Biggest US Supreme Court ruling of the year

[Occupied Deutschland]

First, the idea that corporations have religious rights like an individual is a laughable idea. It isn't a person.

Secondly, I'm going to start a lemonade stand and deny people the use of ibuprofen. It is against my religion.

Were you the one buying that ibuprofen, and were your religion to honestly condemn the usage of painkillers or fever-reducers, I'd take no issue with it. What the fuck is your lemonade stand doing involved with employee or customer health, anyways?

[New Israel and Pan-America]

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to hear of the ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby. It is a sign that conservative, Christian America is having a resurgence. It continues to show that the United States is indeed a Christian nation.

[Geilinor]

First, the idea that corporations have religious rights like an individual is a laughable idea. It isn't a person.

Secondly, I'm going to start a lemonade stand and deny people the use of ibuprofen. It is against my religion.

Were you the one buying that ibuprofen, and were your religion to honestly condemn the usage of painkillers or fever-reducers, I'd take no issue with it.

What if a business was claiming that blood transfusions were against its religious beliefs? Allowing corporations to opt out of individual parts of the law kills the point of having the employer mandate for comprehensive health insurance.

[Occupied Deutschland]

Were you the one buying that ibuprofen, and were your religion to honestly condemn the usage of painkillers or fever-reducers, I'd take no issue with it.

What if a business was claiming that blood transfusions were against its religious beliefs? Allowing corporations to opt out of individual parts of the law kills the point of having the ACA in place.

There's already been enough exemptions, changes, and cock-ups to have that occur already.
At this point, what's one more?

[Rastynhaven]

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to hear of the ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby. It is a sign that conservative, Christian America is having a resurgence. It continues to show that the United States is indeed a Christian nation.

But does it not also give Muslim employers the right to forbid covering medication with alcohol or Scientologist employers to ban covering psychiatric treatment?

[Benuty]

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to hear of the ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby. It is a sign that conservative, Christian America is having a resurgence. It continues to show that the United States is indeed a Christian nation.

Hardly, it is the death throes of a dying whale that still holds considerable influence in the supreme court trying to desperately hold on to whats left by pumping out as many bandages for their sinking vessel as they can.

[Geilinor]

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to hear of the ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby. It is a sign that conservative, Christian America is having a resurgence. It continues to show that the United States is indeed a Christian nation.

A business run by Muslims could have made the same claim. It isn't about Christianity, it's about religious conservatism in general.

[Donut section]

All in all it seems like this Supreme Court has made a ruling in favor of wealthy Americans over poor ones. With actual liberty be damned.

[Greed and Death]

I do not know if investing in index funds is the same as setting up.

It still reeks of hypocrisy though.

As would paying taxes to a society that provides birth control, or doing business in a society that performs abortions.

Hobby Lobby's argument about buying insurance that covered these products was it made Hobby Lobby complicit in sin. The difficulty in complicity is well arguably doing anything but being homeless is also being complicit. The solution if you are to maintain complicity as a sin is you draw a line, once something becomes indirect enough it ceases to be a sin. So paying Taxes is not complicity in the sins of your government while buying the services of a third party for your servants is.

[Greed and Death]

Also a public service announcement. Scotusblog is not Scotus.

http://www.newsweek.com/scotusblog-not-scotus-256863

Ranting and raving at scotusblog is not ranting and raving at the justices.

[The Black Forrest]

It still reeks of hypocrisy though.

As would paying taxes to a society that provides birth control, or doing business in a society that performs abortions.

Hobby Lobby's argument about buying insurance that covered these products was it made Hobby Lobby complicit in sin. The difficulty in complicity is well arguably doing anything but being homeless is also being complicit. The solution if you are to maintain complicity as a sin is you draw a line, once something becomes indirect enough it ceases to be a sin. So paying Taxes is not complicity in the sins of your government while buying the services of a third party for your servants is.

The line is simple.

Follow your moral code all you like. Don't expect others to follow it.

[The Black Forrest]

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to hear of the ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby. It is a sign that conservative, Christian America is having a resurgence. It continues to show that the United States is indeed a Christian nation.

Rather grandiose assumption.

Don't know that much about the country eh?

[Greed and Death]

As would paying taxes to a society that provides birth control, or doing business in a society that performs abortions.

Hobby Lobby's argument about buying insurance that covered these products was it made Hobby Lobby complicit in sin. The difficulty in complicity is well arguably doing anything but being homeless is also being complicit. The solution if you are to maintain complicity as a sin is you draw a line, once something becomes indirect enough it ceases to be a sin. So paying Taxes is not complicity in the sins of your government while buying the services of a third party for your servants is.

The line is simple.

Follow your moral code all you like. Don't expect others to follow it.

Which is what hobby Lobby did. Their code said don't pay for X for your employees. And the Supreme court agreed.

[The Black Forrest]

It still reeks of hypocrisy though.

As would paying taxes to a society that provides birth control, or doing business in a society that performs abortions.

Hobby Lobby's argument about buying insurance that covered these products was it made Hobby Lobby complicit in sin. The difficulty in complicity is well arguably doing anything but being homeless is also being complicit. The solution if you are to maintain complicity as a sin is you draw a line, once something becomes indirect enough it ceases to be a sin. So paying Taxes is not complicity in the sins of your government while buying the services of a third party for your servants is.

