Every news source has a fault, and Mark Levin most certainly has his. Levin is an angry man, and anger tends to be both infectious and tiring. Nonetheless, I listen to Levin. Why? Levin does his research and presents supporting facts.
After I started listening to Levin, I decided to read his books. Here is my report on Men in Black: How the Supreme Court Is Destroying America.
What Is The Book About?
Men in Black came out in 2005. So it is not a brand new book. That, however, does not make the book any less relevant. The issues Levin writes about have grown more acute. Because of the Democratic Party’s election victories, it is now even less likely that the Supreme Court’s rulings will support and defend our Constitution.
Levin begins his book by pointing out what should be obvious; Supreme Court justices are only men and women, not gods and goddesses. That is why, he explains, the Constitution gives the Supreme Court no special right to interpret the Law. Levin underlines this argument with a surprisingly long list of justices who have had mental problems, grown senile in office, or behaved irresponsibility.
Levin then talks about legal issues, and he explains how judges use their position to promote their own personal agendas. The book provides each of the following subjects its own chapter:
- The philosophy that underlies judicial activism. Some judges, for example, consider okay to cite foreign law.
- An explanation of judicial review. This addresses the court’s “constitutional argument“ for overturning laws or imposing new laws.
- The so-called wall separation of church and state. This chapter answers a question. How do legal activists use a false interpretation of the Constitution to promote their agenda?
- Abortion and the “right to privacy.” Levin argues that the right to abort evolved through a series of concocted legal decisions.
- Same-sex “marriage.” Levin discusses how justices are promoting the legal right to same-sex marriage one court decision at a time.
- Affirmative action. This chapter explains how judges promote affirmative action, racism.
- Immigration law. Here Levin explains how the Court is setting immigration policy by establishing nonexistent rights for illegal immigrants.
- The court’s interference in the war with Al Qaeda. With its overreaching, the court undermines the power of the Commander in Chief to make war.
- The commerce clause and creeping socialism. This chapter is almost funny. Congress and the Supremes have so broadly interpreted the commerce clause Levin can make it seem funny.
- Freedom of speech. This chapter is scary. What politicians do most expertly is run for public office. Nonetheless, Congress passed the McCain-Feingold Act without reading or understanding the bill.
- Growing court interference in elections. This chapter provides a great explanation of what happened when Al Gore and George Bush fought over the results of the 2000 presidential election in Florida.
- Stacking the bench. Only this chapter specifically relates to situation at the time the book was written. Levin provides advice on how to fight Liberal efforts to stack the bench.
- Eliminating the Supreme Court’s abuse of its powers. Here Levin provides his proposals for reforming the Supreme Court.
Other Views
When the Washington Post reviewed the book (here), their reviewer stressed who was reading the book, just Conservatives. Without saying so, the Post’s reviewer also made it clear he also had not bothered to read the book. He had almost nothing to say about its actual content.
Rush Limbaugh, obviously partisan, provided his review of the book here. Limbaugh recommended the book as a must read. Its contents arm Conservatives with arguments against judicial activism.
Conservatives must explain to the American people that Senate Democrats want activist justices who will continue to impose their personal policy preferences on society by fiat, thereby disenfranchising them and undermining the entire notion of representative government. Conservatives must tap into the public’s growing frustration with the Supreme Court’s increasingly radical and elitist decisions in order to build popular opposition to it.
The best guide to this approach is a timely new book by Mark R. Levin – “Men in Black, How the Supreme Court is Destroying America.” In a scholarly yet readable prose, Levin makes the conservative case. He argues that the time is long overdue to strip the veneer from the facade of the Court. There have been only slightly over 100 justices in our history. They’ve not been imbued with more wisdom or better judgment than the rest of us.
The Heritage Foundation hosted a speech by Levin (see here). The invite endorses the book, making the point that “a Court that imperiously strikes down laws and imposes new ones purely on its own arbitrary whims” is tyrannical.
Even if you have no inclination to read Levin’s book, listen to Levin’s speech. The speech provides a good summary of the book.
