SCOTUS has fucktus
Checks and balances go the way of the dinosaurs
I’m turning 32 next week, and I am celebrating by 1. making banana pudding for my friends and having a picnic this weekend and 2. doing a fun LA-themed summer giveaway with some of my favorite things for the dearest darlin paid subscribers. At just $30/year, a Hot Tip paid subscription is the gift that keeps on giving (me money for groceries and J.D. Vance a reason to cry.)
Btw: The tone of this particular newsletter is very much “Alex has zero fucks left to give.” So just flagging that ahead of time. I also curse a lot, but nothing new there.
In law and order: Remember that whole ~checks ‘n balances~ thing they taught us about in fifth grade? Well this week, the Supreme Court was like, okay, but what if, maybe not? It’s a harsh blow to anyone who thought Amy Coney Barrett wasn’t just Dystopian Barbie in disguise because she voted with liberals a few times.
So let’s break it down by case/subject.
Planned Parenthood: SCOTUS ruled that Planned Parenthood and its patients cannot sue the state of South Carolina over its defunding of PP. So what does this mean? Other states can now block PP clinics from receiving Medicaid funding—and not just for abortions, but for everything. Remember, patients undergo pap smears, cancer screenings, STI testing, and more at Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide. The patient in this specific case had been seeking access to contraception, not abortion. But now, states can tell low-income Americans, “actually, you can’t use your health insurance at Planned Parenthood.” And hot tip from The 19th: “Medicaid is the largest source of insurance for pregnant people in the country.” Basically, it’s a blueprint to kill the nation’s largest family planning provider, which provides basic health care access to millions of people.
Birthright citizenship: In Trump v. CASA, the court did not address the constitutionality of birthright citizenship in their ruling (though as a fun lil reminder, it’s enshrined in the Constitution.) But it did effectively limit the use of nationwide injunctions from federal courts that have in many cases been the only thing stopping Trump and his MAGAts from doing unconstitutional things (like ending birthright citizenship.) Basically, lower courts used to be able to stop bullshit executive orders in their tracks while litigation took place, because it takes a long time; but now partial enforcement of the executive order is possible, because SCOTUS decided lower courts can’t stop this presidential overreach. But isn’t that the whole point of the court system? The ACLU and other groups have already filed a class action lawsuit. To learn more about this ruling, listen to this explainer from lawyer I’d like to be friends with, Rachel Cohen.
LGBTQ books in schools: This vote, like the other two, was also 6-3, and says parents can opt their kids out of classes when “course material conflicts with their religious beliefs” i.e. when reading material includes LGBTQ content or characters. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor highlighted the risk of “chaos” and curriculum censorship. Also, if the mere existence of human beings as they are in their own lives conflicts with your religious beliefs, that seems like a you problem? Also also, as someone who grew up in a county that once had “evolution is a theory, not a fact” stickers in the biology textbooks, this is slippery slope. Of course, the plan for guns in schools still seems to be…better doors.
In politics: Zohran Mamdani’s unexpected primary win in NYC brought out the ugliest, most racist, and most Islamophobic members of our society, like inbred loser Charlie Kirk (I’m just assuming based on head surface area) who tweeted that “the lesson from New York City is that BOTH illegal and legal immigration can ruin your country. It’s not just the open border, it’s also our suicidal mass LEGAL migration policies bringing in over 1 million people a year: green cards, chain migration, refugee resettlement, anchor babies, and asylum scams. This all needs to be ended.”
So all those years of “they just need to do it LEGALLY!” were, like everything else out of their mouths, total bullshit.
A reminder to racist dipshit Charlie Kirk and anyone else who who freaked out the second the status quo was questioned: We are (nearly) all descended from immigrants in this country, and immigrants make this country what it fucking is. If you disagree, by all means, leave. Hot Tip would be honored to sponsor your one-way economy ticket.
(I was also reminded of this old Billy On The Street clip. It’s well worth a minute of your time.)
Btw, current Mayor Eric Adams (formerly indicted on conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery until charges were dropped by the Trump Admin.) and primary loser Andrew Cuomo (accused by at least 13 women of sexual harassment)—both of whom are purportedly Democrats—are trying to dilute the power of the people in the city they claim to represent and/or care for by running as independents in the mayoral race. After Mamdani’s win, panicked hedge fund managers and landlords met with Adams, who sold out his city for first class plane tickets and not having to go to prison. Adams has since called the chosen candidate of the people of NYC from his own party a “snake-oil salesman.” Pot, kettle, et freakin cetera.
Read this: “More Than Our Fear” by
, right here on Substack. As a Jew devastated by Israel’s war on Palestinian civilians in Gaza (because that’s what it is), devastated by October 7, and who believes Bibi Netanyahu is a heinous, evil war criminal (and talk about a country that needs a regime change…) I often find myself somewhere between frustrated and thoroughly exasperated by the automatic cries of “antisemitism!” in a world that is in fact a whole lot more dangerous for Jews, but not for the reasons the Trump Administration and even many Democrats would have you believe. I myself had my mezuzah stolen from my apartment door a few months ago, a deeply unsettling event that had me seriously wondering whether or not to put another one up (I did, with a Ring camera, too.) Emily Tamkin also wrote this week in The Forward, a Jewish publication: the “gotcha mode of fighting antisemitism has got to go.” I wholeheartedly agree.Like Bess, and my friend
, who has a brilliant podcast called “War is Stupid: An Anti-War Podcast About War” (listen to it here) my Jewish identity is deeply rooted in the value of all human lives. My belief system is, simply put, if I advocate for innocent civilians anywhere on earth, and your response is “yes, but—” then your humanity is broken and babe, we have nothing to discuss! I have more to say about this on another day, but for fuck’s sake (and sorry for so many fucks today, but man this week has been a week)—
In sports, or news designed for me specifically: Mighty Ducks star/my first crush Joshua Jackson and co-star Marguerite Moreau will announce the Anaheim Ducks first round pick in tonight’s 2025 NHL Draft. And there’s more love (fifteen. lol sorry.) Wimbledon starts on Monday (!!!!), and French Open champ Coco Gauff and runner-up Aryna Sabalenka buried any allegations of beef with, in this publication’s humble opinion, a really cute TikTok.
In fashion: Anna Wintour is stepping down as Vogue’s editor-in-chief, but will stay on as the “Chief Content Officer” at Condé Nast, a title which would make Miranda Priestly purse her gd lips. We don’t know who will replace her yet, but it’s fun to speculate.
Watch this: Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything is an excellent, in-depth look into the life of a trailblazer who made publications like Hot Tip possible. It also features a perfect Billie Eilish needle drop. What more could one want from a documentary?
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