Liberal Courts Won”€™t Be So Liberal After Trump’s Nominees Are Confirmed: We call it Good News Friday because it’s a chance for David and Tim to share some good news from across the nation and around the world! In this episode, we talk about how the most liberal courts won”€™t be so liberal for very long! US ambassador gives first glimpse of new embassy in Jerusalem! After Dick”€™s banned all “€˜assault-style”€™ firearms, the free market responded in a powerful way! And so much more, right here on WallBuilders Live!

Air Date: 05/25/2018

On-air Personalities: David Barton, Rick Green, and Tim Barton

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Transcription note:  As a courtesy for our listeners’ enjoyment, we are providing a transcription of this podcast. Transcription will be released shortly. However, as this is transcribed from a live talk show, words and sentence structure were not altered to fit grammatical, written norms in order to preserve the integrity of the actual dialogue between the speakers. Additionally, names may be misspelled or we might use an asterisk to indicate a missing word because of the difficulty in understanding the speaker at times. We apologize in advance.

Faith And The Culture

Rick:

Welcome to the intersection of faith and the culture. This is WallBuilders Live! Where we”€™re talking about the day”€™s hottest topics on policy, faith, and the culture. We always do that from a particular perspective. We call it a biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective. Because those are the three things we look at to get the right position on any issue in the culture.

We’re here with David Barton, he”€™s America’s premier historian and our founder at WallBuilders. Also, Tim Barton, national speaker, pastor, he”€™s president of WallBuilders. My name is Rick Green, I’m a former Texas state legislator.

You can find out more about us at WallBuildersLive.com, that’s our radio site. And then also WallBuilders.com for a wealth of information and tools that will equip and inspire you and your family to be better citizens and help restore America’s constitutional republic.

Today is a Friday so that means around here it’s Good News Friday. It’s a chance for us to bring some good news to you and try to catch up on a lot of the positive things that have happened in the U.S. and all around the world. Dave and Tim have been collecting the stories. We”€™re going to rapid fire through several of them today. So, here we go. David, Tim, you guys ready?

David:

You bet.

Rick:

So, let’s get some good news. Tim, I think you’re up first today.

Tim:

Yes, Rick, I got to go first and I’m excited. I don’t often get to go first on Good News Friday. And this one is some really exciting good news. We’ve talked about it a little bit already on the program. I think next week we”€™re actually talking to two individuals who were actually in Israel when this happened.

The Opening of the Embassy

Tim:

So, my article is about the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem. And it’s actually from the Times of Israel, which is really cool. So, it’s an Israeli article, but it says, “€œTrump Hails Big Week for Historic Move. “€˜Congratulations to all”€™ he tweets ahead of May 14th opening.”€ And it goes through and actually shows lots of pictures of Jerusalem, things around Israel, it says, “€œGod bless President Donald Trump. Trump is a friend of Zion.”€ Then there’s some signs in Hebrew that I can’t really read, but there’s one that actually as the marker, it says U.S. embassy, there”€™s an arrow pointing toward Jerusalem.

So, just a lot of cool stuff. And again, we’ve talked about already on the program how cool it was the opening of this embassy, what that looks like. As we mentioned, next week we’re going to talk to two people who were actually there – Pastor John Hagee who has been a friend and advocate for Israel for so long. Phil King, one of our friends, he’s is a state rep from Texas and actually, does a lot of things with Israel. Part of a Texas delegation that goes over there.

In Texas is Lockheed it is in Fort Worth and they’re the ones that actually manufacture the F-35, or at least the largest portion of assembling it together. And they have a contract with Israel for these. So, he goes over as part of that delegation. A lot of cool stuff we’re going to talk about next week.

But this is just a really, really, cool article highlighting, to me, one of the, really, the great moments in American history. That America is actually recognizing the fulfillment of a promise made long ago. Many presidents have made this promise saying, “€œWe will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”€ Which Israel recognized it as their capital. Many nations of the world do not.

So, America was the first nation to say we’re putting our embassy, which generally, nations put their embassy at the capital of that nation. And we’re saying, “€œNo, we’re putting our embassy in Jerusalem. Even though many other nations have not. We’re going to do it.”€ And so we’re one of the first ones to make that move.

So, just really a cool piece of good news. Especially as a Christian looking at biblical prophecy and the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Just a cool move going that direction.

