Ah, once again, America's left coast proves how out of step it is with everyday jurisprudence. But it's not simply a matter of liberals vs. conservatives.
As the Los Angeles Times reports, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, considered to be the most liberal in the nation, is increasingly at odds with even its liberal brethren on the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the last session, the high court reversed or vacated 19 of the 26 cases it took from the 9th, the Times reminds. And the Supreme Court's liberal justices sided with their conservative counterparts in 12 unanimous rulings, the newspaper notes.
Among the high court's criticisms:
• ignoring Supreme Court precedents
• flawed legal reasoning
• and just plain gobbledygook. (One ruling was described as being "as inexplicable as it is unexplained.")
Liberals see it a tad differently, of course.
One of the 9th Circuit's judges insists his rulings follow the law; it's the high court's conservative majority that's making law and not following precedent, he says.
And at least one liberal legal scholar rationalizes the 9th's track record as a reflection of the region's diversity and says high court reversals don't make the appellate court's decisions "wrong."
Which is more affirmation of how liberal minds work or, more appropriately, don't.
