🚨 Rightwing Supreme Court does the UNTHINKABLE against a REPUBLICAN

Something just happened I never thought. I would see happen, which is right-wing. justices on the state supreme court. holding a Republican secretary of state. in contempt. Mark, I want to dig into. this story a little bit in terms of what. happened in Missouri and what the. consequences, the fallout of this are. So, can you explain topline real quick. what the situation was in Missouri that. led to a right-wing Supreme Court uh uh. finding a Republican Secretary of State. in contempt? >> Yeah. So, you and I have talked about. this before that the Republican uh.

legislature in Missouri passed a map. that targeted Kansas City, did away with. one of the two Democratic seats, the one. held by uh Congressman Emanuel Clever. Uh well, the people of Missouri, they. stood up and fought back. They collected. more than 300,000 signatures. They. submitted them uh through a ballot. measure effort called People, Not. Politicians. And as a result of that. submission under the state law, that. means that that map couldn't be used. Well, of course, the Republican. Secretary of State wasn't going to pay.

attention to that law and he was going. to say, "We're going to use this new map. anyway, notwithstanding the fact that. those signatures were submitted." And he. assumed that the state courts would just. go along for the ride because, as you. point out, the Missouri Supreme Court is. a 52 Republican court. Okay? It's got. five seven justices, five of whom were. appointed by Republicans and pretty. conservative Republican governors. appointed them. So, he thought he'd get. away with this. Well, to his surprise, the Missouri Supreme Court said, "No,

that you actually can't use the new map. because it's been blocked under this. state law." Well, what do you think that. the Republican Secretary of State of. Missouri did next? Right. He went to the. US Supreme Court and he figured, "All. right, like Justice Kavanagh will take. care of this." uh who's the circuit. justice for Missouri. And to his. surprise, uh we won. And I say we because uh my. law firm, we actually represented uh the. ballot measure and its executive. director in the US Supreme Court in that.

case in which Justice Kavanaaugh told. the Republican secretary of state, "We. are not going to save your vacant.". Okay? We are you cannot you cannot. expect us to stop what the conservative. Supreme Court did which was to follow. the law and allow the the the map the. prior map to be used. Almost immediately. after that, a group of Republicans went. to had a federal judge in Missouri block. the old map, right? The map that they. would use if the new map was not.

available. And then the Secretary of. State of Missouri in his arrogance sent. out an email saying, "Okay, everyone, use the new gerrymandered map. Use the. map that the state supreme court had. blocked. Use the map that the state. supreme court had blocked and that. Justice Kavanaaugh had refused to grant. them relief on. Go ahead and use it. anyway." Well, Brian, I think that's a. decision that the Republican Secretary. of State is now pretty unhappy that he. made, although we'll see how repentant.

he is because he got held in contempt. >> Yeah. >> By the by the Missouri Supreme Court. And it was only because he then agreed, okay, I give up. Go use uh the the um. the the uh the prior map uh that he was. able to escape further punishment. But I. should point out that that only came. because once again this case went back. to the US Supreme Court and once again. my law firm representing the executive. director and this ballot measure we won.

again this time before the full Supreme. Court on the emergency docket. >> I should note for folks who are watching. right now, Mark just mentioned that he. was representing the executive director. of People Not Politicians. Uh I. interviewed Richard von Glan on this. channel just a few days ago. Um the fact. that he was able to win in court is. again, and I know that I say this a lot, a testament to how important uh he and. his law firm are in this ecosystem. So. if you're looking to support the. invaluable work that he does, not just. in the courts, but also in the media.

space, please make sure to subscribe to. Democracy Docket. That's the news outlet. Mark founded to focus on everything. voting and elections. It is the most. important outlet that I read on a daily. basis. So I'm going to put that link. right here on the screen and also in the. post description of this video. If. there's one outlet you need to subscribe. to as we head toward midterms, let it be. this one. Mark, were you surprised when. Hoskins, the Secretary of State in. Missouri, outright defied not only the. Missouri Supreme Court, which as you. mentioned was 5 to2 in Republican's.

