The United States has assessed that Russia launched what is likely a counter space weapon last week that’s now in the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed Tuesday.
“What I’m tracking here is on May 16, as you highlighted, Russia launched a satellite into low Earth orbit that we that we assess is likely a counter space weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit,” Ryder said when questioned by ABC News about the information, which was made public earlier Tuesday by Robert Wood, deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
“Russia deployed this new counter space weapon into the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite,” Ryder continued. “And so assessments further indicate characteristics resembling previously deployed counter space payloads from 2019 and 2022.”
[…]
When asked if the Russian counter space weapon posed a threat to the U.S. satellite, Ryder responded: “Well, it’s a counter space weapon in the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite.”
Author: Owen
UWM Chancellor Apologizes to Jewish Community After Intense Pressure
by Owen | 2108, 21 May 2424 | Culture, Education | 1 Comment
It’s difficult to believe his sincerity when it comes this late. The Gaza/Hamas issue has been roiling for decades. This specific war has been going on for eight months. He’s allegedly a highly-educated university Chancellor. We are not wrong to think that he thought about his words and actions deeply before issuing them the first time. This is a man saying what he thinks he needs to say to save his job.
The UW-Milwaukee chancellor is apologizing to the campus Jewish community after a pro-Palestinian encampment spent two weeks on the corner of Downer Avenue and Kenwood Boulevard.
On Tuesday, Chancellor Mark Mone shared a message with UWM students, faculty and staff. In the message, Mone said he heard from people on campus and in the Jewish community that UWM’s response to global events and the local protest “left them feeling vulnerable, unsafe and unseen.”
Mone said he also heard some students have not felt comfortable sharing their concerns.
“This distresses me,” Mone said. “The expressions of grief and frustration over the conflict in the Middle East must not destabilize our shared sense of humanity or be twisted into a platform to spread hatred.”
Mone said it is now clear to him that UWM should not have weighed in on these “deeply complex geopolitical and historical issues.” Mone apologized and said he acknowledged right now is a difficult time for many Jewish students across the U.S.
Mone reinforced UWM’s stance that the university continues to condemn antisemitism, Islamaphobia, and all other hatred. He said the campus must be a place that welcomes students from all backgrounds.
Mone said his message is not enough.
“But words alone cannot create the culture of inclusion we desire, which is why we must transform our words into commitment and action,” Mone said. “This work will take time, as all hard work does, and it will also take the openness of our entire community.”
Republicans Outraise Democrats in April
by Owen | 2042, 21 May 2424 | Politics | 0 Comments
This is a positive trend. The Democrats always find the money they need, but it’s good to see the Republicans keeping pace.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee said Monday that they raised more than $51 million in April, falling well short of the $76 million that Donald Trump and the Republican Party reported taking in for the month.
Biden’s reelection campaign said it had $192 million in cash-on-hand as of the end of last month, which it said was higher than any Democratic candidate in history. But that was also roughly the same amount it reported having at the end of the year’s first quarter on March 30 — suggesting the campaign was spending funds as quickly as it raised them.
April’s totals were also down sharply from March, when the president’s campaign and the DNC announced taking in more than $90 million.
Costs to House Illegal Aliens in Denver Increase By 850%
by Owen | 2028, 21 May 2424 | Politics | 0 Comments
Yep.
(The Center Square)- The city of Denver is considering revising a $400,000 contract for a private security firm to provide security for the city’s unhoused and migrant shelter sites for an additional $3 million.
The original contract, which was set to run for the entirety of 2024, was between the city of Denver and Advanced Professional Security — Colorado, L.L.C. However, the city is now revising this contract, which is projected to cost an additional $3 million to extend it until the end of 2024, for a new total of $3.4 million, according to city documents.
Aid Stolen Before Reaching Gazans
by Owen | 1942, 21 May 2424 | Foreign Affairs, Military | 0 Comments
Garsch… Who could have possible predicted that supplied would be stolen before ever reaching the intended people. /shockedfface. Despite the effort by CNN to sanitize the report and attribute the thefts to “desperate Gazans,” only Hamas has the internal force to affect such interceptions. Once again, Hamas is stealing from their own people.
