No Laughing Matter

Retired Judge Darrell White wrote this letter to incoming Justice Ketanji Jackson on October 3, 2022, ending with reference to these four scriptures:

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. – Psalm 2:4

The Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming. – Psalm 37:13

But you laugh at them, O Lord ; you hold all the nations in derision. – Psalm 59:8

I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you. – Proverbs 1:26

On behalf of the American Judicial Alliance and Retired Judges of America, we thank you for taking your Oaths of Office upon the Harlan Bible and signing its flyleaf alongside each predecessor since 1906. While God’s Word is immutable, that venerable tradition becomes fresh with each new installation ceremony, a beacon of hope to all who cherish the rule of law. As Chief Justice John Jay observed, “The most effectual means of securing the continuance of our civil and religious liberties is always to remember with reverence and gratitude the source from which they flow.”

As perhaps the only charitable (501C3) organization systematically replicating Justice Harlan’s Bible gift tradition concept to America’s courts, we send along inspirational Judges’ Prayer bookmarks and other educational resources you may find helpful. And, as we possess an identical replica of the Sacred Volume you signed, we also enclose several ancillary pages reproduced for your personal library.

May your perseverance in good behaviour cause God’s face to shine upon America (Numbers 6:25). We long for His smile, but if Harlan’s Bible is trustworthy and history is reliable, God’s laughter should be no laughing matter (see above).

Sincerely,
Retired Judge Darrell White
Founder and President

Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in his dissent in the 1989 Edwards v. Aguillard case involving Louisiana’s “Balanced Science Education Law” that was nullified by SCOTUS: 

I am astonished by the Court’s unprecedented readiness to reach such a conclusion, which I can only attribute to an intellectual predisposition created by the facts and the legend of Scopes v. State, 154 Tenn. 105, 289 S. W. 363 (1927) – an instinctive reaction that any governmentally imposed requirements bearing upon the teaching of evolution must be a manifestation of Christian fundamentalist repression.

Apparently, Justice Stevens decided only to dig in his heels in response to Retired Judge White’s recommendation that he reconsider his position, saying that upon “further reflection,” he has “confirmed his judgment” in regard to Stone v. Graham.

Retired Judge Darrell White also notes, “We never received a response to my latest hand-written note to Justice Stevens, who died on  07/16/2019.”