×

1395
1396

Supreme Court Ethics: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) (youtu.be)

submitted by Captain_Smartass_

all 169 comments
sorted by:
best
topnewcontroversialoldq&a

[–]Silly-Scene6524 225 points226 points  (30 children)

If I was Thomas I’d take the deal.

[–]LucretiusCarusHannibal 206 points207 points  (5 children)

It would be a pay cut.

Plus, I am 95% sure he and his wife derive actual pleasure when the rulings of the SC hurt the people Thomas thinks wronged him.

[–]Badloss 134 points135 points  (1 child)

That's Oliver's whole point. Thomas keeps complaining about how his pay is too low, so Oliver made him a staggering offer that should be impossible to refuse... Unless Thomas actually is getting bribes and kickbacks to be a Justice.

[–]LostInCa45 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

It's a pay cut. They can write a book and clear a million or two. They can be guest teachers in foreign countries which makes money as well. I believe they also do speeches that earn a fair amount.

[–]homer_3 42 points43 points  (2 children)

It would be a pay cut.

And more importantly, a power cut. The pay difference doesn't mean that much, but he's one of the most powerful people in the US atm.

[–]kia75 17 points18 points  (1 child)

The dude is going on million dollar Indonesian vacations, the pay difference absolutely does mean a bunch to him, as a single vacation costs decades of his supreme court pay and would still cost years of his bribe pay.

I agree, it's the power and hanging out with billionaires that is most important to Thomas, but it's also the money.

[–]rckrusekontrol 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Well yeah, but that’s part of the point. If he wants to claim he gets these perks from true friendship, they shouldn’t stop rolling in if he retires… unless.. they’re not really in it for friendship..

[–]Aware_Material_9985 4 points5 points  (4 children)

Same…..gets him out of any possible investigation or impeachment if the Dems take control of Congress in 2024 and he gets a nice retirement package

Side bonus is we get to see him fuck all the way off

[–]BuddhistSagan 5 points6 points  (3 children)

Clarence Thomas is going on million dollar Indonesian vacations. It would be a massive pay cut, which is Oliver's point.

[–]Aware_Material_9985 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Admittedly, this may be semantics but it’s not his pay paying for those, it’s his position. Not like he’s the one footing the bill. Yes, losing his seat would lose the power he wields which would probably make his sugar daddies walk away.

To me at least, Oliver’s point is that he can be bought and Oliver was offering to buy him to fuck off.

[–]BuddhistSagan 9 points10 points  (1 child)

I think Oliver's point is that there are no consequences for bribing a supreme court justice and wanted to make a public bribe, and of course the bribe was going to be for him to leave the supreme court not because he expected him to take it, but because that was the best way to frame the bribe.

[–]Peredyred3 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's definitely at least partly this. At the very end he loudly asks "HOW IS THIS LEGAL?" And Thomas was very specifically was involved in the loosening of bribery laws to the point they might as well not even exist.

At this point to prove political bribery you basically have to catch someone on camera saying "yes, I will take this good bribe money and in exchange for taking this bribe money I will make this very specific political decision. I would never have made this 'very specific political decision' on my own but because you are giving me the bribe money I will."

[–]jheller22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So would Parmenion. 

[–]platinum_toilet -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We are glad that you are not Justice Thomas or make decisions for him.

[–]Stoke-me-a-clipper 23 points24 points  (2 children)

Soooo many people in the comments and in r/Conservative are calling this "illegal bribery" and calling for Oliver's prosecution...

Think about that. It's not the decades-long litany of verifiable corruption and bribery on Thomas's part that bothers them -- this is what spurs them into outrage.

[–]Fit-Ranger8895 4 points5 points  (0 children)

How is their world view so warped? It blows my mind.

[–]LostInCa45 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's not a bribery it's a job offer.

[–]zurlocke 187 points188 points  (16 children)

So thankful for Jon Stewart and John Oliver being here when we need em the most

[–]TheDebateMatters 66 points67 points  (2 children)

I feel like the people who need to hear them the most, will never tune in.

[–]Prophet_Of_Helix 7 points8 points  (1 child)

They won’t. Also, the sad truth is even the people who do want to hear them also won’t act on basically any of the information provided.

Thats not to say it isn’t valuable for Jon and John to be doing what they are doing, but it’s a sad reality of our culture.

[–]BuddhistSagan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Radical optimism is a part of every successful movement. Oliver and Stewart are air support to the ground troops of activists on the ground. I say this as an activist who has called and knocked on thousands of doors - their contribution is helpful.

[–]ShaggysGTI 31 points32 points  (5 children)

There’s a huge gap in the news that needs to be represented. Journalists that hit hard without fear of libel suits. Practically every big brand is owned by right wing assholes.

[–]StJeanMark 15 points16 points  (4 children)

I have MSNBC on in the background during work everyday. Anytime something truly important happens, a moment when I feel like real change is about to take place based on what happens, they fold. They don't push when they need to, they give up when they shouldn't, and they never go for the throat. Jon Stewart is more news than the news.