None of the aid that has been unloaded from the temporary pier the US constructed off the coast of Gaza has been delivered to the broader Palestinian population, as the US works with the UN and Israel to identify safe delivery routes inside the enclave, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
Several desperate Gazans intercepted trucks delivering aid from the pier over the weekend, leading the UN to suspend the delivery operations until the logistical challenges are resolved.
[…]
Asked whether any of the aid has been delivered to the people of Gaza, Ryder said, “As of today, I do not believe so.” He added that aid had been held in an assembly area on shore, but as of Tuesday had begun getting moved to warehouses for distribution throughout Gaza as alternative routes have been established.
[…]
Over the weekend, as trucks began moving the aid delivered off the floating pier, CNN reported that a group of men in Gaza intercepted the aid, saying they did not trust that it was actually meant for the Palestinian people.
Federal Officials Condemn ICC
by Owen | 0731, 21 May 2424 | Foreign Affairs, Law, Politics | 1 Comment
It’s good to see the entire federal government united and correct in their condemnation of the ICC.
The State Department was out with a longer statement that denounced the court for pairing Israel with Hamas.
‘We reject the Prosecutor’s equivalence of Israel with Hamas. It is shameful. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding dozens of innocent people hostage, including Americans,’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
And White House spokesman John Kirby noted that ‘we don’t believe the ICC has any jurisdiction in the matter.’
House Speaker Mike Johnson blasted the ICC and threatened to hold sanctions against the court.
‘The ICC has no authority over Israel or the United States, and today’s baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation,’ he said.
‘Congress is reviewing all options, including sanctions, to punish the ICC and ensure its leadership faces consequences if they proceed. If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israeli leaders, ours could be next,’ he added.
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik was in Israel when the decision came down.
‘As Bibi leads @Israel through one of the darkest moments in its history, we must stand unequivocally with Israel against Iran and their proxies who seek to destroy the only democracy in the Middle East,’ she wrote on X.
UWM’s disgraceful appeasement
by Owen | 0722, 21 May 2424 | Education, Foreign Affairs, Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments
My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here you go:
Most Americans have stood aghast as a wave of antisemitic and pro-Hamas protests swept through our universities. We thought that such hate was the stuff of 1905 Russia or 1938 Germany, but here we are witnessing it in 2024 America amongst those who are supposed to be our future. Many universities responded deplorably, but none more so than the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Hamas has been clear about their goal to wipe out Israel and the Jews who live there since their inception. Everything they have done — including the October 7 massacre — has been to further that goal. While one can criticize Israel’s response to the attacks and wish for peace, the campus protests long since descended into the hateful rhetoric of, and support for, Hamas.
Some universities took immediate action to clear out illegal encampments and threatening protesters. Some universities offered minimal appeasement coupled with a firm rejection of hate. Then there is UWM, which decided to weigh in with full-throated support for Hamas and has encouraged a campus culture where Jewish students can no longer feel safe.
The protests and encampment at UWM was instigated by the UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition (PUPC), whose coalition includes the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Muslim Student Association (MSA), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Un-PAC, and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA). These groups range in interests from communism to overthrowing capitalism to ending our republic to the destruction of Israel. All of their interests coalesced around supporting Hamas in their terrorism against Jews.
These groups are well-funded and well-organized. In return for ending an encampment that was already illegal, UWM Chancellor Mark Mone and the UWM leadership gave these communists and Hamas supporters a seat at the table. Mone agreed to have the UWM Foundation release financial statements to the PUPC and meet with them to discuss where the Foundation invests.
Mone also agreed to “study” whether UWM should end studying abroad in Israel and pressured the Water Council, on whose board Mone serves, to end relationships with two Israeli companies. Mone agreed to forgo any punishments for the protestors’ encampments despite the violation of state law. He agreed to further meetings and a working group with PUPC for a “series of campus conversations and educational opportunities.” That’s eduspeak for “spreading Hamas propaganda.”
