ABC News: Don Willett is WAY TOO FUNNY to be on the Supreme Court
Tweeting photo of cornbread shaped like Texas “raises questions of judicial impartiality”
Former Texas Supreme Court Justice, and now 5th Circuit Judge, Don Willett has been a favorite of conservatives and libertarians for a long time.
Prof. Glenn Reynolds recently commented:
Who would I pick from Trump’s list? (And note how unprecedentedly transparent and helpful it is to have a president with such a list.) My personal first choice would be former Texas Supreme Court Justice and 5th Circuit Judge Don Willett. Writing in Patel v. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Willett quoted Frederick Douglass’ joy on receiving the first money he earned as a free man and observed, “Douglass’ irrepressible joy at exercising his hard-won freedom captures just how fundamental — and transformative — economic liberty is. Self-ownership, the right to put your mind and body to productive enterprise, is not a mere luxury to be enjoyed at the sufferance of governmental grace, but is indispensable to human dignity and prosperity.” There are, sadly, few other judges who understand this.
And Willett knows about such things. As I’ve argued in my recent book, “The Judiciary’s Class War,” the current Supreme Court is a monoculture of Ivy League “thoroughbreds” with elite backgrounds. There’s nothing wrong with that, but a little variety would be nice. Willett offers some.
After his father died when Willett was 6, his mother supported the family by waiting tables at a truck stop. He attended Baylor University and Duke — first-rate schools, but a change from the Harvard/Yale monoculture that currently fills the court. And like many previous justices but no current ones, he has actually run for office. A first-rate mind with a background that reflects Trump’s America, Willett seems like a great choice to me.
Kemberlee is a YUGE fan of Willett’s Twitter feed, including these gems:
The soft drink dispenser at the U.S. Supreme Court.
No @drpepper.
CRUEL & UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT!#SCOTUS ⚖ ? pic.twitter.com/f2wJeuw9Hc
— Judge Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) May 13, 2016
Sorry, but your password must contain a ? diss track, pi to the 85th digit, a hieroglyph & the blood of Sergio Dipp.pic.twitter.com/AQsNgYQUuY
— Judge Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) September 15, 2017
I shall have my vengeance, in this life or the next. pic.twitter.com/5CfFebJ7zK
— Judge Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) September 3, 2017
Willett’s Twitter feed raised the ire of Democrat Senators when he was nominated for the 5th Circuit based on this tweet, Aging, humorless Dem Senator rips judicial nominee Don Willett over Bacon Marriage tweet:
I could support recognizing a constitutional right to marry bacon. pic.twitter.com/HKPW6tE4H6
— Judge Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) April 30, 2015
Whether Willett is Trump’s choice is something we’ll find out soon. I’m doubtful he would get the nod at this point.
But the investigative journalists at ABC News are on the case, just in case. And they want you to know that there is something “odd” about a Judge who is so damn funny, From Twitter fingers to judicial decisions: Examining a potential SCOTUS nominee’s odd social media habits:
On New Year’s Eve, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Don Willett channeled Rick Astley by tweeting “People of Earth—In 2018, @JusticeWillett will never: give you up, let you down, run around, desert you, make you cry, say goodbye, tell a lie, hurt you.”
People of Earth—
In 2018, @JusticeWillett will never:
☐ give you up
☐ let you down
☐ run around
☐ desert you
☐ make you cry
☐ say goodbye
☐ tell a lie
☐ hurt you— Judge Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) January 1, 2018
Wait a second, that is a seriously funny and witty tweet. Looks like Judge Willett Rick-rolled ABC News:
But wait, ABC News has more:
Before that, Willett, at the time a justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, tweeted out his son confusing “Eminem” and “eminent,” a picture of three puppies and a picture of cornbread shaped like his home state.
11YO—Daddy, why do politicians talk about Eminem's domain?
ME—That's eminent domain.
11YO—Huh?
ME—Sorry, you only get one shot.
?? pic.twitter.com/9SVioHQCTZ— Judge Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) December 31, 2017
My three favorite chocolates—pawsitively:
? dark
? white
? milk pic.twitter.com/eiMVPJDa1a— Judge Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) December 31, 2017
This could be a problem, ABC News assures us:
But with Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announcing his retirement on Wednesday, and Willett’s name appearing on a list of Trump’s potential Supreme Court nominees, the judge’s frequent tweeting last year raises questions of judicial impartiality….
Willett hasn’t tweeted since joining the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals at the beginning of this year, but it remains to be seen whether or not his tweets will interfere with any potential nomination.
