If anyone remembers anything from last year’s State of the Union speech not a given, for sure it’s that President Obama chastised the Supreme Court for its Citizens United decision, which “opened the floodgates” of corporate spending in political campaigns. Making this moment particularly awkward was that a few members of the Supreme Court were sitting a few yards from Obama at the time. Justice Samuel Alito, though declining to shout out “You lie!” like some people, nevertheless broke with decorum to mouth the words “Not true.” Alito later objected to having to sit through the speech “like the proverbial potted plant,” although besides that beast in Little Shop of Horrors, plants do not move their mouths. So this year along with Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas Alito decided to skip the speech. He’ll be far, far away, in fact, at the University of Hawaii’s School of Law in Honolulu, where he plans to give an address of his own tomorrow. Obama’s hometown … interesting choice.
One for the Justices: To Go to the State of the Union, or Not? [NYT]
Supreme Court won’t be fully represented at State of the Union [WP]