favor, but then the US Supreme Court, which is 63 in Republicans favor. I. mean, this seems like a pretty overt. slap in the face to the judicial system. by a Republican Secretary of State. Look, this is what we've come to expect. in the Trump era. And I think that it's. important to see that the lesson that. state Republicans, people like Hoskin, right, the Secretary of State, like the. lesson they have learned from this era. of American democracy, has been to not.

pay particularly close attention to what. courts tell them they can or can't do. >> Yeah. And I think that that is, you. know, look, the Donald Trump tore down. an entire wing of the White House. >> Yeah. >> And then effectively his position ever. since then in court has been, well, it's. torn down and we've started rebuilding. it. So, we need to be allowed to finish. rebuilding it because I'm just going to. ask forgiveness rather than permission, right? And, you know, let's be honest, he got away with it with this with the. Supreme Court. So, I think I think that.

that the lesson that this winds up. instilling in a lot of these, you know, uh, state uh, election officials, these. Republicans, is that the federal. government will have their back that the. courts will usually rule for them. And. when they don't, it'll be, well, the. ballroom's already torn down, right? So, I think he had a ballroom already torn. down mentality. He's like, well, you. know, the ballots will already be. printed, right? Because remember he. issues this email I think it was the.

night before the ballots were set to. start being printed right so he just. thought this would become a fatal comple. and yeah maybe the courts would say you. know you shouldn't have done that but by. then it would be too late I do not. believe that he he thought that there. was a chance that the conservative. Supreme Court of Missouri would hold him. in contempt. Well, in a way, wasn't he. at least somewhat validated in his. stance? Because yes, he was held in. contempt. And I'm sure um for folks in. in his position and for folks who care.

about stories like this, as we do, and. and people who are watching and. listening right now do, it's a. humiliation to have to be held in. contempt by a right-wing Supreme Court. But at the same time, the contempt was. purged as soon as he rectified his. position. And so in a way, you know, it's not like he really suffered some. major blow because he did push the. envelope as far as he could and when he. got too far, he was he was rebuffed, but. like nothing really happened to him. And. so, can't you make the argument that he.

actually, you know, did end up okay in. this? Look, I I have been tough on the. judiciary generally for not being hard. enough on Republicans and lawyers and. and and Donald Trump for violating court. orders. I got to say I I find no fault. in what the Missouri Supreme Court did. here. I mean, the Missouri Supreme Court. in the first instance applied the law as. it is, even though it was helping a.

progressive ballot measure. The Supreme. Court then responded to a motion by the. uh by the lawyers who my law firm work. within the state. They they filed the. contempt, the motion for an order to. show cause and the the state supreme. court moved swiftly like the next. morning they were already out with. orders and a hearing and then and then. they imposed the contempt and as you. point out it had been purged which is. how civil contempt works. So I I have.

absolutely no fault to lay at the hands. of the state supreme court there. I. think they did everything right. I also, by the way, don't can't fault the US. Supreme Court. I mean, after all, you. know, Justice Kavanaaugh, he didn't even. bother referring the first um petition. to the to all the justice. He just ruled. out of out of, you know, on his own. after he saw the the what what the. Secretary of State had to say, saw what. what my law firm filed, just sided with. us. the second instance he sent it to. the full court but it got resolved very. very fast. So I don't have a fault for.

the courts. I think the question that. you're asking is whether or not the. shame. of contempt means anything. Yeah. >> For a party that has no shame, right? I. mean like like in a pre in a previous. era if you were an elected official and. you were held in contempt even if it was. purged you know immediately which you. know this was like it wouldn't matter. that taint, that stain on you would. travel with you. But I fear that, you. know, the next time that Donald Trump. has a convention or whatever the hell.

you you call the thing that you that. you've been covering excellently. And by. the way, everyone should subscribe to. this channel. If you if you don't. subscribe to this channel, you have you. you really uh are not getting the latest. in democracy news, but you're also not. getting the latest in political news. And Brian's coverage of the mid the. midterm convention, I guess, is as they. call it, was really excellent. And so I. recommend those videos, but also make. sure you're subscribed to this channel. But but Brian, I suspect that like he'll. be lauded. He'll be lauded. Yeah. >> At the next meeting, you know, whatever.