Okay, here’s the deal-breaker on Willett, a tweet included in the ABC News report:
When you're tired of cornbread shaped like Colorado and Wyoming. pic.twitter.com/C8Owilw8Ok
— Judge Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) December 30, 2017
What kind of sicko bakes cornbread in the shape of Texas?
[Don Willett Twitter Profile Pic]
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Texas lost a great Supreme Court Justice and the Fifth Circuit gained one. Hopefully the SCOTUS will eventually gain the same one. Such levity might even cause RBG to retire – laughing (would her face break if she laughed at a joke told by a conservative?).
I was amazed and amused to see that he was from Talty! Talty is exactly halfway between me and Fort Worth, and it works out to be a good gas stop when I travel through it. (frequently) Still only one gas station in Talty, and the little tex mex place on the side of the gas station is about the only place to eat out besides the Sonic. (it’s good, though) The epitome of small town Texas.
Irish Ridge, now known as Talty, is a wide spot in the road with a Catholic Church, St. Martin of Tours, which used to have a visiting Priest from Kaufman’s St. Ann’s – Father Casimir Glogowski, an Auschwitz survivor. St. Martins now is a fully functioning church and parish.
http://www.historicforney.org/archives/articles/irishridge100.html
If President Trump were to ask me (which I’m sure he won’t because I don’t have the buck to give), I would tell him that the good ole’ SCOTUS could stand with a bit of wit and humor these days. Besides, it might help change some attitudes about the court in that more people might actually look forward to its rulings, especially if Willett’s opinions were to the fore.
A(irway)B(relating)C(irculation) … None of that as the left experiences a severe case of CDS (conservative derangement syndrome)…
Soon to be listed as critical crisis, near opioid epidemic proportions by the CDC. No known cure, sadly…
Willett is a brilliant lawyer, an originalist, a friend of Ted Cruz, a loving husband, proud father, a humble man who has not forgotten his origins despite high office, and hysterically funny.
Any wonder the Left and Never-Trump Republicans would hate to have him on SCOTUS?
Perhaps, when Trump gets his next appointment, he can name a man who can laugh at himself and at the human condition, while taking the Constitution deadly seriously and understanding how remarkable it and this nation are in history- Don Willett.
One wonders who the Republican spoilers in all this might be.
if still alive mccain of course.
flake and collins for sure.
McCain’s not going to vote no, he’s just going to continue to be too sick to be there for the vote, but refuse to step down, so they’ll need every one of the other 50 Republicans to be on board.
Romney. Who is angling to be the next Senate Majority Leader now that he is all but elected to the Senate from Utah (the general election is a mere formality in this state).
He’s going to be a thorn and I wouldn’t be surprised if he jumps into the race for 2020.
Let mittens jump. He’ll be humiliated.
thefinereport.com,
I would hope so, although I think he more sees himself as one who has to correct Trump as opposed to working together with him. Too bad Utah couldn’t do better.
Let mittens jump. He’ll be humiliated.
I think you meant:
Let mittens jump. He’ll be humiliated AGAIN.
The Left will always let you know who they fear the most …
I still smile thinking how they pretended to fear Trump, all the while heaping praise on him and giving Trump free air time to deny Cruz or Rubio the nomination.
This is EXACTLY the kind of person we need on the high court. Scalia’s sense of humor was one of the things that drove the left bat guano–and I think Trump should keep him on the top of the list!
Uptight scolds. Then again, pseudo-religionist Maoists always are humorless scolds.
A moderately sizeable family … which to the D’rats will mean—a target-rich environment. They will all be abused mercilessly during a nomination battle. The judge’s sense of humor may not survive the experience. Mine probably wouldn’t in similar circumstances.
Love this guy. But the The lack of Dr Pepper at the Supreme Court would be a deal-breaker for me.
Fortunately the most junior Justice is on the cafeteria Committee
Actually, I’d go nuts if I lived outside the radius of where they sell cane sugar Dr Pepper. I don’t even know what the border is, all I know is I buy it by the case at a Costco in DFW, and not all Costcos in DFW even sell it. One time I saw it at the farmer’s market in LA and at a gas station in the middle of nowhere upstate NY. The normal corn syrup stuff is better than nothing, but if I were nominated to the Supreme Court, I’d have to FedEx the real deal to my home and office every month.
I had never heard of him before the ABC story, but I love his tweets. I hope he’d return to twitter if he made it to the Supreme Court.
I’ll forgive him for dook, just barely. Everyone deserves a mistake or three. 🙂
Go Heels!
When you transfer from NC State to UNC you trade in your study lamp for Beauty Rest mattress. Go Wolfpack!
I really liked his “open carry at a judges’ convention ” tweet.
