Do not call this band of reckless revisionists on the court conservatives, by the way. Nothing about what they are doing is “conservative,” nor should you call them “strict constructionalists” or “originalists,” as their decisions disregard legal precedent, the spirit of the Constitution, and often craft citations for their decisions from whole cloth.
One recent example, last week’s decision ending New York’s restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun, offers a prime example of this. In it, Thomas cited the Second and 14th Amendments as guaranteeing Americans the right to carry a handgun.
Go read them. They do nothing of the sort. Handguns are not mentioned in the Constitution. But then again, as many have pointed out, neither are women. And it seems unlikely Thomas would like to return to the original view of the Constitution that permitted his relatives to be held as slaves.
The hard right’s gun policies are also a big step backwards, returning us to the murderous free for all of the American West. It should also be noted that they are profoundly out of step with the opinion of Americans—as are many of this Supreme Court majority’s views (like those of their GOP sponsors.) Major majorities of Americans support sensible gun controls, the right of a woman to get an abortion, and even decisions like Roe itself.
— David Rothkopf in The Supreme Court Is Trying to Turn Back the Clock 200 Years
