Supreme Court Sides With Corporations
"The Roberts Court Thinks Corporations Have More Rights Than You Do" argues TNR's David Gans: "Prior to 2014, the Supreme Court had never held that a secular, for-profit corporation is entitled to protections for the free exercise of religion and had never struck down a federal law limiting campaign contributions. This year, the conservative Justices did both ... In the Roberts Court, the First Amendment is a powerful weapon, not for the street corner speaker, but for corporations and wealthy seeking to squelch regulation."
"Court chips away at union power" notes The Hill: "In a 5-4 decision, the justices struck down a requirement that home care workers in Illinois contribute to a branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), even if they choose not to join ... The ruling in Harris v. Quinn dealt a setback to the labor movement by creating a new class of partial public employees who can be exempted from 'free rider' laws designed to ensure that all workers shoulder collective bargaining costs ... Still, the scope of the decision came as a relief to labor leaders, who had feared the justices would decimate their ranks by abolishing compulsory fees."
WH considers response to contraception ruling. HuffPost: "There are at least four types of regulatory or legislative fixes that Democrats might pursue. One would be to write a new regulation requiring an insurer to cover the cost of contraception that the corporation claiming a religious objection refused to cover. The second would be to have the government, in some fashion, cover the cost of that contraception. The third would be to amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (which was the basis of Hobby Lobby’s successful lawsuit) to specify that corporations are not granted certain protections given to individuals and others. The fourth would be to amend the statute in the opposite direction, by adding explicit language protecting individuals from having employers' religious beliefs imposed on them."
Obama Will Act On Immigration
Obama pledges executive action after Boehner declares no immigration vote. AP: "Obama directed Homeland Security Department Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder to present him by the end of the summer with steps he can take without congressional approval. For now the White House said he'd refocus resources from the interior of the country to the border, a move that would effectively further reduce the number of deportations in the country's interior by stressing enforcement action on individuals who are either recent unlawful border crossers or who present a national security threat, public safety, or border security threat."
Immigration set to be major midterm election issue. NYT: "The move sets the stage for particularly bitter partisan rancor over immigration that could weigh heavily on the midterm elections this fall. Mr. Obama said he would quickly adopt his team’s end-of-summer recommendations for executive actions, meaning he could move on the issue only weeks before the November balloting."
TNR's Danny Vinik offers "4 Ways Obama Can Reform Immigration By Himself": "1. Expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ... 2. Reform the Secure Communities fingerprint program ... 3. End state and local law enforcement’s role in determining enforcement priorities ... 4. Mass pardons."
Obama To Pressure Congress On Highway Trust Fund
Obama to sound warning about Highway Trust Fund insolvency. The Hill: "President Obama will urge Congress to fund the rapidly depleting Highway Trust Fund by eliminating corporate tax breaks during a speech Tuesday in Georgetown. The president will argue 'that by closing unfair tax loopholes for companies that ship profits overseas, we can invest in rebuilding our infrastructure,' according to a White House official."
More executive action? WSJ: "...he could hint that the White House will look toward unilateral executive actions if no progress is made soon. Perhaps hinting that such moves are under consideration, a White House official said Monday evening that Mr. Obama on Tuesday will also meet with administration officials and 'receive an update on their progress implementing executive actions that together are creating jobs by investing in infrastructure and manufacturing startups,' among other things."
