Tipsheet

Here's the Supreme Court Justice Who Saved Biden's Student Loan Bailout

Joe Biden’s student loan bailout remains legal, as the Supreme Court refused to block its implementation. For now, those eligible can apply to have tens of thousands of dollars in student loans forgiven. The plan was announced this summer as the Biden White House looked to address a vital issue among its base, which could double as a Hail Mary attempt to entice younger voters to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. Things took a dismal turn for the Democratic Party by Labor Day. 

Don’t get me wrong—the Democrats were always going to lose their House majority, but August brought the spending bill and the abortion hysterics that Democrats thought could bail them out of an electoral beating in November. It was a gross miscalculation, as the struggling economy and high inflation are now firmly entrenched in voters' minds. 

On the Right, conservatives are not going to like that the Supreme Court justice who is responsible for refusing to intervene and block this arguably unconstitutional initiative was none other than Amy Coney Barrett (via NBC News):

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday denied a request by a Wisconsin taxpayers group to halt the implementation of President Joe Biden’s federal student loan forgiveness program.

Barrett, who is responsible for emergency applications from Wisconsin, rejected the Brown County Taxpayers Association request to block the program just days after the Biden administration began accepting applications from borrowers to have as much as $20,000 in student debt canceled.

 The emergency application was filed Wednesday.

Barrett appeared to act on her own without referring the matter to the other justices. She did not provide an explanation for rejecting the emergency request, which is not uncommon.

The taxpayers group had argued in a 29-page filing to the Supreme Court that Biden’s program would cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion and that it bypasses Congress, which oversees federal spending.

A Supreme Court justice will sometimes disappoint you, so don’t fall in love with them. The same logic should apply to politicians, and yes—Trump has made some lousy policy moves as well. I disagreed when the former president caved to the gun control lobby and banned bump stocks, nor was I comfortable with Trump playing around with tariffs regarding trade negotiations with China. On the Left, I’m sure liberals were not pleased with the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s nuanced take on Roe v. Wade, along with her decision not to retire under the Obama presidency. Some Bush 41 appointees, thought initially to be conservatives, became the backbone of the liberal wing. I don’t think a refusal to block a student loan program is tantamount to a total betrayal, and it’s not like there will be only one legal challenge to Biden’s student loan bailout. More will follow, and maybe one of those will get an audience with the nine jurists to decide its legality.