Supporting Israel

Rick:

And how cool it is that our nation is coming alongside and supporting Israel instead of doing everything they can to make it difficult on Israel like we put up with for eight years before Donald Trump was elected. It’s literally a different world right now for Israel in terms of the confidence that they can have that we’re definitely with them and have their back.

Tim:

Well, and such a difference, as you mentioned, even from previous administrations. When you look at, for example, the Iran Deal which we’ve talked about. One of the really cool pieces of good news which actually I think I’ve got another article in my stack about Trump and the Iran deal and him saying, “€œHey, we’re not going to do that anymore. We’re not going to keep funding Iran who right now seems to be the top funder of terrorism around the world.”€

Iran is taking the money that we’ve given them from the Iran, this nuclear deal, and they’re taking that money to support terrorist activity. And a lot of it is against Israel. And Trump said, “€œHey, we’re not going to do that.”€ So, there’s a lot of moves that we have made as a nation, and specifically from the Trump administration, that have been supportive of Israel. So, this is not by any means the least of those. But it is just one of many moves that our nation has taken to show support of Israel.

And there’s– I think leaders of Israel have long recognized there’s a lot of people in America that support Israel even though our leaders have not always outwardly supported Israel. It’s just so cool to have a president who is finally outwardly supporting who really should be our best friend in the Middle East – Israel. And now we’ve moved our embassies, so just all around a cool deal.

Rick:

Alright, David Barton with some good news when we come back. Stay with us, folks. You’re listening to WallBuilders Live.

Leadership Training Program

Rick:

Hey, friends! We’ve got a great program to share with you today. It”€™s the WallBuilders Leadership Training Program and it’s an opportunity for 18 to 25 year olds to come spend two weeks diving into the original documents we’re always talking about here on WallBuilders Live.

Tim, you’ve already been doing this a couple of summers and seen the results of young people coming to this program. We’re going to see more of them coming this year.

Tim:

Yeah, Rick, it”€™s something that”€™s been cool to see the transformation with young people coming in. The emphasis, for us, largely is a pursuit of truth. We have a culture that doesn’t know what truth is. We don’t know what biblical truth is, or constitutional truth, or the American heritage that we have. And so we really dive into original documents and say, “€œWell, what did they actually write? What did they actually do? Not just what did somebody say, what is actually true, and the truth is what’s transformational.

David:

Yeah, guys. This really is a remarkable opportunity. And for those who want to spend time with us and spend time in the original documents, this is a great program. So, if you’re from 18 to 25, or you know someone who’s 18 to 25, send them to sign up for one of our three sessions this summer at WallBuilders.com/leadershiptraining.

Rick:

Welcome back to WallBuilders Live on this Good News Friday. Sharing some good news with you. It’s encouraging to know there’s positive things happening out there in the culture. David Barton is up next with some good news – David?

Two Headlines

David:

Well, I’ve got two headlines here. Let me just read both the headlines. One says, “€œNation’s Most Liberal Courts–“€ and by the way, which would be the nation’s most liberal courts?

Rick:

I would guess–

Tim:

The Ninth Circuit.

Rick:

Yeah.

David:

Yes, the Ninth Circuit, Seventh Circuit, Fourth Circuit. There’s a bunch of them that are definitely left of center. But “€œNations”€™”€™, headline’s, “€œNation’s Most Liberal Courts Won’t Be So Liberal After President Trump”€™s Nominees Are Confirmed”€. And the other headline says, “€Trump”€™s Stealth Victory Reshaping The Courts”€. The bottom line is that President Trump so far has made about 80 judicial nominations.

Now, there’s about 165 or so open slots in judiciary right now. He’s made about 80 nominations and by the end of this year he will have replaced almost 30 percent of the federal judiciary. Now, I’ll point out the last couple of presidents – President Bush, President Obama, in eight years replaced about 40 percent of the judiciary. We’re not talking eight years we’re talking two years at 30 percent of the judiciary.

It’s interesting that what the Senate has particularly done and Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee, and others they’re saying, “€œIf we’re going to confirm judges, let’s confirm Circuit Court of Appeals judges.”€ Because a district judge, there are over a district. But a court of appeals judge is over a bunch of states and millions of people – not just hundreds of thousands of people.