Most egregious was Mone’s statement on behalf of UWM condemning Israel for responding to Hamas’ violent pogrom of October 7. Calling Israel’s war in Gaza a “plausible genocide,” Mone calls for a ceasefire in Gaza without any precondition for Hamas to release hostages or stop their violence against civilians. Mone voiced this condemnation with full knowledge that Hamas started the war, raped and killed civilian women and children, and has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire. Mone’s statement is indistinguishable from those issued by antisemites and Hamas supporters that were camping on the UWM campus.
Rightfully, Jewish groups Hillel Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, and the Anti-Defamation League Midwest, condemned Mone’s UWM for appeasing PUPC. After reminding us that Mone has refused to meet with Jewish students despite a surge of antisemitic incidents on campus since October 7, they say, “Chancellor Mone gave protesters who fueled hate and violated school policies at UWM a seat at the table and even invited them to nominate individuals and faculty to serve on key university committees and working groups … the chancellor’s decision to grant immunity to individuals who mocked and broke school rules and the law sets a dangerous precedent for future incidents on campus.” Indeed, it does.
When given an opportunity to educate young adults and reject antisemitic, terrorist, and communist activists, UWM and Chancellor Mone chose to support and enable them. This choice is a disgrace that succors a culture of hate on the UWM campus.
Yellen Rejects Global Wealth Tax
by Owen | 0738, 20 May 2424 | Economy, Foreign Affairs, Politics | 1 Comment
FRANKFURT—The U.S. opposes a proposed global wealth tax on billionaires, Treasury secretary Janet Yellen said, rejecting an idea floated by Brazil, France and other nations to tip the economic scales away from the megarich.
It is Brazil’s turn to lead the Group of 20 major economies this year and the country has called on the group to develop a coordinated approach for taxing ultrawealthy individuals who can move their money into low-tax jurisdictions. The goal is to mirror a global minimum tax on corporations, which roughly 140 countries signed up for in 2021 but has since run into roadblocks in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Setting aside, for a moment, the principle that people should not be taxed by extragovernmental bodies in which they are not represented, all of these kinds of proposals are designed to do one thing: redistribute the United States’ wealth to other countries. The U.S. has the most billionaires, the most wealth, the most Fortune 500 companies, etc. Other countries want to take that wealth for themselves. That’s all this is and Yellen is right to oppose it.
Iranian President Confirmed Dead
by Owen | 0702, 20 May 2424 | Foreign Affairs | 2 Comments
This looks like just an accident but be ready for Iran to blame Israel or America as a justification to do something violent.
DUBAI (Reuters) -Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed after his helicopter crashed in poor weather in mountains near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday.
The charred wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.
Supreme Leader Khamenei, who holds ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme, said First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, would take over as interim president, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Americans Facing Massive Tax Increase if Biden Wins
by Owen | 2018, 19 May 2424 | Politics | 0 Comments
He will absolutely let these expire.
Donald Trump-era tax breaks are set to expire next year meaning millions of Americans may have to start paying more in 2026.
Trump made sweeping changes to the tax landscape through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017.
This included lowering individual income tax rates, almost doubling the standard deduction and raising the federal estate tax exemption. It also slashed corporate income tax to 21 percent – its lowest level since 1993.
Biden at Morehouse
by Owen | 1956, 19 May 2424 | Culture, Education, Politics | 0 Comments
The president took the opportunity on Sunday to address students’ concerns over the Israel-Hamas war.
“What’s happening in Israel and Gaza is heartbreaking,” Biden said. He acknowledged the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, who also kidnapped nearly 250 hostages that day. Biden also underscored the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza, which is on the brink of famine and in desperate need of medical supplies.
In his address, Biden called for an immediate ceasefire and said his administration is working on a deal “as we speak” so that Israelis taken hostage can be returned home and more humanitarian aid can get into war-torn Gaza. Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is in Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend to talk with top leaders.
I watched this speech in its entirety and encourage you to do so too. It’s enlightening to watch Biden speak in long form. Yes, there were the mumbles, mispronounced words, lies, and weird shouting, but I finished this speech with two overriding impressions.
