by
Jonathan
Ernst-Pool/Getty
Images)
Last
night’s
presidential
address
to
Congress
was
something
to
behold
—
if
you’re
into
bearing
witness
to
the
death
throes
of
American
democracy.
Most
notable
for
(Supreme)
Court
watchers
was,
of
course,
the
exchange
between
President
Trump
and
Chief
Justice
John
Roberts
when
Trump
marked
the
Chief
as
a
made
man.
It
was
a
shockingly
honest
moment,
one
that
ripped
the
bandage
off
the
illusion
of
separation
of
powers.
But
on
social
media,
folks
have
zoomed
in
on
the
C-SPAN
footage
and
caught
Amy
Coney
Barrett’s
reaction.
Coney
Barrett
looks
like
she
just
stepped
in
some
dog
shit.
Which,
in
a
manner
of
speaking…
That
familiar
look
Coney
Barrett
give
Trump
seems
to
indicate
a
growing
schism
between
the
justice
and
the
far
right
of
the
GOP.
Pulling
away
from
the
more
extreme
positions
of
her
colleagues
on
the
Court
has
been
a
theme
for
the
Trump-appointee
in
recent
decisions.
And
it’s
given
the
left
hope
that
the
Court
isn’t
already
in
the
bag
for
whatever
harebrained
constitutional
scheme
Project
2025
can
dream
up.
But
despite
the
math
problem
(one
vote
isn’t
much
of
swing
when
there
are
six
Republican-appointed
justices
on
the
Court),
it
also
requires
a
fair
amount
of
self-delusion
and
ignores
the
devastating
impact
of
Coney
Barrett’s
vote
on
reproductive
freedom.
So,
whatever
Coney
Barrett’s
thoughts
on
Donald
Trump,
it’s
not
a
silver
bullet
that
will
save
America.
But
given
the
immense
power
she
holds
as
one
of
nine
on
the
Court,
it’s
comforting
to
think
Coney
Barrett
has
some
sense
of
exactly
who
Trump
is.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].