Supreme Court considers a terrifying case to lock in Republican control of our politics for generations

My column for The Guardian explains a truly horrifying case that poses the biggest threat to our democracy yet

As people in the United States focus on the mid-terms, I want to share my analysis of a deeper threat to our democracy by the Supreme Court that might render future national elections virtually meaningless. It has to do with a little-known case called Moore v Harper that concerns a gerrymandering issue in North Carolina. Don’t be fooled: often the most grave threats to civic life are hidden in the esoterica of the law. I try to break it down in a column I published recently in The Guardian. You can read it via the link below.

Of course, I have my own petition before the Supreme Court regarding the unprecedented private corporate prosecution by Chevron of my misdemeanor contempt case. But that doesn’t mean I won’t speak out on issues of concern that are also before the Court.

I also find it disappointing that media outlets like The New York Times, CNN and MSNBC that depend on corporate advertising are not fully explaining the dark and even terrifying implications of the Supreme Court's decision to take the Moore v. Harper case. This case would allow the six ultraconservatives on the Court the opportunity to cement Republican and corporate control of our government for generations. And the entire effort is being bankrolled by corporate interests, including by major players in the fossil fuel industry — including my old friend Chevron.

While in recent months the media has distracted us with the pageantry of the Queen's death and whether crime is really rising, the reality is that in my view there is a slow-motion "judicial coup" taking place in the US that is designed to be hidden. I believe that this judicial coup is sabotaging democracy, the rule of law, reproductive freedoms, the climate, tribal rights, the right to protest, and all sorts of other freedoms that are long part of the fabric of life in this country but can no longer be taken for granted. In my view, six unelected justices (5 appointed by Presidents who did not win their elections) are trying to determine how the rest of us 332 million people in the United States can live. Not a shot is being fired and it's happening.

We’ve seen too many times in recent history where a lack of vigilance has led to extreme denials of freedom and even outright atrocities – think Germany in the 1930s. I don't want to be overly alarmist, but this is a real concern at this point in US history. We must pay attention and fight to protect our freedoms and the rule of law. Enjoy the article. I hope it will be first of many columns I plan to publish on human rights and rule of law issues.

Read The Guardian article here.