[–]NeedAVeganDinner 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Always has been 

[–]BuddhistSagan 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Stop watching commercially funded for profit news. NPR and PBS are way better than that shit show MSNBC

[–]KingMario05 3 points4 points  (0 children)

BBC, too. Their US division is a fucking godsend sometimes.

[–]tehvolcanic 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Exactly. All corporate news is right-wing news.

[–]lordatlasSpartacus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everything changed when the Bribe Nation attacked.

[–]apple_kicks 61 points62 points  (0 children)

The bit about all the Nazi memorabilia is insane. Wonder what else he gives money to

[–]MissDiem 72 points73 points  (15 children)

I'm glad he tossed in a reminder to people that just because ASCJs like Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney-Barrett are so openly corrupt, we shouldn't forget that creeps like Neil Gorsuch are ethically bankrupt too. Gorsuch plagiarized and perjured his way to the top, but it's less noticeable because of his fake "aw shucks" manner.

So it should surprise nobody that a week after becoming a supreme, he took a bribe in the form of a laundered real estate sale, conveniently concealing the identity of the buyer on the disclosure paperwork.

Any one of Gorsuch's ethical breaches would be worthy of permanently ending the career of most law students or practicing attorneys. But for this golden boy of the Federalist cabal, there's zero consequences.

I hope a principled president comes along and fixes this diaper stain of a court.

[–]captainhaddock 25 points26 points  (13 children)

Buttigieg was the only 2020 candidate who was serious about Supreme Court reform.

[–]MissDiem 26 points27 points  (1 child)

Buttigieg, like the other hopefuls, would probably have been smoked in the 6 swing states. But I sometimes wonder if he'd have been installed as AG, how much better our lives would be by now. He'd have immediately actioned the M.R. prosecutions, found the stuff Barr destroyed and hid, and the Jack Smith timeline would be two years ahead of where it is.

[–]rckrusekontrol 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Well- Traditionally the Attorney General is required to have a law degree and pass the bar. But I’m sure he could have been utilized better than Transportation.

[–]VituperousJames 19 points20 points  (6 children)

Which means absolutely nothing. Even FDR at the peak of his power couldn't actually affect Supreme Court reform. People talk about his plan to stack the Court but leave out how he backed down because he knew it wouldn't work. Things have only become more entrenched and broken since then.

The truth is there currently exists no realistic path to reform SCOTUS. Nothing will change until and unless things get so bad that blue states are willing to openly flout the Court's rulings. SCOTUS only has power because people with actual power agree to abide by its rulings. But this Court is rapidly compromising its own legitimacy in the service of their rich sponsors and extremist right-wing ideology. I generally find accelerationism to be horseshit, but this is one place where it really may be the only option.

[–]bros402 9 points10 points  (1 child)

I think SCOTUS has a legal justification to be stacked. When it has been expanded in the past, it has been due to the creation of new circuit courts - so each justice oversees one (not the right term, but I could not think of anything else). The last time the court was expanded, there were nine circuit courts. Now there are 13 circuit courts (well, 12 + DC).

[–]VituperousJames 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think SCOTUS has a legal justification to be stacked.

Sure it does. And there was a legal justification to remove Trump from office. There's a legal justification to bar him from the ballot in November. There's a legal justification for the right to privacy and reproductive rights. There are legal justifications for all sorts of things, and none of them matter because the GOP is an extremist death cult and the Roberts Court is a fucking political action committee.

[–]notmyworkaccount5 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Buttigieg was a McKinsey corporate hack, I wouldn't trust him as president because of what that company has done

[–]queerhistorynerd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

ya but he got his ass smoked in the 1st 2 southern state primaries. Sothern dem's weren't able to get around him being gay, and rallied hard around Biden to his and every other candidates detriment.

[–]7thEvan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://www.vox.com/2020/2/11/21131583/bernie-sanders-supreme-court-rotation-lottery

Bernie had a proposal. I’d trust him over Pothole Pete, way too many corporate democrats love him. 

[–]retzlaja 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Have always believed Anita Hill 💯

[–]TheLadyEve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The first time I remember feeling genuinely disillusioned as a child was watching Thomas's confirmation hearing. They tore Dr. Hill apart. Biden was a part of that, which is part of why I've never particularly been a fan of Biden. As a 10 yo girl, watching that woman get picked apart by a bunch of dudes sent me a very clear message: these people are not going to be on your side. So watching the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing just brought back all those memories. People still aren't on your side, I thought. Disappointing. Disillusioning.

[–]MynameisJunie 15 points16 points  (1 child)

Hands down best episode ever!! I hope Thomas takes the deal! Get the fuck off the Supreme Court!!!!

[–]WhiteRussianRoulete 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I think my favorite episode so far but I haven’t seen every one 

[–]x_lincoln_x 18 points19 points  (7 children)

Link says video is private.

[–]bigchicago04 3 points4 points  (1 child)

It works now

[–]x_lincoln_x 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for replying. Does seem to work now.

