I suppose this was inevitable, but it’s painful nevertheless.
The House passed legislation today that would prevent the Supreme Court from ruling on whether the words “under God” should be stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance.
[…]
The bill, which the House approved, 247-173, would prohibit federal courts, including the Supreme Court, from hearing cases involving the pledge and its recitation and would prevent federal courts from striking the words “under God” from the pledge.
It was, as a practical matter, a pointless exercise. The Senate won’t pass this so it won’t become law. The House hasn’t passed a federal budget or passed any intelligence reforms, but they had time for this ridiculous stunt. Your tax dollars at work.
But as a matter of principle, the fact that 247 lawmakers would back this trash is a reflection of just how insane the conditions are in Congress right now.
Like Tapped’s Sam Rosenfeld, I’d like to note with some enthusiasm that six Republicans voted against this garbage. Six! I’m delighted to see that there are that many GOP lawmakers with the courage and commonsense to reject this bill so close to the election. (In case you’re curious, they are Reps. Biggert, Gilchrest, Kolbe, Ose, Rohrabacher, and Shays.)
One of the six, actually raised — gasp! — a good point during the floor debate.
There is no direct precedent for making exceptions to the Supreme Court’s appellate jurisdiction, said Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill. […]
“The issue today may be the pledge, but what if the issue tomorrow is Second Amendment rights, civil rights, environmental protection, or a host of other issue that members may hold dear?” she asked.
Wow, a principled argument from a House Republican. It didn’t appear to persuade many GOP colleagues, but it’s heartening to see it offered.