First, Biden talks about himself a lot. A LOT. The first 10 minutes of the 27 minute speech was about him. His past. His stories. I. I. I. The remaining 17 minutes had more of the same, but not exclusively. It reminded me a lot about how Obama spoke. Biden rarely references his administration or the government or America. It’s all about him.
Second, Biden’s race-baiting is crude and belongs in the previous century. He acts like America in 2024 is still 1958 Jim Crow Mississippi. We have come a long way since then and he gives no credit for the progress. He’s still telling Black men graduating from a prestigious university like Morehouse that America doesn’t love them and that they are being oppressed. Biden’s low opinion of America and Americans is nauseating. I don’t want to live in the America in his mind either.
Liberal Columnist Greives over Prospect of Trump Win
by Owen | 0648, 18 May 2424 | Politics | 0 Comments
One would never know from looking at the data that Trump is the defendant in a criminal trial in New York City that’s been going on for weeks, where testimony has implicated him in cheating on his wife with a porn star and planting sleazy smears of his political opponents in national tabloids.
Trump critics have spent nine years waiting for Americans to have a “eureka” moment that he’s unfit for office. But the problem has never been getting voters to recognize that he’s unfit; the problem has been getting them to agree that he’s less fit than his opponent.
Between persistent inflation, left-wing wedge issues like the war in Gaza and of course his very advanced age, Biden is less qualified now than he was four years ago to make the case that he’s the fitter of the two candidates. Despite his best efforts to turn the race into another referendum on Trump, the data suggests that for most voters it’s more of a referendum on the incumbent, as reelection bids tend to be.
For cripes sake, he’s at 33% in the Times swing-state poll when Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jill Stein and Cornel West are included as options for respondents.
In fact, despite Biden trailing Trump in Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania, the same Times poll finds the Democratic candidates for Senate in all three states leading their Republican opponents.
Democrats likewise lead in the generic ballot average nationally even though Biden consistently trails Trump head-to-head. The president’s the weak link in the Democratic Party, plainly; a meaningful share of swing voters who are open to voting for Democrats in principle really do not want to vote for him again.
It took me a while to get Trump’s appeal in 2016, but I think I get it now. I can understand this columnist not getting it. What continues to flummox me is liberals’ inability to see Biden’s failures. His term has been an utter disaster on the domestic and foreign fronts. Americans are significantly less well off in terms of their economic well-being and physical security since Biden took office. And yet, liberals seem to keep thinking that it’s a messaging problem. It’s not. It’s a performance problem. And even though Trump is a mess of a man, he was a helluva a president. Americans get that.
Putin and Xi
by Owen | 0635, 18 May 2424 | Foreign Affairs | 0 Comments
I think this story is a bit optimistic from a Westerner’s perspective, but the relationship surely has changed.
Mr Putin came to China cap in hand, eager for Beijing to continue trading with a heavily sanctioned and isolated Russia. His statements were filled with honeyed tones and flattering phrases.
He said that his family were learning Mandarin – this was particularly noteworthy because he very rarely talks about his children in public.
He declared that he and Mr Xi were “as close as brothers” and went on to praise China’s economy, saying it was “developing in leaps and bounds, at a fast pace”. This will likely play well with Beijing officials worried by a sluggish economy.
But Mr Xi himself did not echo the tone of these lofty compliments. Instead, his remarks were more perfunctory – even bland. Mr Putin, he said, was a “good friend and a good neighbour”. For China, the welcome ceremony and show of unity is in its interests, but lavishing its guest with praise is not.
The costly war in Ukraine, which shows no signs of ending, has changed their relationship, exposing the weaknesses in Russia’s army and its economy. Mr Xi will know that he is now in charge.
The war has isolated Russia. China’s ties with the West may be tense, but Beijing has not cut itself off from the world like Russia, nor does it want to.
Abbott Pardons Man Convicted of Killing Violent Protestor
by Owen | 2112, 17 May 2424 | Crime, Law, Politics - Texas | 0 Comments
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a full pardon Thursday for a former U.S. Army sergeant convicted of murder for fatally shooting an armed demonstrator in 2020 during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice.
