Discussion: Legal Scholars To GOP Climate Deniers: You Can't Subpoena Activist Groups

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Too bad Roy Cohn isn’t around to help the poor Freedom Caucus.

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Constitoooooooooootion!!!

It says what I think it says!!!
Shall not be abridged infringed!!!

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Good, good.

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So the oil companies are using Lamar to access the information the states’ AG’s have against the oil companies. Time for a judge to slap him down hard. Congressional oversight should not be used to conduct illegal discovery.

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House Science Comittee?!- is this code for bible based science or is it the new moniker for the old “home economics” classes?

Why is this not chaired by a notable “scientist?”

Our system is a travesty of what it was meant to be.

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The Republicans have shown that they are the defenders of people against the abuse of government power, unless it’s something they want in which case they gladly abuse power to crush citizens to push their agenda. It continues to be amazing how freely they abuse their power while stating the government is the problem…too bad we can’t get the media to call them out for it.

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Republicans: “What’s wrong with McCarthyism?”

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Lamar Smith responded by saying regardless of the law, he feels like the subpeonas are legal, so the witch hunt will go on.

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What chilling effect? If people don’t want to be hauled up in front of a hostile congressional committee they shouldn’t open their mouths on matters of public interest.

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Geez. You’d think a bunch of gooper lawmakers should know what the law states. Nope. Not a chance.

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I’m curious, perhaps a lawyer can chime in here? I believe the only penalties these groups might face is a charge of “contempt of Congress”; will they have to go to court to try to quash these subpoenas? Secondly, what the hell is wrong with Lamar Smith? Other than the obvious?

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Any chance we can get a reporting on who these constitutional scholars are without having to dig through the link rabbit hole? I have learned from Fox News to never trust someone is an expert just because a media source calls them so. I am not saying I disagree with the letter, it was dead on. It is just a glaring hole in the story.

@epicurus Why even bother fighting a contempt of Congress? If I was found in contempt of this Congress, I would print out the resolution, frame it, and hang it on my wall.

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These Rumpublicans are truly in the deplorable basket, engaged in the same sort of litigious harassment for which their standard bearer is notorious. The deplorables have deeper pockets than you. So don’t you dare cross the deplorables or their lawyers will bleed you dry.

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Well since the Congresscritters purged their staff of policy and legal experts to hire PR gurus what do you expect?

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Hell, any group would fundraise on it!

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Is that a photo-shopped face, or is Smith related to the turtle clan of Mitch McConnell?

The scholars are:

Floyd Abrams: Partner, Chahill Gordon & Reindel LLP

Jack Balkin: Knight Professor of Constitutional Law, Yale Law School

David Cole: Hon. George J Mitchell Professor in Law and Public Policy Georgetown Law

Erwin Chemerinsky: Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law, and Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Law University of California Irvine School of Law

Eric M Freedman: Siggi B. Wilzig Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Rights, Maurice A. Deane School of Law Hofstra University

Jamell Jaffer: Founding DIrector of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University

Tamara R. Piety: Professor of Law, University of Tulsa College of Law

David A. Schulz: Senior Research Scholar in Law and Clinical Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School.

There they are.

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In the words of Howard Prince in The Front:

Fellas… I don’t recognize the right of this committee to ask me these kind of questions. And furthermore, you can all go fuck yourselves.

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Ho-ho! “Bible-based science,” good one, right up there with Army Intelligence.

Re: travesty…yes, but while the GOP holds the House majority…get in line.

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