21 Appeals Judges

David:

So, they have now pushed through– they passed 21 court of appeals judges. And so by the end of the year if they get the others passed they’re going to be up around 30 percent. And by the way, just last week they passed six more, just last week. When you look at what this means on the courts, take the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The Seventh Circuit Court, they hear all the cases in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. So, there are over a lot of turf.

Or you take the Third Circuit. Now the third circuit is Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. The Third Circuit already has shifted from being a Democrat majority to a Republican majority. So, consider the fact that in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, the court of appeals over those three states, federal court of appeals, have now switched and they are no longer stacked with Democrat nominees, they are now majority Republican nominees.

If you go to the Second Circuit Court it was a 7-4 Democrat advantage in there. And they’re the ones that cover Connecticut, and Vermont, and New York. It was a 7-4 Democrat advantage. Well, it’s now 7-6 Democrat advantage, so just barely narrow. So, you can pick off one or two Democrats from time to time.

When you go to the Ninth Circuit that we mentioned this is California, and it’s Alaska, and Hawaii, and Idaho, and I think Montana, and Nevada –  it”€™s seven states I think, 53 million people as I recall. It has been a 16 to 6 Democrat majority on the ninth Circuit. It is now going to be 16 to 13. So, almost evenly split on the ninth Circuit. I just go through the circuits and not only have some of them changed some of them are now getting really close. And by the time he finishes his first term we may have majorities in a number of those circuit courts. And that really is a super big deal because that’s where so many cases come from.

Many Cases Don”€™t Make It to the Supreme Court

Tim:

Well, and it’s interesting how many cases actually come through those courts that don’t even make it to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court does not take a case whatever the lower court, the last court that it was at, whatever that decision was is what will stand. And so there’s a lot of times that there’s some really bad decisions that we wish the Supreme Court would take up, so they can reverse that decision and they’re just not able to take up all of the tens of thousands of cases.

David:

Literally the Supreme Court takes up less than 1 percent of the cases that go through the federal courts. So, what goes to the Supreme Court is less than 1 percent. 99 percent are going to be decided by lower courts.

Tim:

So, this is bigger than just having good judges in the lower courts. This actually means precedent that every other court below them will begin to follow because the Supreme Court, if they don’t step in to solve some of these problems, and which ultimately it sets a precedent for the higher court, it goes back to the decision of the Federal Court. And so having much more constitutionally minded judges on those courts means we get much more constitutionally minded decisions. Which is really encouraging news.

I didn’t even realize some of them would be as close as they were once his nominees got there. And you’re right, we’re just talking a couple years in. If he goes at this rate for the next several years and actually, if he makes a second term, the courts could look totally different in America and we could get very different decisions. Which ultimately means we’d be living under very different laws than what we are seeing around us. So, this really is good news.

Rick:

Tim, two really important points you just made I just want to emphasize. So, just think about that, so you said “€œliberal courts”€ at the beginning of this segment, David. So, those those appellate level courts obviously are liberal, but man, those district judges in a lot of those states are extremely liberal. And what you just said is so important Tim.

Still Getting Stopped

Rick:

So, even those ultra liberal district court judges now when their decisions go up to that court of appeals even in the Ninth Circuit, or seventh, wherever it might be, it’s going to get batted back down to them. Even if it doesn’t make it all the way Supreme Court it still gets stopped in that case, so that’s huge.

And the second thing you pointed out – can you imagine if we had two terms of Trump? Eight years of appointments to the federal bench of the caliber that he has so far done pretty much across the board. And we talked about this on the program how George W. was a friend of all of ours and did a decent job, but it was 50/50 at best on his judicial appointments. Trump’s been ninety five percent on his appointments. If we had eight years of that, you talk about a turnaround in our judicial system, and as a result, our whole country. Huge.

Tim:

Yeah, and even as you’re saying that, 90 percent, or 95 percent, or whatever it is we would generally agree with, there’s certainly some he’s appointed we can go hey, they’re not great on this issue, they’re not great on this issue, they’re not great on this issue. But even the ones that aren’t great on specific issues are not as hostile to the Constitution, to faith, to the First Amendment, as previous judges have been.

Even, as you mentioned, from even what we would consider to be some of these Republican or conservative presidents. It’s astounding it’s coming from President Trump and how good this is and how much that could change the course. Which ultimately would change how we live and the laws of America. It’s just such exciting things.

Rick:

All good stuff. Alright, guys, quick break. When we come back we have more good news. Tim Barton up next. Stay with us, you”€™re listening to WallBuilders Live.