it is of MAGA people. >> Yeah. 100%. I I completely agree. I. think, you know, it's kind of flipped. where, you know, as you said, that would. once have been a mark of shame, but now. he'll go into, you know, the next. convention or whatever it is, meeting of. these MAGA acolytes and he'll be. applauded for what he did because, you. know, that that demerit on his. reputation showed that he was some. crusader for the cause without. acknowledging the reality that the cause. is a corrupt one inherently. Um, >> but look, but look, Brian, and I know.

you covered this. I mean, Donald Trump. stood on a stage and had people raise. their hand. >> Yeah. and pledge allegiance essentially. to him. And the thrust of what he had to. say was that they will be willing to. commit voter fraud, >> right, >> in order to win elections, right? I. mean, like I think he said that they. need to cheat, >> right? And so like, you know, that is. the reality of the mindset that that. these folks have. To that end, Mark, it's worth asking this and and I don't. want to sound like I'm huffing too much. uhopium here, but to what extent do you.

think that seeing a 52 conservative. court in Missouri rule against a. Republican Secretary of State as part of. this broader effort to undermine the. upcoming election or any subsequent. election? To what extent do you think. that that will have some, if nothing. else, atmospheric precedent, some. atmospheric impact on what other judges. are willing to do, even right-wing ones, in the face of these overt tax attacks. against democracy by by the GOP? >> Look, I think it helps and there's no. question about that. But I think Brian,

the bigger story there is that the. United States Supreme Court twice ruled. in favor of the prodemocracy side here. Now I before we get a whole bunch of. hateful comments or mail, no, I am not. turning a blind eye to the Supreme. Court. I am not like giving them a pass. on all of the other things. But if you. talk about sending signals that are. important going into an election, it is. the signal that the most egregious.

violations of law, the most outrageous. defiance of court orders will not be. undermined and will be supported by even. a very conservative US Supreme Court. The reason why I say that is so. important is because that will hopefully. also give um backbone to those judges. who are thinking well you know if I rule. the right way here is it just all going. to get um you know just reversed by the. US Supreme Court. >> Right. And so I think that that is also.

a really important part of this story. and the chapter that we have not yet. seen written that you and I have done. other episodes on and we will. undoubtedly do so again. So make sure in. addition to subscribing you are hitting. that bell to be alerted when there's new. content because when the US Supreme. Court issues a ruling in the mail-in. voting case or not even one ruling but. the series of rulings that may be in our. future, right? Because these things have. a way of tend to bounce. You'll hear. about it on this channel. Brian and I. will bring you that expert analysis. But.

these are the signals. These cases now. are the signals that will set the stage. and set the atmosphere for everything. that is going to come over the next. weeks and months around this election. >> And look, that's that should be. heartening for everybody who's watching. and listening right now to hear because. Mark is the one going up in front of. those very judges in the courtrooms. Mark is the one who's litigating this. stuff at the district court level at the. you know in some instances even at the.

US Supreme Court. So I think that should. give everybody some modicum of of hope. as we enter this cycle that if even the. person who is in front of these judges. has some degree of hope that they're. going to be showing adherence to the law. and statute and the constitution and not. just heaping blind deference onto Trump. That should at least give us some hope. as we head uh into these next two. months. So, with that said, again, for. those who are watching, if you'd like to. support Mark and his team as they do. this invaluable work at ground zero,

where they're where they're fighting. this stuff in the courts, and also make. sure that you get this uh breaking news. as it breaks, right, delivered right to. your inbox. Please make sure to. subscribe to Democracy Docket. That link. is right here on the screen and also in. the post description of this video. And. of course, to see more episodes of. Democracy Watch, this series, I'll put. the subscribe button to this channel on. the screen as well. I'm Brian Taylor. Cohen. >> I'm Mark Elias. This is Democracy Watch.