Federal Judge Tells Supreme Court to 'STFU' - East Idaho News
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Federal Judge Tells Supreme Court to ‘STFU’

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supremecourt?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1404774365040Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — U.S. federal Judge Richard Kopf declared Monday he thinks it’s time for the Supreme Court to “STFU.”

Kopf made his pronouncement in a colorful blog post regarding the Supreme Court’s recent decision on Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. Kopf was appointed as a federal district judge by president George H.W. Bush in 1992.

“Next term is the time for the Supreme Court to go quiescent–this term and several past terms has proven that the Court is now causing more harm (division) to our democracy than good by deciding hot button cases that the Court has the power to avoid,” Kopf wrote. “As the kids say, it is time for the Court to stfu.”

And for individuals not aware of the acronym’s meaning, the judge included a link to Urban Dictionary’s definition of the term.

In his post, Kopf criticized the Supreme Court’s recent decision that closely-held private corporations with sincere religious beliefs are not bound to the mandate, included in President Obama’s signature health law, that employers must provide contraception coverage for female employees.

“To the average person, the result looks stupid and smells worse,” Kopf wrote.

“To most people, the decision looks stupid ’cause corporations are not persons, all the legal mumbo jumbo notwithstanding,” the judge continued. “The decision looks misogynist because the majority were all men. It looks partisan because all were appointed by a Republican. The decision looks religiously motivated because each member of the majority belongs to the Catholic Church, and that religious organization is opposed to contraception.”

He reiterated the importance of public perception in judicial decisions: “All of us know from experience that appearances matter to the public’s acceptance of the law.” Kopf encouraged the Supreme Court to refrain from decisions in “highly controversial cases” in the future – especially when the court is able to “avoid the dispute.”

ABC News confirmed with Kopf’s Nebraska office that he is indeed the author of the blog “Hercules and the Umpire.” In a section of his blog titled “The Who, The Why, and The Title of this Blog,” Kopf explains, “I am now on senior status, and with that change in status (plus advancing age) my reticence to blog has lessened. I think I have something worth writing about.”


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