Latest news with #Bolick
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Conservative Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick has a warning for America
Clint Bolick is worried. The Arizona Supreme Court justice and rock star of the political right stood before a crowd of lawyers recently and rebuked "deeply disturbing" attacks on the American justice system coming from senior Trump administration officials. "It's almost dystopian. And when I think of people wrapping themselves in the Constitution while they are simultaneously doing violence to it ... it is really scary stuff," Bolick told those gathered at the May event hosted by Society for the Rule of Law, a right-of-center legal organization. Though he didn't name names, the speech showed an extraordinary level of openness for a Supreme Court justice, as justices typically refrain from commenting on public affairs to avoid perceptions of bias. The fact the remarks came from Bolick, "a leader in center-of-right litigation and legal thinking," was "tremendously important," said Gregg Nunziata, executive director of the Society for the Rule of Law. As America celebrates its 249th anniversary and a declaration of independence from tyranny on July 4, Bolick's comments represent his most piercing and direct condemnation of actions taken by the country's highest political leaders. And while he stressed the criticism was "neither partisan, nor ideological," the denunciation could open the justice up to retaliation from Trump allies or the president himself. Bolick emphasized multiple threats in his speech, including Vice President JD Vance flippantly referring to "due process" on social media, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller threatening to suspend habeas corpus if judges didn't "do the right thing." Habeas corpus protects against unlawful imprisonment. He also chastised local threats to judicial independence, including a fierce campaign from the political left against his retention election in 2024, which focused on his decision to uphold an 1864 near-total abortion ban in Arizona. Bolick is serving his final term on the Arizona Supreme Court and isn't in danger of losing his position. Arizona justices face mandatory retirement at age 70. But around the country, judges who have drawn the ire of Trump's allies have faced intimidation and threats of violence. Already, Bolick's comments have prompted a response from one Trump ally, who said Bolick "should stay out of the political arena." Bolick acknowledged avoiding politics was a difficult line to walk as a justice who is trying to defend the courts. He was hesitant to sit for interviews with The Arizona Republic and initially declined in-person questions, citing concern about "straying into political commentary." He later agreed, noting the "unprecedented attack" on judiciary independence, and spoke with The Republic for several hours over three interviews. "We have had very few instances where a president has threatened to ignore court decisions," Bolick said. "Both the left and the right are attacking judges routinely referring to them as corrupt." Asked what a world without judicial independence would look like, Bolick offered an ominous warning. "It looks like authoritarianism," he said. Bolick's early career as a public interest attorney and special assistant at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who was chairman of the commission at the time, shaped his appreciation for the American court system. Bolick went to D.C. to fight affirmative action in 1985 but changed course after Thomas gave him advice. "He said, 'Clint, the best way to get rid of affirmative action is by making it unnecessary and by fighting for empowerment options like freedom of enterprise and school choice,'" Bolick told The Republic. Bolick devoted his career to those ends, eventually co-founding the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm, and serving as vice president for litigation at the Goldwater Institute, a libertarian think tank and law firm. One of his noteworthy clients was a street corner shoeshine stand operator named Ego Brown. Brown employed homeless people and D.C. officials tried to shut him down, Bolick said. But the law used against Brown was a relic of the Jim Crow-era, when government officials targeted Black individuals by rendering their work unlawful or by imposing literacy tests or fees. Bolick came out on top, and the law was "the first economic regulation to be struck down as an equal protection violation in 50 years," he said. The case showed him the power of the courts to right historical wrongs, keep government in check and create a level playing field for society's underdogs. That appreciation for the judiciary's ability to level the playing field without political influence and help "the little guy against the government" has motivated Bolick to speak out. "The judicial gavel is the ultimate equalizer in this country. We fight our battles from personal injury battles to constitutional battles in court rather than on the streets. And ... we won cases that we could never have won in a different country," Bolick said. "It really is the American dream, and I think that an independent judiciary is really an underappreciated element of that," he said. Bolick has pointed to a handful of threats against judiciary independence, both on the local and national levels: suspending habeas corpus, disregarding the importance of due process, threatening to ignore court orders and impeaching or voting out judges for unfavorable decisions. In a column for Real Clear Politics in March, Bolick wrote that threats from "people in powerful positions and their legal sycophants" were intended to "delegitimize and neutralize the courts' vital role in our constitutional system." He illustrated the stakes by referring to the 1944 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that authorized Japanese internment. It was "one of the great stains on our Constitutional jurisprudence," Bolick said. He cited the dissent from Justice Robert Jackson at the time, who wrote that the court "validated ... racial discrimination in criminal procedure and of transplanting American citizens," which could be weaponized by any future administration who claims an "urgent need." "Sound familiar?" Bolick said. "These words were prescient in 1944." He called the ramifications for civil liberties "absolutely breathtaking." He did not name Vance or Miller by name during his speech in May, but he described the pitfalls of their positions and emphasized the risk — "I don't have a problem with naming names, but the concern in personalizing the issue is that these are universal principles," he later told The Republic. Vance, in April, had taken to social media and questioned due process for undocumented migrants. "To say the administration must observe 'due process' is to beg the question: what process is due is a function of our resources, the public interest, the status of the accused, the proposed punishment, and so many other factors," Vance wrote in part. It came after public backlash to the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign and mistaken deportation of a man to a notorious Salvadoran prison. Bolick said flippantly referring to due process reflected the vulnerability of the rule of law. "As if this concept was created by rogue liberal judges to help illegal immigrants stay in the country," Bolick said. "Due process is the most foundational legal principle protecting individual liberty in Western civilization. It dates back to the Magna Carta. It does not deserve to be in quote marks." Bolick said Miller's comment about potentially suspending habeas corpus if the courts didn't do the right thing could be seen as a way "to intimidate the courts to reach decisions that they favor." Mary Anne Franks, a legal scholar and left-leaning professor at George Washington University Law School, said Bolick's comments were "really powerful, really well put." "What's happening here is so far beyond politics. This is the difference between a country that obeys the rule of law and an authoritarian one," Franks said. If people think they can look to their political affiliation to determine how they feel about these threats, what they are really doing is deciding if they like totalitarian rule and think they are going to be favored under such a system. she said. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields did not directly respond to concerns expressed by Bolick in response to an inquiry from The Republic, but said, "Attacks against public officials, including judges, have no place in our society and President Trump knows all too well the impact of callous attacks having faced two assassination attempts.' Bolick also has highlighted threats to impeach federal judges for unfavorable decisions — a concern echoed also by former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who wrote a column in May titled, "If Trump keeps threatening our judges, we'll lose our rule of law." Bolick cited a comment made by Trump ally Mike Davis, who was once floated as a potential attorney general option. Davis said on Steve Bannon's "War Room" show that Republican lawmakers needed to threaten the impeachment of judges who thwart Trump's agenda, noting it was "important to have that Sword of Damocles over the judiciary's head." Davis, a former law clerk for now-Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who runs an organization called The Article III Project that claims to "fight radical assaults on judicial independence," told The Republic he has never called for impeaching judges "simply for unfavorable decisions." "In very limited circumstances, we have called for the impeachment of judges who violate their judicial oaths with clearly lawless orders that endanger our national security. When judges take off their judicial robes, climb into the political arena, and throw political punches, they should expect political counterpunches," Davis said. "Justice Clint Bolick should stay out of the political arena." Bolick's criticism of local threats to judicial independence have focused on the campaign waged against him and another justice's 2024 retention after the 1864 abortion ban reinstatement. He doesn't pretend to equate the campaign against him to suspending habeas corpus or dismissing due process, but said, "on an Arizona scale, it was potentially very significant." "Disagreeing with the outcome of a decision was not intended to be a part of of the retention process," Bolick said. His job in the case, he explained, was purely to interpret two conflicting state laws, not weigh in on constitutionality. "I am unaware of a single credible criticism of the case," Bolick told The Republic. DJ Quinlan, chairman of the campaign against Bolick, said it was "ridiculous" to compare his effort to threats coming from the Trump administration because the Arizona Constitution gives voters the right to retention elections and voters had a right to vote however they saw fit. Quinlan rejected the idea that the campaign targeted Bolick simply for an unfavorable ruling — yes, the organizers disliked the ruling, but he explained that it was born out of the belief the Arizona Constitution protects abortion as a fundamental right to privacy. That theory, echoed repeatedly by Kris Mayes during her campaign for attorney general in the 2022 election, has not been tested in the Arizona courts. Bolick pointed also to the Maricopa County Republican Committee's 2024 censure of the Arizona Supreme Court. The censure came after the high court declined to overturn the 2022 election results in Abe Hamadeh's race for attorney general against Mayes and authorized a defamation case against gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake to continue. County committee Chairman Craig Berland and First Vice Chairman Shelby Busch did not respond to requests for comment. Bolick does seem either hesitant to go too far with his warnings or uncertain how severe the threat is. "This is virgin territory," he said. He stopped short of saying he's concerned for democracy, opting to express his worry for maintaining a "constitutional Republic" instead. In other words, the United States could lose its judicial independence and still technically stay a democracy, it just wouldn't be what Americans are used to. He referred to Mexico's recent shift to judicial elections to explain. "They just switched to a system where judges are elected essentially on the same ticket as the national government. There is no question in my mind that that will be a very compliant judiciary," Bolick said. "In a constitutional republic, we have a judicial check on the executive branch and that is what is at risk." While arguing that countries without independent judiciaries tend toward authoritarianism and raising the alarm over threats to judiciary independence in the United States, Bolick said he hasn't seen any "overt leaps in that direction." He was more conservative in his assessment of how far down the path the United States was toward authoritarianism, compared with other legal scholars. He sees the threats in three stages. The United States, he said, was in the middle "alarm stage" — wading into the third but not quite there. He defined the final stage as the president ignoring judicial orders enforcing constitutional boundaries. "That's where we would have, in my opinion, authoritarianism. Because if the president were allowed to operate unchecked, we would have what was a system of unbound executive power," Bolick said. Others, such as Franks, think the country is in far worse shape. "For the president to feel comfortable, and for basically everyone that he has placed around him to have power to say, 'We don't have to obey anything we don't want to,' ... that is authoritarianism. That is where we are," Franks said. She, unlike Bolick, is worried judges already are capitulating to Trump — pointing to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last summer to grant the president broad immunity from criminal prosecution for actions they take to carry out their official duties. Whether the country has enough "institutional framework" to combat that "remains to be seen," she said. Bolick's main hope is that judges maintain their duty to the Constitution, not public sentiment. At a time when judges face intimidation, he said, that act alone requires courage. Former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Scott Bales said he shared "Bolick's concern that we preserve independent courts as protectors of our constitutional liberties." Franks said she thinks the warnings were "probably more compelling from a public opinion standpoint that it's coming from someone who isn't identified as a leftist liberal judge." Nunziata said Bolick's warnings reflected a broader trend of the judiciary taking on the lion's share of work in defending the Constitution and limiting the government. "Without a robust, independent judiciary and with a supine or compliant Congress, there's virtually no limit to what the government can do to take away our liberties," Nunziata said. Taylor Seely is a First Amendment Reporting Fellow at The Arizona Republic / Do you have a story about the government infringing on your First Amendment rights? Reach her at tseely@ or by phone at 480-476-6116. Seely's role is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Supreme Court justice warns of attacks on independent judiciary
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Charlotte's new climate goals aim to balance reducing emissions with community improvement
In a unanimous vote last week, the Charlotte City Council approved an update to the city's climate goals. Council originally set climate benchmarks in 2018, and the city established the Strategic Energy Action Plan to meet those goals by tracking and reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to cleaner sources of electricity. The updated version, known as the Strategic Energy Action Plan Plus, expands on those goals by setting a benchmark to transition its entire light-duty fleet and cut citywide emissions by 72% by 2035, then reach net-zero emissions by 2050. ALSO READ: Charlotte adjusts city-wide climate goals as 2030 deadline approaches Additionally, Heather Bolick, the city's chief sustainability officer, explained that the new plan also focuses far more on climate adaptation and ways to make green technology more accessible to those who live and work in the city. 'One thing that we found through our engagement that was really important to the community was things like tree canopy and also reducing waste,' she said. 'We need more shade. We need a cooler city.' Bolick explained a city study found Charlotte is experiencing triple the high heat days that it experienced on average 30 years ago, so finding ways to improve shade or reflect the heat rather than absorb it is an important part of the city's plan moving forward. 'We have concrete instead of asphalt,' she explained. 'We have cool roofs, and that reflects the heat back up into the atmosphere.' The largest portion of the city's emissions comes from transportation, particularly road and rail. While Bolick explains the city is working to cut down on that through replacing its fleet with electric vehicles, adding more charging infrastructure, and advocating for the county transit plan to reduce car dependency. The Peppertree Apartments are benefiting from another city's strategy. A partnership between the complex, a mobility nonprofit, and the city, Peppertree Apartments, launched an EV carshare program about three months ago. As property manager Meg Martin explains, the program allows residents, many of whom make below the area median income, to reserve and drive one of the on-site EVs for less than the cost of an Uber or Lyft. 'A lot of our residents don't have actual vehicles, but they have a driver's license,' she said. 'This gives them a chance if they need to go to the doctors, if they need to go grocery shopping, or if they need to get their child to and from daycare.' From the city's perspective, it's a win-win, allowing more families access to affordable point-to-point transportation while reducing emissions and making green technology more accessible. Bolick said the city hopes to get more programs like this off the ground, including the Solarize Charlotte-Mecklenburg program, which aims to make residential and community solar more affordable to residents across the city. In the meantime, Bolick said the city is continuing to try and get all its electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2030 by building up its own solar generation. In the end, though, she said Charlotte can't meet its ambitious goals unless there's buy-in from local residents and businesses. 'The past six years we've been putting policy in place, programs, really setting ourselves up to get ourselves going,' she said. 'Now we're asking our community to come with us.' VIDEO: Charlotte adjusts city-wide climate goals as 2030 deadline approaches
_2025_06_06_21_55_48.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
GMA Network
06-06-2025
- Sport
- GMA Network
NLEX completes comeback vs Magnolia, secures twice-to-beat bonus