If I got that correct, Tar Heels are more beautiful than wolves. 🙂
State’s OK, unless we’re playing them.
Given the left seems to have lost all of their humor, this could be what the doctor ordered.
What the heck is wrong with having some laughs, even some lame jokes? I loved the corn bread shaped like that. That shows pride of country, which explains the leftist media having a melt down over frickin’ corn bread.
A family man who has children who could be impacted by poor decisions seems even better for how he might go about adjudicating cases that come before him.
On a different note, it’s not like the left is in much different position, as Roberts seems to be one who would take on the swing decision voting… still wondering what they have on him (I’ve heard it was his adopted children) to change his Obamacare BS decision. Even the dissenting opinion was written as a majority decision, till it wasn’t. And Scalia did leave some clues that it was changed at the “last minute”.
So let him Rick Roll the leftists. I’d be glad to see him moved to the SCOTUS. Thank God Hillary isn’t getting this choice.
I’m sure Willett is just a little bit ambivalent about having to move the “Wee Willwetts” to D.C., if he were nominated- he’s very actively involved with his kids.
I’ve heard the same thing about Roberts, that it’s about some issue re. his kids’ adoption from Ireland. Given the behavior of the DOJ/FBI and intel agencies since 2008, it would not surprise me.
“When you are tired of cornbread shaped like Colorado Or Wyoming.”
If you don’t think that’s hilarious, you must be a Leftist-Progressive.
DAILYWIRE is relaying reports that the list has been narrowed to five: “Brett Kavanaugh, Amul Thapar, Thomas Hardiman, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett.”
https://www.dailywire.com/news/32515/president-trump-meets-supreme-court-picks-ahead-emily-zanotti
The next Supreme Court justice… “Case Closed” … https://goo.gl/xEx2RQ
You people don’t understand…SCOTUS must totally impartial!!!!
Who knows when these important questions might come before the Supreme Court???
1. Which is cuter…puppies or kittens?
2. Cornbread…pan or muffins?
3. The National Breakfast…bacon and eggs or tofu and kale?
But seriously, I feel sorry for ABC… would’ve loved to been in the pre-production meeting…
“So is this judge a RIGHT WING WACKO?”
“Well boss, he tweets pics of puppies and stuff about his kids”
“OMG…HE…wait…what?” “Damn…well, do what you can…”
I’m not saying it’s hopeless, but with Senators like Collins it’s going to be difficult.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/timothymeads/2018/07/01/susan-collins-supreme-court-n2496317
“…’I would not support a nominee who demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade because that would mean to me that their judicial philosophy did not include a respect for established decisions, established law,’ Collins said on CNN’s State of the Union.
‘I want a judge who will apply the law to the facts of the case with fidelity to the Constitution,, Collins added. ‘Roe v. Wade is a constitutional right that is well established, and no less an authority than Chief Justice Roberts said that repeatedly at his confirmation hearing…'”
If the SCOTUS were held to the same standard then that Collins wants to hold any Supreme Court nominee now, then in the Brown v. Board of Education the court would have upheld the Plessy v. Ferguson that separate but equal was constitutional. After all, it was longer established than Roe v. Wade. 58 years instead of 45 years. And arguably Plessy v. Ferguson has never been overturned since the SCOTUS still reserves the right to decide what forms of racial discrimination are acceptable.
I’ve never accused Collins of being anything but shallow. But here she’s being an absolute disgrace. And considering the state of the GOP she won’t be alone.
“I’ve never accused Collins of being anything but shallow.”
🙂 I have.
I have no belief that Trump will get an affirmative confirmation vote out of this senate. It will have to come after the election when we have enough votes to override the D party and their unregistered members like Collins.
Off-topic, but something that might one day come before the Supreme Court (let’s hope not):
Given all the “trans” this and “trans” that floating around, a d people “identifying” as the race or gender of their choice, could I, as a heterosexual white male, identify as a lesbian black female who identified as a heterosexual white male?
“and”
If so, then would I have my choice of running for office as a heterosexual white male or as a lesbian black female?
Your best bet would be to run against yourself as a white hetero Repub male AND a black lesbian Dem female…Thus insuring victory !
If the Courts give you any trouble I will represent you…I’m an old white guy who identifies as a young, attractive, female lawyer with big knockers…
stay in a hotel in Texas and you won’t get a waffle in the shape of Hawaii, you guessed it… Texas shaped waffle.
Or in Willett’s case, no waffle at all. Unless he were to [sigh] evolve.
I wonder why the MSM is focusing more on his twitter feed than his decisions as a Judge. I would think the latter to be a more important indicator.