Share a veteran’s story

We Want To Hear Your Vet Story

Rick:

Hey friends! If you have been listening to WallBuilders Live for very long at all, you know how much we respect our veterans and how appreciative we are of the sacrifice they make to make our freedoms possible. One of the ways that we love to honor those veterans is to tell their stories here on WallBuilders Live.  Once in awhile, we get an opportunity to interview veterans that have served on those front lines that have made incredible sacrifices have amazing stories that we want to share with the American people.

One of the very special things we get to do is interview World War II veterans. You’ve heard those interviews here on WallBuilders Live, from folks that were in the Band of Brothers, to folks like Edgar Harrell that survived the Indianapolis to so many other great stories you heard on WallBuilders Live.

You have friends and family that also served.  If you have World War II veterans in your family that you would like to have their story shared here on WallBuilders Live, please e-mail us at [email protected].  Give us a brief summary of the story and we’ll set up an interview. Thanks so much for sharing here on WallBuilders Live!

Tim:

Hey, Rick, are you are you there?

Rick:

Yeah, sorry, I was just about to say welcome back to WallBuilders Live and I’m thinking, “€œOkay, yeah, it’s May, why am I hearing–“€ It”€™s David Barton, right?

Tim:

Yeah.

Rick:

It”€™s David Barton is the reason I”€™m hearing Christmas music.

Tim:

Yeah, it”€™s because this is no longer WallBuilders Live, this is the David Barton Show.

Rick:

The David Barton Show which starts with Christmas music.

Tim:

We are just the guests and spectators.

Year Round

David:

Hold it. This is a shout out to some of our listeners. I was in Washington D.C. last week and I got stopped by somebody who said, “€œHey we listen to you all the time. We love Good News Fridays. I haven’t heard any Christmas music in a long time. I”€™ve been listening for Christmas music.”€

Rick:

Oh no, Tim, he”€™s found friends. Tim, he found like–

Tim:

Here’s the thing – I support loving Jesus all year long. I think it’s great. So, yes, I’m in favor of the Christmas message all year long. There’s no doubt about it. However, you don’t need to encourage him in this aspect. Right? You have to draw the line somewhere, okay?

David:

I do. I stopped Christmas on December 25th and started on December 26th – I only celebrate 365 days. I draw the line.

Tim:

And I do tell my wife I’m going to celebrate Jesus all year long. So, when I put my playlist on shuffle and Christmas music comes up, it’s okay. But yeah, sometimes it does seem like you get going. However, okay, so this could be a Christmas present on some level.

So, the next item I have for Good News Friday is actually related to a sporting goods store that decides they don’t want to be as sporting as they used to be and that’s Dick’s Sporting Goods. So, if listeners have paid attention over the last several weeks there’s been a lot of articles about this.

But Dick’s Sporting Goods did several things, really three specific things. They said after the shooting at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. They came out and said, “€œLook, we want to protect kids. Therefore we will stop selling all assault style weapons.”€ It then was reported that they’ve hired a lobbyist to be in D.C. to promote stronger gun legislation.

No Longer Selling Long Guns to Anyone Under 21?

And then it was reported that they will no longer sell long guns to anybody under the age of 21. Which the actual legal age is 18 years old. So, a 18 year old could no longer go by a 22 bolt action single shot rifle. They said, “€œNo, you have to be at least 21.”€

So Dick”€™s–

David:

So, by the way, if you don’t know, a 22 or bolt action, this is where you start teaching gun safety. This is the beginning gun from where you start moving kids into the proper use of guns.

Tim:

One of the most basic things you can get. You can’t get a rifle more basic, more simple, than this. And so this is this is the beginners rifle, right. When you’re going to learn gun safety, you”€™re going to learn how to fire, how to operate, it’s super easy to do this. And they’re saying, “€œWait a second. Now, just because you’re 18, just because you can join the military, just because you can do– No, no, no, you have to be 21.”€

So, when they made several these moves there were several gun companies that came out and said, “€œOkay, wait a second, we cannot support this, we”€™re not going to stand by and watch this.”€ So, several gun companies have decided that they will no longer fulfill any order request from Dick’s Sporting Goods. It includes Springfield Armory, it includes High Point Firearms, Mossberg, and *Edlund Manufacturing.

David:

Wow.

