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Antonin Scalia, a sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justice, has died:
US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia - one of most conservative members of the high court - has died. Justice Scalia's death could shift the balance of power on the US high court, allowing President Barack Obama to add a fifth liberal justice to the court. The court's conservative majority has recently stalled major efforts by the Obama administration on climate change and immigration.
Justice Scalia, 79, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He died in his sleep early on Saturday while in West Texas for [a] hunting trip, the US Marshall service said. Justice Scalia was one of the most prominent proponents of "originalism" - a conservative legal philosophy that believes the US Constitution has a fixed meaning and does not change with the times.
Justice Scalia's death is, unsurprisingly, now being widely reported.
From the San Antonio Express News:
According to a report, Scalia arrived at the ranch on Friday and attended a private party with about 40 people. When he did not appear for breakfast, a person associated with the ranch went to his room and found a body.
[...] The U.S. Marshal Service, the Presidio County sheriff and the FBI were involved in the investigation. Officials with the law enforcement agencies declined to comment.
A federal official who asked not to be named said there was no evidence of foul play and it appeared that Scalia died of natural causes.
A gray Cadillac hearse pulled into the ranch last Saturday afternoon. The hearse came from Alpine Memorial Funeral Home.
Most major news outlets are covering this story, including CNN [video autoplays], The Washington Post, The New York Times, and NBC.
(Score: 2) by jmorris on Sunday February 14 2016, @05:19AM
I have used something similar in the past, including on the 'other' site. Didn't intentionally copy anyone else directly but there aren't many totally new ideas in political science either so not shocked to see 90+ year only references to similar ideas.
Basically going with the Founders ideas that we should keep a bit of Revolutionary spirit. Since too much of anything tends to go bad wanted to temper it a bit. So shoot a rat bastard who ignores their oath but it is all or nothing, Patriot or Traitor judged by a jury of your peers forced to either turn you loose with a sack of cash or make an example of you in the negative way. Most people tend to want stability in their society so unless it was a very cut and dry case they would be assumed to want to have the assassin taken out back and executed in some very grisly way, especially if the only other option is not only turning a stone killer loose but also handing them a sack of cash and declaring them a Patriot, thus all but certain to encourage copycats. But knowing that law was on the books would tend to make government officials take their oath a bit more seriously.
If this amendment passed tomorrow the only thing keeping Hillary Clinton alive the next 24 hours would be her current status as a private citizen. (only current government officials, no mention of previous ones)
(Score: 2) by darnkitten on Tuesday February 16 2016, @07:32PM
I'd recommend reading through "Lone Star Planet" [archive.org]--It's still a fun read about a society based around your concept, and was one of my first exposures to Libertarian sci-fi, way back in Junior High.
I was intrigued by the idea until I realized that with the resentful divisiveness, bitter hatreds and unquenchable anger (and the hotheads) on both sides of partisan politics in real life and with the Judiciary just as willing to play politics as the other branches (as well as with the passions that the folks in my town bring to municipal issues), that every seat of government, from local on up, would turn into a shooting gallery with every election, and that every faction would be able able to find a judge/jurors to back their action...
And as to your Hillary comment, Lone Star Planet covers that as well (if she were to get elected)--
Actually--I'm still intrigued by that idea (among others), but am wary of any political theories being put into practice, given humanity's success/failure ratio in the last few centuries.
And--I'd recommend reading Piper [gutenberg.org] in general--he could have been one of the Grand Masters of sci-fi, if he had had the time to develop. Most of his works are available on Project Gutenberg.
Finally--If I were to quote your amendment, how should I credit you?