Take Down! The Supremes Battle The Justice Department

US Supreme Court
(photo public domain, Wikimedia Commons)

Did you see this?

No, not the photo above of the facade of the US Supreme Court, as impressive as it is. But the event that took place in late April during oral argument before the Supreme Court. 

In today’s heated political climate that’s some time ago.

But I am still struck by what happened during oral argument in the case of Maslenjak vs US, a case testing the limits to which the federal government can go in denying citizenship to those who make any falsehood, intentional or not, minor and mundane or significant, in filling out an application form that asks whether the applicant has ever committed a criminal offense, however minor, even if there was no arrest.

Not many made much of what happened during argument. But I found it quite stunning.

Heart, Writing & All The Rest Of It

Women’s March On Chicago 1/21/17 (photo author)

It’s five weeks since Donald Trump assumed the office of the presidency of the United States.

It feels like more. A lot more.

President Obama was quoted, soon after Trump took office, as saying that he was heartened by the uptick in political activity that surfaced after the election, and exploded in the days immediately following January 20th.

I have lived through dark days in American history, and have witnessed, and partaken in, dissent, protest, and organizing.

But I have never seen what we’ve seen for weeks: an outpouring of agitation, discussion, organizing, and protest across the country. I have had moments of pride and amazement as I’ve watched resistance to the Trump administration involving every demographic within our borders and beyond.

Throughout all of this, I’ve struggled.