PBA Philippine Cup. June 6, 2025. Robert Bolick (8) of the NLEX Road Warriors against Jerom Lastimosa (30) and Ian Sangalang (10) of the Magnolia Hotshots. (Photo: PBA Media) Playoff-bound NLEX secured a twice-to-beat bonus after completing a come-from-behind victory against Magnolia, 107-99, on Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. The Hotshots led 32-13 before the first period ended but the Road Warriors recovered and trailed 46-44 by halftime. NLEX then pulled away in the third period as Robert Bolick waxed hot and made 13 points built on two four-pointers in the said period alone. After 36 minutes of action, NLEX was already leading 80-70 before it claimed its biggest advantage, 99-82, with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter, after a Bolick triple. The Road Warriors took control of the game and had a 107-91 lead before Magnolia closed the game with back-to-back four pointers from Paul Lee and Jerom Lastimosa. Bolick had 25 points, nine rebounds, five rebounds, and one block to lead NLEX, while Xyru s Torres had 22 points built on four triples and one four-pointer. Brandon Ramirez, meanwhile, was a rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Jonnel Policarpio and Javee Mocon had 12 and 10 points, respectively. Zavier Lucero had 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Ian Sangalang had 21 points as Magnolia absorbed its second straight loss after falling to Barangay Ginebra last Sunday. With the win, NLEX took the solo lead with eight wins and two losses ahead of its final elimination round game against NorthPort on June 11. Scores: NLEX 107 – Bolick 25, Torres 22, Ramirez 18, Policarpio 12, Mocon 10, Alas 9, Bahaio 5, Valdez 4, Nieto 2, Semerad 0, Miranda 0, Herndon 0. Magnolia 99 – Lucero 23, Sangalang 21, Lastimosa 17, Lee 16, Ahanmisi 8, Alfaro 4, Dionisio 4, Barroca 2, Navarro 2, Laput 2, Dela Rosa 0. Quarters: 15-32, 44-46, 80-70, 107-99. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Solarize Charlotte-Mecklenburg to launch in June
For Mecklenburg County homeowners, nonprofits and businesses looking to install solar panels, local leaders hope a new program helps save money. Next month, the Solarize Charlotte-Mecklenburg campaign is set to launch. The program aims to lower the cost of installing solar through large-group purchasing. As Charlotte's Chief Sustainability Officer Heather Bolick explains, the more homes, nonprofits and businesses participate, the order gets bigger and the cost per panel decreases. ALSO READ: Silfab Solar debate heats up again in Fort Mill amid safety concerns 'By getting a lot of people to go at once together in this campaign, we can bring down the cost for everyone,' she said. Everyone in Mecklenburg County is eligible to participate, though the campaign is also targeting low and moderate income households. Bolick explains the program will use the $777k in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funding it received last year, from the Department of Energy to help make solar accessible to those who can benefit the most from energy savings. 'We're going to go out to homes that have already had weatherization done, have already had health and safety repairs done, so that they are solar ready,' she said. The program is separate from the statewide Energize NC program, funded through the federal Solar for All program, though Bolick said the city and county hope to work with the Solar for All coalition to find ways for multi-family residents and those who live in homes less suited to solar installations to benefit from community solar or other alternative models. Charlotte has a goal to install 600MW of renewable energy within the city by 2035. According to the Strategic Energy Action Plan dashboard, there's currently about 30MW of solar installed throughout the city. VIDEO: Silfab Solar debate heats up again in Fort Mill amid safety concerns
_2025_05_23_19_54_19.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
GMA Network
23-05-2025
- Sport
- GMA Network
NLEX survives Converge for 6th straight win
PBA Philippine Cup. May 23, 2025. Robert Bolick of the NLEX Road Warriors against Michael Garcia of Converge. (Photo: PBA Media) NLEX survived a late rally from Converge, 88-83, to extend its winning streak to six in the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig. The Road Warriors had their biggest lead at 76-58 with 1:25 left in the third period after a Robert Bolick jumper before Justine Baltazar closed the frame at 76-60, still in NLEX' favor. Converge, however, surged in the final frame and trimmed the deficit to within three, 81-78, at the 4:08 mark. Javee Mocon then answered with a jumper followed by Robert Bolick's triple with 2:47 left to give NLEX an eight point lead. Another Bolick basket put NLEX at 88 and eventually delivered the win as they kept the FiberXers at bay. Bolick led NLEX with 19 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, a steal, and a block, while Xyrus Torres had 18 points. Mocon and Anthony Semerad added 10 points apiece as NLEX improved to 6-1. Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana stuffed the stat sheet anew with the former making 21 points, 10 boards, and a block, while the latter had 12 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists. Alec Stockton added 17 points, while Schonny Winston had 16 points as Converge slipped to 5-4. Scores: NLEX 88 – Bolick 19, Torres 18, Semerad 10, Mocon 10, Bahio 9, Ramirez 8, Fajardo 6, Alas 5, Herndon 3, Nieto 0. Converge 83 – Baltazar 21, Stockton 17, Winston 16, Arana 12, Garcia 9, Delos Santos 3, Suerte 3, Corpuz 2, Racal 0, Nermal 0, Caralipio 0, R. Santos 0, 0. Quarters: 31-23, 52-42, 76-60, 88-83. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
