Death of right-wing judge could return sanity to high court

Now that Antonin Scalia is gone, President Obama can restore the liberal slant of the U.S. Supreme Court, and win back some of the rights Scalia and other conservative judges took away.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Good riddance to bad judicial rubbish.

The death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday was cheered by those who have witnessed the horrors of his right-wing decisions on gun rights and how special-interest money has poisoned elections.

The front page of The Record today is dominated by an Associated Press story that calls him the "most provocative member of the U.S. Supreme Court."

AP reporter Mark Sherman's flattering portrait of Scalia seems designed to have the family designate him as their official biographer (A-1).

Where is any mention of the hundreds of deaths in schools and workplaces as a result of Scalia and the court expanding the constitutional right to bear arms to individuals in 2008?

And what about the high court's decision to allow unregulated corporate donations to influence elections as a form or free speech?

This Daily News front page, referring to the Bridgegate scandal, proved prophetic when it came to Governor Christie's chances at landing the GOP presidential nomination. The GOP bully dropped out of the race last week.

Another Daily News front page called Christie a liar when it came to his role in the George Washington Bridge lane closings, which occurred about a month before his election to a second term.

Peddling a myth

The Record continues to peddle the myth that Governor Christie was a bipartisan reformer in his first term.

Contrast yet another promotional Charles Stile column arguing just that on Page 1 today with the overwhelmingly negative letters from readers.

Reacting to the lead news story on Thursday's front page citing a "bipartisan Christie," James Pepe of Hackensack wrote:

"That would be true if the definition of bipartisan means making agreements across party lines you do not plan to honor, vetoing multiparty common-sense legislation, allowing New Jersey's economy to lag the national recovery by four years or more, and allowing New Jersey's credit rating to be downgraded multiple times" (O-3).

"His New Jersey legacy will be one of failure," Pepe says.

Another reader, David P. Van Soest of Fair Lawn, declares, "I assume that he will now be looking to take back his role of 'dictator' of New Jersey" (O-3). 

Diversity ads

An advertising section called "Diversity" was delivered with today's Woodland Park daily.

The lead article carries the byline of Christina Joseph, an assignment editor at The Record.

The section promotes such companies as Bayer and Uber, as well as Holy Name Hospital.

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center ran a full-page ad. 

In past years, The Record ran Black History Month stories on the front page or Local front every February.

Those articles were one of the few times blacks would appear on the front page without being charged with a crime.

Local news?

Saturday's Local front carried the first report in many weeks on a Hackensack City Council meeting.

Staff Writer John Seasly, who covered last Tuesday night's meeting, wrote about the city restructuring the Police Department to provide more opportunity for advancement (Saturday's L-1).