Taxes you can only avoid so much.

You can avoid the third party.

[The Black Forrest]

The line is simple.

Follow your moral code all you like. Don't expect others to follow it.

Which is what hobby Lobby did. Their code said don't pay for X for your employees. And the Supreme court agreed.

No they didn't. The owner expects the employees to follow part of his his moral code.

You really shocked that court would agree? I'm not.

[Greed and Death]

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to hear of the ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby. It is a sign that conservative, Christian America is having a resurgence. It continues to show that the United States is indeed a Christian nation.

Rather grandiose assumption.

Don't know that much about the country eh?

There is significant risk if Ginsburg does not retire( or otherwise leave the bench) by January 2015. If the GOP wins the Senate which is about a coin flip right now, from 2015 on the GOP could block and appointees by Obama without the threat of removing the last vestiges of filibuster. They could even hold pro forma sessions to keep Obama from making recess appointments.

Imagine if the GOP takes the senate in January 2015 and Ginsburg leaves the bench in February of 2015. The GOP would get a Supreme court of 4 conservatives, 3 liberals, and a conservative leaning swing. Conservative litigants would be able to win on ties by appeal from conservative circuit courts and if there is a tie the circuit court is affirmed. So to provide an example during the aca case a 4-4 decision would have gone back to the 11th circuit enjoining enforcement of the mandate is the circuit.

[Greed and Death]

Which is what hobby Lobby did. Their code said don't pay for X for your employees. And the Supreme court agreed.

No they didn't. The owner expects the employees to follow part of his his moral code.

You really shocked that court would agree? I'm not.

No the employees are free to buy those items off premises with their own money.

[Ashmoria]

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to hear of the ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby. It is a sign that conservative, Christian America is having a resurgence. It continues to show that the United States is indeed a Christian nation.

lol youre funny

[Nansurium]

Hobby Lobby's hypocrisy is sickening.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2014/04/01/hobby-lobby-401k-discovered-to-be-investor-in-numerous-abortion-and-contraception-products-while-claiming-religious-objection/

The owners are fundamentalist Christians though, so I can't say I'm surprised.

[Caninope]

"I do not want to pay for certain forms of contraceptives, and birth control, but damn you getting in the way of our hypocrisy when it comes to setting up companies that heavily invest, and even make the damn product we oppose!"
Got to love that Hobby Lobby logic of theirs. What a bunch of sore losers they are.

Hobby Lobby does not decide with 401(k) plans are invested in- it's own employees do.

[The Black Forrest]

No they didn't. The owner expects the employees to follow part of his his moral code.

You really shocked that court would agree? I'm not.

No the employees are free to buy those items off premises with their own money.

It was part of the insurance program. Which is part of their remuneration for services rendered.

Again, the owners morality code is fine for himself. He can't expect others to follow it.

The cons on the court are wrong on this issue.

[The Black Forrest]

"I do not want to pay for certain forms of contraceptives, and birth control, but damn you getting in the way of our hypocrisy when it comes to setting up companies that heavily invest, and even make the damn product we oppose!"
Got to love that Hobby Lobby logic of theirs. What a bunch of sore losers they are.

Hobby Lobby does not decide with 401(k) plans are invested in- it's own employees do.

Yes but they can decide on what funds are available for the employees to choose.

My company for example replaced a couple funds from the list of choices.....

[The Black Forrest]

Rather grandiose assumption.

Don't know that much about the country eh?

There is significant risk if Ginsburg does not retire( or otherwise leave the bench) by January 2015. If the GOP wins the Senate which is about a coin flip right now, from 2015 on the GOP could block and appointees by Obama without the threat of removing the last vestiges of filibuster. They could even hold pro forma sessions to keep Obama from making recess appointments.

Imagine if the GOP takes the senate in January 2015 and Ginsburg leaves the bench in February of 2015. The GOP would get a Supreme court of 4 conservatives, 3 liberals, and a conservative leaning swing. Conservative litigants would be able to win on ties by appeal from conservative circuit courts and if there is a tie the circuit court is affirmed. So to provide an example during the aca case a 4-4 decision would have gone back to the 11th circuit enjoining enforcement of the mandate is the circuit.

You are correct. The court is in a dangerous position. Labels don't matter if you think you are going to get a fair evaluation.

Problem is the repubs like putting ideologues in place. If it was up to me, I would toss Thomas, Scalia and Alito.

[Kxcd]

Yay! First, corporations are people; next, only corporations will be people.

Seems a bit extreme of a conclusion, but I won't rule out that one day all our rights will be infringed in the name of profit and bitchiness. What a disgusting pile of bullshit the fucking Court pulled on us.

[Llamalandia]

Yay! First, corporations are people; next, only corporations will be people.

i'm not sure that logically follows. I mean that's like saying "oh, hey 15th amendment gives* african americans the right to vote; next african americans be the only ones allowed to vote."

*(and by give i of course mean recognizes a preexisting right they had been denied as slaves. Rights don't come from government after all.)