Pacing the Cage

Still waiting for that decision on Lipscomb that was rumored to be "soon." It isn't going to be tomorrow. Maybe the Supreme Court is taking off early for their 4th of July celebration. In the meantime, we'll celebrate another July 4th in uncertainty. The fact of no decision by now suggests to me that a very early prediction of mine -- that the Court might wait until the Legislature adjourns -- could be what's going on here. For the life of me, I can't figure out the politics of waiting since the Governor could call the Legislature back into special session on a week's notice. About the only thing we know is that it would be unlikely (but not impossible) for the Court to delay a decision until after it resumes hearing oral arguments on cases in September. In the meantime, the Legislature continues to play some of the most childish games I've seen since ---- last session. They seem to be in active competition with 2003 for the longest regular session in history. But even if they lose, it will win hand's down for the LEAST productive session in Oregon history. And if the Court is truly waiting for the Legislature to finally get its act together, we could be in for a gloomy few months spent pacing the cage.

Enjoy your 4th of July weekend. I doubt I'll have much else to add before next week.