Abbott announced the pardon shortly after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles announced a unanimous recommendation that Daniel Perry be pardoned and have his firearms rights restored.
Perry had been in state prison on a 25-year sentence since his 2023 conviction in the killing of Garrett Foster, and was released shortly after the pardon, a prison spokeswoman said.
Perry, who is white, was working as a ride-share driver when his car approached a demonstration in Austin. Prosecutors said he could have driven away from the confrontation with Foster, a white Air Force veteran who witnesses said never raised his gun.
A jury convicted Perry of murder, but Abbott called it a case of self-defense.
“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney,” Abbott said.
Dublin-NYC Portal Shut Down
by Owen | 2219, 14 May 2424 | Culture | 3 Comments
That didn’t take long. Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, “inappropriate behavior” in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
The two sculptures, “The Portals,” are round, lens-like installations with a 24/7 video link to allow residents and visitors in the two cities to interact with each other. Social media videos have shown people flashing body parts to people on the other side. The installation does not include audio.
UWM Coddles Protestors
by Owen | 2159, 14 May 2424 | Education, Politics - Wisconsin | 3 Comments
Well, we know what side the leadership of UWM is on.
UWM’s agreement with pro-Palestinian students called for a ceasefire in Gaza and cited a United Nations expert and the International Court of Justice, noting that both have called Israel’s actions a “plausible genocide.” UWM also agreed not to ticket students for violating a state rule banning camping on campus property.
Biden’s and Baldwin’s actions support Hamas
by Owen | 0721, 14 May 2424 | Foreign Affairs, Politics, Politics - Wisconsin | 2 Comments
My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here’s you go.
International affairs are inherently complicated with cross-currents of cultures, economies, religion, and philosophies in the deep ocean of history. The current war in the Gaza Strip in Israel, however, in a moment of moral clarity on which President Joe Biden and Senator Tammy Baldwin are demonstrating moral bankruptcy.
The fighting in the Middle East dates back to the very dawn of human civilization as a resource-rich and trading nexus of the ancient and modern world. The current war’s roots, however, are very modern.
When Israel came into its modern existence in 1948, the area known as the Gaza Strip was Egyptian territory and remained so for nearly 20 years. In 1967, a coalition of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan launched an unprovoked war against Israel that became known as the Six-Day War. Israel overwhelmingly won that war and seized the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Golan Heights as the spoils of war and as a security buffer.
The Gaza Strip has been a part of Israel since 1967. In 2005, bowing to international pressure, Israel gave the Gaza Strip to the Gazans for them to self-govern and withdrew all forces, although Israel maintained border security for and with the Gaza Strip.
Promptly in 2006, the Gazans elected Hamas, an Islamist terrorist organization supported by Iran, to govern the Gaza Strip. Since 2006, Hamas has regularly launched rockets and small-scale attacks into Israel. Hamas has enjoyed widespread support by the Gazans for nearly 20 years.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched a bloody attack across the border killing about 1,200 people of all ages and genders, and they took over 250 people back to Gaza as hostages. It was a bloody, bigoted, indiscriminate attack against civilians including babies and grandmothers. As bloody bodies were paraded through the streets in Gaza, the Gazans cheered. This is not the case of an unwelcome totalitarian government ruling over an innocent population. This is the case of a government acting with the overwhelming majority of their citizens supporting their barbarity.
Israel responded the same way I hope America would if the people of Tijuana attacked San Diego and butchered women and children. Israel fought back to eliminate the hostile threat while taking extraordinary measures to limit civilian deaths. The fact that some civilians are being killed is the direct result of Hamas’ policy to use them as human shields.
This is not a complicated war. Hamas is an Islamist terror group that is wantonly killing civilians from their power base and then hiding behind their own citizens when Israel pushes back. To support anything other than Israel’s right and duty to rid the world of Hamas is to support the perpetuation of hate, bigotry, murder, and terror.
Yet, that is where we find President Biden and Senator Baldwin. As always, we must watch what they do — not what they say. Biden has attempted to split the baby with his rhetoric vacillating between powerful support for Israel and appeasement to Hamas. His actions, however, lean heavily in favor of Hamas.