[–]Captain_Smartass_[S] 8 points9 points  (3 children)

I guess they published it early by mistake

[–]MaimedJester -5 points-4 points  (2 children)

It usually airs on Sunday night and gets uploaded Monday morning.

My guess is the taping of it was yesterday, and the live crowd told the journalists about the contract/30 day limit thing and that might have caused confusion. 

[–]Posty-McPostface 18 points19 points  (1 child)

It was unfortunately announced this week that they’re going to delay uploading until Thursdays now to try and drive people to subscribe to Max

Article

[–]Noblesse_Obligee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It worked for me. I never bother with max, but when I saw a headline about the offer, I immediately hopped on when I found it wasn't in YouTube

[–]Captain_Smartass_[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's now available for everyone it seems

[–]Reasonable-Rope1819 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thankful for John Oliver and Jon Stewart are here to combat misinformation and oppressive practices

[–]Alandales 39 points40 points  (12 children)

So sad when we need a satire news show to save us lol…

[–]StoneWall_MWO 12 points13 points  (1 child)

it's been that way the past 24 years

[–]TheLadyEve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Much longer. When I was a kid it was Not Necessarily The News. I miss that dumb show.

[–]iampuh 11 points12 points  (4 children)

Same in Germany, but people in Germany have their own spin on these shows. They somehow think the hosts are all bought by the green party and it is their duty duty lying to us. We have a lot of conspiracie theorists in Germany btw.

[–]guto8797 2 points3 points  (2 children)

The UK US and Germany have a ton of conspiracy theorists for some reason. The UK has sovereign citizens arguing about the Magna carta, Germany has the blokes saying that since the hozenhollern were deposed they shouldn't pay taxes, etc

[–]Peredyred3 0 points1 point  (1 child)

The UK has sovereign citizens arguing about the Magna carta

Wait, really? Do they think they're feudal barons or something? Magna Carta was basically a bill of rights for barons

[–]guto8797 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They unironically argue that since the Magna Carta says that the king's objective is to provide for the prosperity of his subjects for all time, they argue that its still in effect and that therefore they don't have to pay taxes.

Some tried to use that to claim Edinburgh castle. You know, in Scotlant, where the Magna Carta never had any effect.

[–]helppls555 1 point2 points  (0 children)

and a lot of them are on the german subs unfortunately. try to have a talk about that on r/de and see how that goes...

[–]whammykerfuffle -1 points0 points  (4 children)

Tbh I'd rather he get rid of the jokes and just inform. They aren't very funny and just take away from the tone. I used to enjoy it, but now I just want to hear the stories without being interrupted for pretty lame humor.

[–]FlashyEarth8374 3 points4 points  (2 children)

youre watching the wrong show

[–]whammykerfuffle -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Love the profile pic btw. Nah I've been a fan of john since the bugle, but this format doesn't seem to work anymore. Don't you think it's jarring to have a moving story about the Arab Israeli conflict interrupted every 30 seconds for an arbitrary rant about something random? They're not even jokes anymore

[–]helppls555 0 points1 point  (0 children)

he's right tho. the humor is literally the same joke over and over again, and the journalism is a lot more interesting than yet another weird off-center analogy.

[–]Alandales 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually agree; I wish news in general accomplished the same points- but generally they don’t?

[–]Tankninja1 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Is it not more suspicious if the cost of the wine is $0?

Who is paying for the wine if it’s $0?

[–]Captain_Smartass_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The wine was paid by someone else of course

[–]DwarfFlyingSquirrel 9 points10 points  (1 child)

Everyone is talking about how this binds Thomas, but I think it goes beyond that. He's the easiest to do this, but I believe that it also shows how corrupt the Supreme Court really is and if a late night host can do this, I think this'll give pause to politicians because things can change and quickly.

[–]guto8797 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Watching old videos of politicians speaking in the 60's kinda underscores how much the polite fiction has degraded over the years.

Both parties were going to impeach Nixon. If these allegations happened in the 60's Thomas would have been crucified by both sides. Doing the shit Trump did would legitimately have gotten him shot as a traitor.

But eventually the republicans realised they didn't need to pretend anymore and that their base responded better to culture wars, immigration scares, populism than they did reject impropriety.

Reminds me of the fall of the Roman Republic, when laws that had stood for centuries based only on polite fiction got challenged by powerful men and everything just crumbled

[–]Johnny_B_Asshole 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Supreme Court Ethics is an oxymoron these days.

[–]Conquestadore 16 points17 points  (0 children)

For a satirical show it's frightfully insightful. I do love the 'I can't believe this is legal' bit.

[–]TheLadyEve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was a brutal take-down and I love it. It is bonkers that all of that is legal.

[–]InternationalBand494 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would take that deal in a heartbeat.

[–]andrew88888q 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely brilliant

[–]cheesifiedd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thomas and the Art of a Deal

[–]Fit-Ranger8895 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If a Supreme Court justice and be so bloody shameless.. I mean.

[–]Watch_Capt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was trending way earlier this week but due to HBO wanting to hold off on segment releases the impact of this is massively decreased.