Gun Rights Activists Claim Judicial Nominee's Scalp

Judge Caitlin Halligan fails to pass the Senate to get on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, victim of filibuster.

The Committee for Justice credits opposition from gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association, for scuttling her chances, and claims this marks the Second Amendment as "the new abortion":

Halligan's defeat is part of a pattern that confirms our prediction that gun rights would become the "new abortion" in judicial confirmation battles. As CFJ's Curt Levey explained in a 2009 op-ed:

"[With] the Supreme Court's 2008 [Heller] decision recognizing the Second Amendment as an individual right … the Justices transferred the theater of war from legislatures to the judiciary. …That's why I and others predicted that gun owners – their fate tied to the selection of judges in the wake of Heller – would emerge as a potent part of the coalition advocating … for judges who strictly interpret the Constitution."

The emergence of the gun issue began early in President Obama's first term when he nominated three controversial district court nominees: Louis Butler (WI), Edward Chen (CA), and John McConnell (RI). All three posed a clear danger of judicial activism, but only Butler had a troubling Second Amendment record. As a result, Butler still languishes in the Senate and will not be confirmed, while Chen and McConnell eventually won Senate confirmation. 

Comments

[RoboCain]

"U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced legislation on Sunday that would limit the flow of illegal firearms into New York City by closing the gun show loophole and giving authorities more power to prosecute gun trafficking rings,"

1. There is no such animal as a gun show loophole
2. Fewer than one percent of criminals obtain their guns at gun shows
3. If there were such an animal, New York state closed it eleven years ago

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.c.....more-84599

[White Indian calls the 2A...]

...the constitution's Egalitarian Clause.

Egalitarian, of course, is an innate trait observed in humans by evolutionary biologists, and has to do with sociopolitical power (not the silly shit hierarchical city-Statist mock it with.)

The founders were (somewhat, but significantly) emulating the egalitarian Non-State tribal societies.

For more information, see:

Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World
by Jack Weatherford, former professor of anthropology at Macalester College
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I....._the_World

[White Indian]

I hope ya'll aren't so pissy that you won't thank me for giving you something that will drive your Leftist/Liberal/Progressive relatives crazy this Christmas.

"I'm all for egalitarianism."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Sure. We humans evolved to be egalitarian. We long to be treated equally from a sociopolitical perspective, and "equal" is often written in our political documents. Humans just aren't adapted will to hierarchies. In fact, hierarchies are a 65 million year throwback to smaller-brained primates."

"Oh, I like that. How do you think we can integrate this egalitarianism into our current hierarchical sociopolitical system?"

"Enforce the Egalitarian Clause of the Constitution."

"The Egalitarian Clause?"

"Yes, the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights. It's purpose is to ensure, if not egalitarianism, at least a flattened hierarchy."

"FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

[Jason Godesky]

I'm fat and everyone I know hates me.

[*yawn*]

[Karl Hungus]

Judge Caitlin Halligan fails to pass the Senate . . .

My daughter has the same name, though with a more modern spelling. I wanted to spell it 'Caitlin', as that's a more traditional way of spelling it, but I was vetoed by pretty much everyone else in the family. She's still a great kid, though, and already knows how to shoot a .22 rifle, which is probably more than we can say for Caitlin Halligan.

[Gojira]

So how does she spell it, just out of curiosity?

[Karl Hungus]

It's with a 'K', and some of the vowelification is different 🙂

I've seen:

Caitlin
Caitlyn
Catelynn
Kaitlyn
Kaitlin
Katelyn
Katelynn

There's probably more.

[Gojira]

Huh. I was just curios because I think I've only ever seen it "Caitlin" and "Catelynn", at least that I recall.

[Pro Libertate]

You were curios? That is, "any unusual article, object of art, etc., valued as a curiosity"?

[Gojira]

And it continues. I think this makes a week running with a typo everyday.

[Pro Libertate]

Hey, there are boring typos, then there are great typos. Yours have been great.

[Poet Laureate sloopyinca]

If it starts with a "K," and has at least one "y" in it, she will be a stripper before her 20th birthday.

[Karl Hungus]

I've deftly avoided that as a possibility. She'll live at home until her 21st birthday, then it's straight to the nunnery.

[Urkobold?]

A NUNNERY? LIKE THIS?

[Karl Hungus]

Also, her middle name was strategically chosen in case a little modesty ever needs to be enforced. So, if she steps out of line, she'll start being enrolled in school as 'Griselda'.

[Pro Libertate]

That's an even better stripper name!

[Selective Prudery]

Libertarianism for thine daughter, not for mine.

[Pro Libertate]

There's Cateland, a theme park in Australia dedicated to all things Cate Blanchett. They had to sue to use that name, as there's already a Masticateland in Canberra.

[Old Guy w/o Kangaroo]

That's Mastibateland.

[Pro Libertate]

I thought that was on Botany Bay, in Sydney.

[Gojira]

Oh christ, you said, "Botany Bay".

And now the references begin...

[Pro Libertate]

[Hears Star Trek "Fightin' Song" in his head.]

[Pro Libertate]

Which raises an interesting question. Why was it the S.S. Botany Bay? Does this imply that Khan conquered Australia?

[Gojira]

His accent was actually Australian...from the future!

[Pro Libertate]

Like Picard's was French? That explains a few things. Though I always though Khan sounded--you're going to think this is crazy--kind of Mexican.

[Colonel_Angus]

I hate y's in place of what should be an i. Changing spellings of a name is not cute or unique.

[Colin]

Caitlin is a beautiful name. I've loved it ever since Degrassi.

[Poet Laureate sloopyinca]

^^Pedo^^

[bosty]

and claims this marks the Second Amendment as "the new abortion"

well, at least it's an improvement over "the old abortion"

[Liberty]

That's a good point, that the 2nd Amendment really is "The New Abortion."

Like abortion, no one's really going to repeal it or even infringe on it, but it can be successfully utilized to part wee-wee'd up right-leaning people from their money. Good work.

[Colonel_Angus]

Second Amendment as "the new abortion"

If this is the case, it is a much more interesting and relevant issue. I will be satisfied.

[The Super Committee]

Hey, we thought we were "the new abortion"!

[Poet Laureate sloopyinca]

Why the fuck is this banner ad right next to this article? Is reason fucking with me because my donation wasn't big enough to get the free jacket?

[mad libertarian guy]

AdBlock is your friend.

[Paul]

The Committee for Justice credits opposition from gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association, for scuttling her chances, and claims this marks the Second Amendment as "the new abortion":

Correction... Abortion is the new Second Amendment. Amendment #2 has always been there, always been clear and always been an individual right. Abortion came in much later as a 'discovered' right, found within the implied right to privacy.

And I support abortion! Go abortion!

[Tulpa]

and claims this marks the Second Amendment as "the new abortion"

That doesn't sound like a compliment.