Biden has been calling for a ceasefire without the precondition of releasing all of the hostages which only benefits Hamas. Biden has condemned Israel for civilian casualties despite Israel’s extraordinary efforts to keep them to a minimum while Hamas pushes civilians into the fray. Last week, Biden unilaterally halted the shipment of ammunition to Israel and has threatened to halt more shipments if Israel moves to root out Hamas in their last remaining stronghold in Rafah.
Hamas never had a greater ally than President Biden.
Meanwhile, Senator Baldwin is in lock-step with Biden and Hamas providing rhetorical and legislative support whenever they need it. Baldwin has always been a loyal vote of support for whatever the Democrat leadership wants. This case is no different.
In a moment of crystal clear moral clarity, Biden and Baldwin have put themselves on the wrong side of history.
Teachers Facing Mass Layoffs Due to Terrible Budget Practices
by Owen | 0927, 12 May 2424 | Education, Politics | 1 Comment
There. I fixed their headline. The “free” covid bonanza allowed school districts across America to delay adjusting staffing for declining enrollment. With the money coming to an end, there is a glut of unfunded and unjustified positions that need to be reduced all at once instead of gradually. If the school districts had managed their staffing to need instead of to available funding, they would all be flush with surpluses and not have this problem.
Schools across the country are announcing teacher and staff layoffs as districts brace for the end of a pandemic aid package that delivered the largest one-time federal investment in K-12 education.
The funds must be used by the end of September, creating a sharp funding cliff as schools also struggle with widespread enrollment declines and inflation.
Many districts have warned of layoffs as the current school year comes to a close and next year’s budgets are planned. The local headlines about teachers likely won’t help Americans who remain stubbornly pessimistic about the economy feel any better, adding to the challenge President Joe Biden faces to show voters how things are better than they were four years ago.
Newsome Makes Severe Cuts to Budget in Face of Deficit
by Owen | 0759, 11 May 2424 | Foreign Affairs | 2 Comments
“Severe” lol. Californians are adorable about what they get worked up about. Bless their hearts.
While Newsom has not taken away health insurance from anyone, he proposed the state stop paying for health care workers to care for some 14,000 disabled immigrants in their home. That would save the state $94.7 million. While he hasn’t pulled back the state’s commitment to expanded kindergarten, he proposed eliminating $550 million that would have helped school districts build the facilities they need to teach all of those extra students.
After promising to pay for child care for another 146,000 children from low-income families, Newsom on Friday proposed pausing that expansion at 119,000. And after promising to boost how much money doctor’s get to treat Medicaid patients, Newsom on Friday proposed canceling $6.7 billion that had been set aside to do that.
[…]
In total, Newsom is proposing $32.8 billion in cuts over two years, including eliminating 10,000 unfilled state jobs and an 8% cut to state operations — including things like eliminating landlines. He promised there would be no layoffs, furloughs or salary cuts for the state’s more than 221,000 state workers.
Wisconsin Supreme Court to Decide Fewest Cases in 40 Years
by Owen | 0809, 10 May 2424 | Law, Politics - Wisconsin | 3 Comments
Is this a problem? I rather like a minimalist court. Although it does seem that this particular court is usurping power and running roughshod over the Constitution where they choose.
It would be the first time the court has issued fewer than 40 decisions in a term in at least four decades.
According to Ball’s analysis, the court filed more than 130 decisions in its 1980-81 term and has generally fluctuated between 40 and 100 per term in subsequent years. Before the late 1970s and the creation of the court of appeals, the state Supreme Court often filed more than 200 decisions per term and sometimes more than 300.
[…]
The number of petitions for review has dropped significantly. The court received 658 petitions in its 2020-21 term, 624 in 2021-22 and 573 in 2022-23. According to a March 2024 report from the court, 332 petitions have been filed in the current term.
“In addition to a smaller number of petitions for review, the justices have clearly decided that fewer of the petitions merit acceptance. Why that might be is harder to say,” Ball said.
It is interesting that there are so few petitions. Does this indicate a lack of confidence in the court? Maybe. Maybe it’s just coincidence.
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