Clarence Thomas, Butt Out!

Supreme Court Justice Clarence "Who put this pubic hair on my coke?" Thomas singlehandedly issued a stay, blocking a federal court order from Judge Dean Whipple stating that the state must transport an inmate from her cell in Vandalia to St. Louis for her to obtain an abortion.

On Thursday, judge Whipple ordered the state to to take the woman to a St. Louis clinic, 80 miles away. Whipple refused to staty his order, and instructed prison officials to take her to the clinic at 9:00 am today (Saturday). The state appealed the decision to the 8th Circuit. Missouri law prohibits the spending of state funds to assist in an abortion. They are arguing that the cost of the fuel for transport would come from state coffers, and is therefore forbidden.

Jay Nixon is the Democratic Attorney General, and he wants to make a run for the Governor's mansion in 2008. He is doing this out of pure politics, to get his name known in pro-life circles and bible-belt evangelical churches. He forgets that there are puddles of purple all over this state, and if he opushes this too far, he won't clear the primary, much less the general election.

I will be watching this one and updating periodically.

UPDATE: Without comment, John Roberts, the new Chief Justice, lifted the stay put in place over the weekend by Justice Thomas. I am beginning, with great trepidation, to exhale slowly...