So, what do the Supremes listen to, while we wait our turn?

[bluedawg12]

Our tax dollars well spent.

As we mull over various Court decisions and future strategies for gay rights justice all the way to the top, it may be interesting to see what goes on in the hallowed halls of Lady Justice.

A few weeks ago the highest Court in the land listened to a dispute between the Summa religion, who wanted to donate a monument to be placed in a park in a small town in Utah and the town, who opposed it.

Representing the town against Summa, was Attorney Jay Sekulow, the director of The American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative religious organization founded by evangelist Pat Robertson.

Now, by comparison, how wasteful would it be to someday have an Obama Court try our case for equal rights?

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http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre4ac04q-us-usa-religion-monument/

U.S. top court considers religious monument dispute

By James ViciniPosted 2008/11/12 at 7:37 pm EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2008 (Reuters) — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared divided on Wednesday on whether a city violated a religious group's free-speech rights by refusing to put its monument in a public park near a similar Ten Commandments display.

Some of the court's conservative justices seemed concerned a ruling for the religious group would mean public parks across the nation would be forced to allow privately donated monuments that express a different view from those already on display.

"You have a Statue of Liberty; do we have to have a Statue of Despotism? Or do we have to put any president who wants to be on Mt. Rushmore?" Chief Justice John Roberts asked.

But some liberal justices sounded sympathetic to the arguments by the religious group's lawyer that it violated the constitutional right to free speech for a city to allow one message on public property while excluding another message.

Justice John Paul Stevens asked whether it would be permissible for a city to say that it will only allow in a park monuments that conveyed messages the city agreed with.

The Summun religious group, founded in Salt Lake City in 1975, sought to erect a monument to the tenets of its faith, called the "Seven Aphorisms," in a park where there are other monuments, including one dedicated to the Ten Commandments.

Pleasant Grove City in Utah rejected the request, citing its requirement that park displays be related to its history or be donated by groups with longtime community ties, like the Fraternal Order of Eagles that gave the Ten Commandments monument in 1971... read more, it’s quick and kind of fascinating.

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The Summum religion:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summum

Summum is a religion and philosophy that began in 1975 as a result of Claude "Corky" Nowell's alleged encounter with beings he describes as "Summa Individuals". According to Nowell, these beings presented him with concepts regarding the nature of creation, concepts that have always existed and are continually re-introduced to humankind by advanced beings who work along the pathways of creation. As a result of his experience, Nowell founded Summum in order to share the "gift" he received with others.<1> In 1980, as a reflection of his newfound evolutionary path, he changed his name to Summum Bonum Amon Ra,<2> but news stories indicate he goes by Corky Ra.

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And the good people of the City, who objected to the donated statue from the Summum group was represented by Attorney James Sekulow.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Alan_Sekulow

In 1990, Sekulow became the director of The American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative religious organization founded by evangelist Pat Robertson as a counterweight to the American Civil Liberties Union.

In addition to his duties as Chief Counsel for the ACLJ, Sekulow hosts Jay Sekulow Live!,... This live call-in program focuses on legal and legislative battles currently underway across America, occasionally featuring in-studio guests such as Jackie Mason and Chuck Colson.

( A show with Jackie Mason and Chuck Colson! Could we imagine a funnier show?):evilgrin:


In 2007, Sekulow endorsed Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

Sekulow has argued in front of the United States Supreme Court quite frequently throughout the course of his career. Beginning in 1987 with a case involving Jews for Jesus and their clash with Los Angeles International Airport’s policy against free speech, Sekulow quickly became one of the preeminent advocates for religious liberty cases in front of the Supreme Court. He has specialized in arguing key issues of the First Amendment, arguing with opponents such as current Chief Justice John Roberts, the Deputy Solicitor General at the time.

<snip>
In November 2005 Legal Times published an article in which it was alleged that Sekulow "through the ACLJ and a string of interconnected nonprofit and for-profit entities, has built a financial empire that generates millions of dollars a year and supports a lavish lifestyle -- complete with multiple homes, chauffeur-driven cars, and a private jet that he once used to ferry Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia." The article quotes a number of former donors and supporters (none of whom were identified by name) who claim that Sekulow has engaged in a pattern of self-dealing to finance his "high-flying lifestyle." The article reviewed hundreds of pages of financial, real estate and tax filings, outlining the corporate structure of the ACLJ and other closely held for-profit companies founded by Sekulow including CASE, PGMS, Regency and the similarly-named Center for Law and Justice, a for-profit law firm owned by Sekulow and two other ACLJ executives.<18>

According to a ranking by the American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog group, Sekulow is the 13th-highest-paid executive of a charitable organization in the United States if the given figure for his salary is accurate.
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