Welcome to Thursday, October 29th, open- and closed-collars...

Judge Amy Coney Barrett has officially been appointed to the Supreme Court, cementing its 6-3 conservative majority. Many on the left are concerned that this ideological realignment will lead the court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark SCOTUS decision that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.

Barrett has referred to abortion as “always immoral” and would likely rule in favor of overturning the landmark case.

A number of red states have passed - or are considering - restrictive abortion laws to directly challenge Roe v. Wade.

Anti-abortion states hope that legal challenges to their laws make their way to the conservative-majority Supreme Court. President Donald Trump made a campaign promise to try and repeal Roe v. Wade:

“If we put another two or perhaps three justices on, that will happen,” he said of overturning Roe, the basis for legal abortion in the U.S. since 1973. “And that will happen automatically, in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court."

So, now that Trump has seated three conservatives - Justices Barrett, Kavanaugh, and Gorsuch - what would happen if Roe v. Wade were overturned?

We answer that question here. Take a look, then join the conversation:

Do you hope the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade?

On the Radar

Progressives Push for Dems to Pack SCOTUS

Prominent progressive Democrats are pushing to “pack” the Supreme Court by increasing the number of justices above the current nine and appointing enough justices to give the Court’s liberal wing the majority if their party’s presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, prevails and Democrats have unified control of the government. 

Leading Democrats are warning that “everything is on the table” in response to Republicans confirming Justice Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Among their potential plans for payback include packing the Supreme Court and eliminating the Senate’s 60 vote threshold for legislation, which is likely a prerequisite for any court-packing bill to succeed.

Biden has expressed opposition to court-packing in the past but of late has signaled an increasing openness to the issue in an effort to avoid creating a rift in the Democratic coalition ahead of the election. After initially declining to directly answer questions about court-packing, Biden recently said he would task a commission with evaluating the issue.

Should Dems consider court-packing?

Under the Radar

That's right. There's more to this race than Trump v. Biden. Clicking on the above, you'll be taken to: Down Ballot: House, Senate, and Governorships Up for Grabs This November

There are also a number of ballot measures we're following, including:

And, in the End...

And, in the End…

It's National Cat Day.

I recently lost my special 19-year-old lady, the purr of my still-broken heart, Tabby Girl (aka Shabby Girl)...

(Note: Tabby was NOT overweight; she was a respectable 11.3 lbs [5.1 kg] and was born with a sagging stomach she never lost. I will continue to defend her weight, wherever she may be.)

Give your feline friends an extra pet then let them sleep on your head for me,

—Josh Herman

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