This Year In History: Judicial Power ("Impeach Earl Warren")

8/10/07 | Nextrush

[Nextrush]

"Impeach Earl Warren" was a slogan for billboards, bumper stickers and even buttons some 50 years ago. It was a battle cry of a previous generation of conservative activists.

The ruckus was all about the Chief Justice of the United States and his controversial court.

A court that increased its own power and the power of the federal government in general, moving the nation to the left.

To the left through banning of prayer in the Engel vs. Vitale case or through giving criminals "rights" in the Miranda vs. Arizona case. (I still remember seeing Jack Webb whipping out his Miranda card on the 1960's "Dragnet" series: "You have a right to remain silent.....")

The Baker vs. Carr decision ordered equal representation for legislative districts and in many cases strengthened urban Democrat districts by taking away seats given to less populated rural areas under the old system.

The "Warren Court" exercise of judicial supremacy over state laws set the stage for the most contentious Supreme Court decision of our time (Roe vs. Wade in 1973).

The "Warren Court" ruled in favor of everything from "birth control" to pornography, but some of its more memorable decisions are those related to "integration."

Integration decisions that led to armed conflict in at least two situations where the "law of the land" was enforced.

These two conflicts are not related directly to the "civil rights movement" which pushed for legislative and sometimes judicial action, but were the result of legal cases brought by NAACP lawyers.

When Martin Luther King emerged on the scene, there was a rivalry and disagreement over tactics with the NAACP believing firmly in legal cases to win rights.

The NAACP legal team led the way in pushing the historic Little Rock and Ole Miss cases in 1957 and 1962.

Earl Warren was elected governor of California in 1942 as a Republican. He ran on three different party tickets to re-election in 1946 (Republican, Democrat and Progressive) and was re-elected again as a Republican in 1950.

In 1948 he was the running mate for GOP Presidential candidate Thomas Dewey.

In politics rewards are handed out to loyal party candidates who lose elections and for that or some other reason Warren was appointed Chief Justice by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1953.

Eisenhower later (after controversial court rulings) said the decision to make Warren Chief Justice was "the worst decision" he ever made. Ike was known as one who wanted people to like him and its hard to know if that comment was serious or political.

But Eisenhower still has the "credit" for his fateful decision.

Next a look at the historic court decision that set the stage for the violent confrontations we will look at in this series......

[Nextrush]

A new series that will take us to Little Rock in 1957 and Oxford, Mississippi in 1962.

Judicial power and military force mixed with political intrigue.

The "system" at work.

[Copernicus]

If you look at some of the film clips from that era you will see Ike sent soldiers into Little Rock with fixed bayonets.

An astonishingly naked display of brute force by the Federal Government.

For better or worse, they "got away with it"

Best regards,

[Nextrush]

My research so far is fascinating.

I’ve bumped into material on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement that’s startling.

Clinton and his crew learned some of their tactics from those times and that movement including even comments like “I don’t recall.”

The adultery and how to cover it up with accusations of political smear even happened in the “Civil Rights” era.

I plan to bring in Little Rock in future posts.

[xjcsa]

From “King of the Hill”:

HANK: I thought you were busy teaching girls to blow up basketballs. When did this turn into a desire to ruin wrestling?
PEGGY: Oh, give me a break. I don’t see how having a girl on the team would ruin it. Did a woman judge ruin the Supreme Court?
HANK: Yes, and that woman’s name was Earl Warren.

[Texas Federalist]

That’s my favorite King of the Hill quote ever.

[xjcsa]

For me it’s a toss-up between that one and Hank Hill saying “Bobby, I didn’t think I’d ever need to tell you this, but I would be a bad parent if I didn’t. Soccer was invented by European ladies to keep them busy while their husbands did the cooking.”

[Bommer]

This may be a simplistic question, but why has there been no president that basically says to the SCOTUS, “Get Bent! You have no standing powers under the constitution to rule as you did on Roe vs Wade. You assumed the roll as final arbitrator of the Constitution, but theres nothing in the constitution giving you that power.” And then overturn their ruling forcing a Constitution showdown that they would lose?

[Uncle Hal]

Do any of you people who lived in LA in the 50’s and 60’s remember a big sign on PCH in Malibu that said “Impeach Earl Warren”? I believe a wealthy land owner in the area had it erected on her property. You could not miss it. It was there for years.

[SierraWasp]

"The Baker vs. Carr decision ordered equal representation for legislative districts and in many cases strengthened urban Democrat districts by taking away seats given to less populated rural areas under the old system."

The beginnings of "RURAL CLEANSING" in the USA! Aka... "One Man, One Vote," or "Cows Don't Vote!"

This one should be re-visited, pronto!!!

[reaperman345]

I am in law school now and reading any opinion by this idiot or that insanely stupid Brenner makes my stomach turn.