end of the term

The papers have all the analyses of the first full term of the Roberts-Alito Supreme Court. As Linda Greenhouse writes in the NY Times, "It was the Supreme Court that conservatives had long yearned for and that liberals feared." Anti-abortion laws upheld. Free speech rights curtailed. Local governments have their ability to better integrate schools restricted. Big businesses insulated from shareholder suits. A very conservative, authoritarian Supreme Court not shy about overturning long-established precedents on 5-4 votes. The very definition of "activist judges," except when de facto president Bush complains about activist judges, he really means "activist judges who don't support my consertive, all-power-to-the-President ideology."

The article by Edward Lazarus in the Post reminding us that historically, extremely conservative Supreme Courts have been more the rule than the exception doesn't make me any happier at the prospect of a long-term conservative swing coming up. Especially since the oldest justice, John Paul Stevens, is a member of the liberal wing of the court.

Would it be wrong of me to wish poor health on Roberts, Alito, Scalia, and Thomas, starting in February of 2009?