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Don't worry, it's now legal for the judge and everyone else involved to get a nice present from Boeing, as long as it happens afterwards! :(

by diob 2y ago

mlekoszek 2y ago
Wait... explain.
- ssklash 2y ago
  A recent Supreme Court ruling allows pretty much exactly this...
  - squigz 2y ago
    What ruling? What, more precisely than "pretty much this", does it allow?
    - dboreham 2y ago
      Bribery.
      - sixothree 2y ago
        Well. Literally bribery. As long as you don’t document the interaction and as long as the payment is after the fact, yeah. Bribery.
- ilyagr 2y ago
  https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/06/supreme-court-limits-scope-of-anti-bribery-law/ https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/06/supreme-court-limits-scop... Somewhat opinionated, but clearer explanation: https://jacobin.com/2024/06/supreme-court-corruption-thomas-kavanaugh https://jacobin.com/2024/06/supreme-court-corruption-thomas-... Perhaps somebody finds a better overview.
  - tomp 2y ago
    Supreme Court simply limited the (in their opinion overbroad) lower court's interpretation of the law. Congress is free to fix the law.
    - ilyagr 2y ago
      How long do you think it will take for Congress to fix the law? Until then, the ancestor poster's interpretation of "Don't worry, it's now legal for the judge and everyone else involved to get a nice present from Boeing, as long as it happens afterwards!" is more or less correct AFAICT (though I'd appreciate more educated opinions).
      - tomp 2y ago
        This ”congress is too slow” is an oft-repeated trope but completely wrong. What people like you don’t understand is that slowness is a feature, not a bug! The first COVID relief bill was passed in less than a month. Because it had broad support and was urgent! Laws that have broad support are passed quickly. Laws that lack broad support are passed slowly or not at all. That how lawmaking should work!
        afavour 2y ago
        > Laws that have broad support are passed quickly. Laws that lack broad support are passed slowly or not at all Not really. COVID relief got passed because of incredible urgency to people’s everyday lives. Reform to stop a corporation from effectively bribing a judge would have plenty of broad support. It just wouldn’t have the urgency. There are a ton of popular ideas that get zero traction in congress. And still none of this engages with the OP’s broader point which is that it’s sub optimal for courts to substantially change the interpretation of law and then punt to a slow moving congress to follow up. The power in congress is not directly connected to broad popularity, a representative of a tiny fraction of the population is able to halt any and all progress. That’s not efficient lawmaking.
        mburns 2y ago
cyanydeez 2y ago
Well, they could also ask trump to bless their work as an official act. So many options!
b59831 2y ago
[dead]
abduhl 2y ago
The case is brought by the federal government in federal court. The recent Supreme Court ruling is applicable only to the enforcement of the federal gratuities law against state and local officials, federal officials are still prosecutable under the federal gratuities law. So, bribing these particular folks after the fact is still illegal.

Don't worry, it's now legal for the judge and everyone else involved to get a nice present from Boeing, as long as it happens afterwards! :(

by diob 2y ago

Don't worry, it's now legal for the judge and everyone else involved to get a nice present from Boeing, as long as it happens afterwards! :(

mlekoszek 2y ago

Wait... explain.

ssklash 2y ago
A recent Supreme Court ruling allows pretty much exactly this...
- squigz 2y ago
  What ruling? What, more precisely than "pretty much this", does it allow?
  - dboreham 2y ago
    Bribery.
    - sixothree 2y ago
      Well. Literally bribery. As long as you don’t document the interaction and as long as the payment is after the fact, yeah. Bribery.
ilyagr 2y ago
https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/06/supreme-court-limits-scope-of-anti-bribery-law/ https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/06/supreme-court-limits-scop... Somewhat opinionated, but clearer explanation: https://jacobin.com/2024/06/supreme-court-corruption-thomas-kavanaugh https://jacobin.com/2024/06/supreme-court-corruption-thomas-... Perhaps somebody finds a better overview.
- tomp 2y ago
  Supreme Court simply limited the (in their opinion overbroad) lower court's interpretation of the law. Congress is free to fix the law.
  - ilyagr 2y ago
    How long do you think it will take for Congress to fix the law? Until then, the ancestor poster's interpretation of "Don't worry, it's now legal for the judge and everyone else involved to get a nice present from Boeing, as long as it happens afterwards!" is more or less correct AFAICT (though I'd appreciate more educated opinions).
    - tomp 2y ago
      This ”congress is too slow” is an oft-repeated trope but completely wrong. What people like you don’t understand is that slowness is a feature, not a bug! The first COVID relief bill was passed in less than a month. Because it had broad support and was urgent! Laws that have broad support are passed quickly. Laws that lack broad support are passed slowly or not at all. That how lawmaking should work!
      - afavour 2y ago
        > Laws that have broad support are passed quickly. Laws that lack broad support are passed slowly or not at all Not really. COVID relief got passed because of incredible urgency to people’s everyday lives. Reform to stop a corporation from effectively bribing a judge would have plenty of broad support. It just wouldn’t have the urgency. There are a ton of popular ideas that get zero traction in congress. And still none of this engages with the OP’s broader point which is that it’s sub optimal for courts to substantially change the interpretation of law and then punt to a slow moving congress to follow up. The power in congress is not directly connected to broad popularity, a representative of a tiny fraction of the population is able to halt any and all progress. That’s not efficient lawmaking.
      - mburns 2y ago

cyanydeez 2y ago

Well, they could also ask trump to bless their work as an official act. So many options!

b59831 2y ago

[dead]

abduhl 2y ago

The case is brought by the federal government in federal court. The recent Supreme Court ruling is applicable only to the enforcement of the federal gratuities law against state and local officials, federal officials are still prosecutable under the federal gratuities law. So, bribing these particular folks after the fact is still illegal.