was already too late.
Trump finally uploaded a video, spending the vast majority of the time claiming the election was stolen, but adding that the mob ransacking the Capitol should go home.
These are not protestors. They are terrorists. They are insurrectionists.
Just like Antifa over the summer, MAGAtifa needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
GOP Senators planning to protest the vote need to stop their grandstanding and accept the results.
Since the sitting president seems unwilling to strenuously condemn the violence he urged on, Vice President Pence should confer with the Cabinet to remove Trump via the 25th Amendment of the Constitution.
Congress should then bar Donald Trump from ever holding a future federal office.
Enough.
What are the odds that you have an ounce of evidence that Liz Cheney agrees with the harassment of members of Supreme Court? You are aware that Liz Cheney has been terribly harassed by ardent Trumpists, aren’t you?
I
Bryan, I hope that you have a great weekend. I will be visiting my 91 year old mother for a week for Mother’s Day so I won’t be able to respond to you as quickly, if at all.