Chief Justice Roberts says he can be fair and impartial. I do not think so. A conservative judge tilts right, a liberal one left. Let’s look at just one case.
Citizens United Versus Federal Election Commission
Citizens United versus Federal Election Commission 558 U.S. 310 (2010) was a landmark decision involving federal campaign finance laws and free speech.
Facts: Citizens United was a nonprofit corporation. It advocated against candidate Clinton in the 2008 presidential primary with Hillary the Movie.
Issue: Was the federal law that banned such advertising unconstitutional?
Holding: Yes, the Supreme Court agreed with Citizens United. Speech was protected even though the “speaker” was a corporation. Corporations have the same First Amendment rights to free speech as regular people.
Effect of the decision: It permitted corporations to spend unlimited funds on campaign advertising. The funds could not be coordinated to a campaign or candidate. This caused the rise of Super PACs. Billionaires like the Koch brothers and George Soros have spent millions to influence the outcomes of elections.
The Tillman Act of 1907
Justice John Paul Stevens noted in his dissent that Congress had placed limitations on campaign spending by corporations since the Tillman Act of 1907. Teddy Roosevelt supported it. Stevens opined that to get what they wanted the majority overturned a mountain of case law.
Chief Justice Roberts’ concurring opinion explained why in his view it was permissible to not follow previous decisions (stare decisis) and exercise judicial restraint. Corporations could give money.
Remember it is the CEO and upper management of corporations that wield authority. They will be making the decision for everyone in their employ under the auspices of a board of directors. These are millionaires and CEOs many times over from other companies, many of which are unrelated industries. Moreover, the courts have a long history of not intervening in personnel problems save where they involve discrimination. Management controls virtually everything.
Writer’s Opinion
I hate to see money thrown down a rat hole either by the left or right in the form of campaign contributions in an attempt to gain influence and power. The money could be better spent on targeted efforts at food insecurity, housing, environmental cleanup, and transportation. In the matter of campaign contributions, I would permit donations of no more than $1 by individuals and nothing by corporations. This would keep everything even handed.
Chief Justice John Roberts
Let us now examine the natal chart of Chief Justice John Roberts.
He is an Aquarius born on January 27, 1955. Roberts’ Moon is in Pisces. His Mercury, also in Aquarius, is square Saturn, trine Neptune, and opposes Pluto. Theoretically Aquarians are progressive, and reform minded, but this is not always the case. * Here are some keys to his nativity:
Sun/Moon Combination: “There is an odd admixture of the irrational with all of the otherwise sane things you do and believe but so great is your grip on reality that these oddities rarely amount to anything and really lend color and mystery to your personality.” (Grant Lewi, Heaven Knows What, p. 147, 1935)
Mercury square Saturn: “You have a profound mind. Shallowness, stupidity, and deceit throw you off balance—though you yourself are capable of subtleties that others may think deceit. But knowing your purposes you can justify yourself with a sort of pragmatic philosophy—the ends justify the means. You are selfish…a prober and a prier and can get inside people even when they try to keep you out. You are a subtle opponent in argument having facts and figures at your command, and there’s nothing flimsy about the logical structure you build. You thus make a good lawyer and a just, if stern, judge.” (Ibid, p. 191)
Mercury trine Neptune: “This adds intuition and reasoning powers; and with other indications of creative and concentrative gifts lends an inspirational quality to the work. If no creative power is shown this aspect is unimportant, giving balance to the mind, glibness, and facility to the speech, and lending charm to the voice.” (Ibid, p. 189)
Mercury opposition Pluto: “You are so perceptive, and you dig so deep for answers that you can sometimes be your own worst enemy. The very strength and depth of your vision can mislead you.” (Cafe Astrology.com: Mercury-Pluto Aspects, Interpretations written by Annie Heese)
Jane Roberts
A kind of follow-up: The Supreme Court has been recently accused of ethical improprieties. John Roberts’ wife, Jane, has made millions as an employee headhunter recruiting for large law firms. It’s been my experience with interviews that whoever makes the best impression gets the position. Sometimes the best candidate loses out.
I have some concerns with Jane Roberts. First, I believe she has no specialized knowledge in reading people, either psychiatric or astrological; therefore, her decisions are superficial at best. Second, how many ordinary folks would get the opportunity to earn millions of dollars picking people for jobs in a company’s HR Department? Third, the law firms may or sometimes have business before the Supreme Court.
John Roberts said the court can regulate itself. Where money is involved, that is never the case.
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*Alexander Stephens, Vice president of the Confederacy, was an Aquarius. So was John B. Gordon, a Georgia Governor and Confederate Civil War general, who opposed Reconstruction.
Brian Hill, blog writer