OF THE
TIMES
Article III gives Congress the authority to set the number of Supreme Court justices. The court currently has one chief justice and eight associate justices, but the number has fluctuated since 1789.
- Originally, the total number of justices was set at six by the Judiciary Act of 1789. President George Washington signed the act into law on September 24, 1789, and he nominated John Jay to serve as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.[4]
- The Judiciary Act of 1801 reduced the number of justices from six to five.[5]
- In 1807, Congress increased the number of justices on the Supreme Court to seven "in response to the geographic expansion of the nation and the increased caseload of the district courts in the west. The act established a Seventh Circuit, consisting of Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and specified that the new justice be assigned to preside over the U.S. circuit courts within that circuit."[6]
- The Eighth and Ninth Circuits Act of 1837 created the Eighth and Ninth Circuits to provide for an expanded caseload due to the admission of new states to the Union. This Act also rearranged the Seventh Circuit and created two new seats on the Supreme Court to support the circuit court.[7]
- The Tenth Circuit Act of 1863 created the Tenth Circuit to represent California and Oregon, eliminated the California Circuit Court and added another member to the Supreme Court. This act gave the Supreme Court its highest number of members in history, with the chief justice and nine associate justices serving.[8]
- The Judicial Circuits Act of 1866 reorganized the circuits in the thirty-six state nation, reducing the number of circuits from ten to nine. This reorganization created a basic structure of circuits lasting to present day. The Act also eliminated three positions on the Supreme Court.[9]
- The Judiciary Act of 1869 again increased the size of the Supreme Court, setting it at nine justices, one for each circuit.[10]
"challenges remain that could cause a real setback in global development, which is fraught with a fight of all against all and attempts to resolve looming controversies through a search for internal and external enemies. The situation can develop unpredictably and spin out of control if nothing is done to prevent it."He expressed "hope" that global conflicts are a thing of the past since they could mean "the end of civilization."
He was cleared of all 13 sex assault charges at a trial last March, and his allies believe he was the victim of a plot designed to prevent him from making a return to frontline politics.
Challenged by Ms Baillie about whether there was nothing other than texts in which Mr Murrell spoke about pressure being applied to police over the Salmond case, he replied "there is nothing else - no.See also: Scottish referendum result undoubtedly rigged
"Mr Murrell has claimed he phrased the text message in which he said it was a "good time to be pressuring the police" poorly because he was upset and that its meaning has been misinterpreted.
Boris Johnson has dashed hopes that children might be able to return to school after the February half-term, noting that hospitals remain in a "perilous" situation and the government can't take any risks with Covid-19 rampant.UK unveils STRICTER Covid-19 border restrictions as govt steps up enforcement measures
"It will not be possible to reopen schools immediately after the half-term. I know how frustrating that will be to students and teachers who want nothing more than to get back to the classroom," the prime minister said on Wednesday.If we do, we run the risk of our NHS coming under still greater pressure, compelling us to reimpose every restriction and sustain those restrictions for longer.Johnson noted that it was a priority to see kids in England get back to school, but insisted the decision would be taken as soon as the time was right.
The PM said it was still too early to relax restrictions, adding that the National Health Service cannot be put further at risk.
"We remain in a perilous situation, with more than 37,000 patients now in hospital with Covid, almost double the peak of the first wave," Johnson added.
Which suggests that all the ludicrous orders and insane dictates that people have been complying with has done absolutely nothing to stop or slow the spread.
The PM also insisted that schools are indeed "safe," but the risks of bringing communities together posed a high risk, and "a large number of kids are a considerable vector of transmission."
The government claims teachers are at no extra risk of catching Covid-19 and has not announced any plans for prioritizing teachers for vaccination against the virus, despite pressure from opposition parties.
Schools have remained closed since Christmas, with only the children of key workers receiving in-person teaching.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has unveiled new Covid-19 border restrictions, forcing UK citizens travelling from red-list countries to quarantine in government-provided accommodation while stepping up checks on other arrivals.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Patel declared that there are "still too many people coming in and out of our country every day," forcing the government to introduce stricter border restrictions to protect the country from new variants of the virus.
As was expected, the government will require UK citizens who are coming back from so-called 'red-list' countries to quarantine for 10 days in government-provided accommodation, so they can be monitored in case they develop symptoms. Alongside that, police will also increase checks on other arrivals who are self-isolating to ensure they comply with the rules.
To enforce the new measures, police presence at ports and airports will be increased, so border officials can check that people only travel abroad if they have a valid reason for doing so. Those who are flouting the rules will be asked to return home or be given a fine.
"Going on holiday is not a valid reason to travel," Patel said.
While Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party and his scientific advisers support this new approach, the opposing Labour Party has criticised the move as not going "anywhere near far enough" to combat incoming cases, leaving "huge gaps in our defences against emerging strains."
Labour's Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds argued that by only requiring people returning from a specific handful of countries to quarantine in monitored accommodation, the government is showing it is "too far behind the curve" in tackling the ongoing crisis.
On Tuesday, the UK passed the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test. The country has recorded almost 3.7 million cases to date.
Comment: For more on the WallStreetBets market shenanigans see: Video game retailer GameStop stock doubles again with no let-up in amateur interest; Update: Discord bans r/WallStreetBets outright
UPDATE 28/01/2021: Developments have come fast and furious in the battle between the Reddit group r/wallstreetbets and the hedge funds. Big Money has pulled out the big guns in an attempt to quash the peasant rebellion:
NBC reports first: Vice tells of the hammer being brought down: ZeroHedge reports of lawsuits being filed against Robinhood by angry customers for blocking any trading of Gamestop besides selling, along with other updates: Social media users continued to share information and vent their anger:
One purported Robinhood insider claimed the White House was getting involved:
Click for larger image: