Justice in America: A Decent Decision Defies the Supreme Court's Limpet-Like Ideology

In recent years, the US Supreme Court has taken a predictable course with right-wingers on the bench imposing their ideology, but Monday brought a notable change.

In a 5-4 ruling, the State of California was ordered to reduce its overcrowded prison population by 30,000. The ruling followed displays in court of photographs of inmates crowded into an open gymnasium-style rooms and “telephone-booth-sized cages without toilets".

In the 1980s, California imposed a "three strikes rule" for offenders. If you were found guilty of a third felony, there was an automatic sentence of 25 years, regardless of the nature of the offence. Sentencing discretion was removed from judges.

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The Arizona Shootings: Getting to the Missing Point --- "It's Guns, Stupid" (Matlin)

The repercussions and the debate around this episode will continue for years. But you can be certain that a question  poseed elsewhere --- “Where did the alleged attacker Jared Lee Loughner get the gun?” --- will not be a priority in America. From The New York Times to The Washington Post to CNN and MNSBC, this query was not being posed, let alone answered. No one wants to touch the subject of gun ownership. It has become the third rail of politics.

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