So, the Supreme Court gave the EPA an epic smackdown of their attempt to prevent the Sacketts from building their house on land zoned for residential use, despite proper permits and improvements (such as utilities) already in place.
In a sane world, the EPA would turn tail and never again darken the Sackett’s door. In a just world, the EPA bureaucrats who pursued this egregiously abusive case would be personally on the hook for the Sackett’s legal costs. They should also be up on criminal charges. (Ha! I’m dreaming, I know.)
Instead, I predict the EPA will effectively ignore the Supreme Court, in much the same way Chicago and Washington D.C. have ignored the Court in Second Amendment cases. Both cities have continued to place enormous burdens on citizens wishing to exercise their human right to keep and bear arms.
That’s what’s going to happen here. The EPA will make token changes in their demands, issue a raft of new regulations establishing courses of flaming hoops the Sacketts must jump through to obtain “variances” and “exemptions”, and continue to act as if the Sacketts want to manufacture nerve gas in the kitchen and enrich uranium in the garage.
Arm up, Mike and Chantell. The Reavers are still at your door, mark my words.
[update]
Oh, hey, never mind. “Epic Smackdown”? I should have glanced at the decision before posting.
From the slip opinion (10-1062):
Held: The Sacketts may bring a civil action under the APA to challenge the issuance of the EPA’s order.
Further:
Today we consider only whether the dispute may be brought to court by challenging the compliance order—we do not resolve the dispute on the merits.
That’s it. The Court didn’t tell EPA to eat Sackett shit and die. It didn’t void the $37,000 per day fines the Sacketts are racking up for non-compliance.
It just says the Sacketts can spend even more money they don’t have to defend their property in court. Up till now, their fight has been only and solely to get permission to be heard at all.
Go ahead, please. Try to explain to me why I should vote this fall. The more I see of shit like this, the more I understand: Voting isn’t a choice between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. It isn’t even about choosing your next slave master.
The entire Federal government is illegitimate. All three branches, top to bottom, it’s rotten.
I will not accord it the respect of voting for its public faces.
Let’s review the Five Boxes, shall we?
Soap Box: Public exposure in the news did not stop the EPA.
Ballot Box: How are the Sacketts supposed to influence elections to the point where they receive justice? Which elections should they influence?
Jury Box and Witness Box: the Sacketts just won a long and exhausting fight to avail themselves of these Boxes. What do they have left to actually use them?
Hint: I’ve only accounted for four Boxes.