Tim:

So, these are some significant gun companies – whether you talk about some of them are like Springfield Armory. They have a great 1911 pistol, and they do multiple other guns, so I’d probably be doing a disservice if we didn’t acknowledge they sell lots of guns. Mossberg, known for their shotguns, great shotguns, and–

David:

Dick”€™s didn’t ban shotguns. That”€™s not what they were banning.

We Need More Gun Legislation?

Tim:

No, they didn’t. But these gun companies recognize, “€œWait a second, you are sending a lobbyist to Washington D.C. to say we need more gun legislation even though left and right can both agree that more gun legislation would not have prevented this. It was already illegal for this person to do everything he did.”€

Rick:

If they’re going to do that, if they’re going to go lobby for more gun legislation even though the results won”€™t have a positive result, they’re actually using the dollars of these gun manufacturers to do that lobbying with. Because they’re using the money that these guys– that they make off of selling these guys guns. And anybody out there that”€™s buying from Dick”€™s, or I guess Dick’s was the one sending the lobbyists. Anybody buying from Dick”€™s, that means your money is being used to actually lobby the government to take away your Second Amendment rights.

Tim:

Correct. And I understand that we talk about Good News Friday, there’s a little bit of subjectivity with what we do because it always is going to come from our perspective as as people that are pro Constitution. Obviously, we are Christians, we’re pro Bible, pro the word of God, and those fundamental beliefs. So, certainly that’s a position we are coming from.

But it’s great to see that the market responds to some really obnoxious positions that a company that claims to be a sporting goods store who’s actually putting more restrictions on some of these sporting practices, of being able to have a sporting firearm and participate in sporting activities that utilize guns. It’s just refreshing to see some companies that go, “€˜You know what, I’ve had enough of this. And if you’re going to do that then that’s not the direction we’re going. And a lot of people who have purchased guns have said, “€œHey, we”€™re not going back to Dick’s anymore, and we’re not going to do that, and I’m going to buy from somebody else.”€

So, it’s great to see companies standing up, defending the Second Amendment constitutional position. And then obviously shoppers saying we’re going to spend our dollars with people who support the Constitution, support the Second Amendment. And actually support practical, realistic, legislation instead of just saying, “€œLet’s have more laws on the books.”€ Because ultimately that’s not solving the problem of these gun crimes.

Rick:

Yeah, we’re all for doing something about these school shootings. But the something that we do needs to be something that actually works. Like arming the coaches, and the  the teachers, and those that are trained and capable of doing that. Not actually taking away the Second Amendment and preventing people from being able to defend themselves because that’s only going to increase the death count of each one of these crazy incidents.

We’ve got to take a quick break, guys. More good news when we come back. Stay with us. You’re listening to WallBuilders live.

Moment From American History

This is Tim Barton from WallBuilders with another moment from American history. After the final victory at Yorktown the Continental Army awaited the outcome of peace negotiations with Great Britain.

Pastor Israel Evans, a chaplain in the army, proposed to George Washington that they build a structure where church services can be held during the months of waiting. Washington approved the plan and urges officers to ensure that the soldiers attend that service.

Pastor Evans further knew if we were to secure the liberties they had fought for, sound education would be crucial.

He declared, “€œEvery parent and every friend to the freedom of his country ought to be attentive to the improvement of our youth and the principles of freedom and good government. And then the people will stand fast in their liberty for a long time.”€ Our schools today need to return to teaching the principles of freedom and good government in order for America to survive and prosper. For more information about Pastor Israel Evans and other colonial Patriots go to WallBuilders.com

Rick:

Welcome back to WallBuilders Live. Thanks for staying with us on this Good News Friday. We”€™ve got time for a little bit more good news. David?

The Earliest Protecting Unborn Life Law in America

David:

I’m going to Iowa. And in Iowa, the Iowa legislature has just passed the earliest protecting unborn life law in America. They now require in Iowa that before you can do an abortion you have to check for a detectable heartbeat. If there is a detectable heartbeat, you cannot do an abortion. That means about six weeks.

Now, this is going to put this, this law is going to be headed directly to the courts because way back in Roe v. Wade the court said, “€œWell, we think the time of viability of life is about 20 weeks and so you can’t stop any abortion before that point in time.”€ And so what this does is say, “€œNow we’re * at the six weeks.”€

So, this is going to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s going to have to decide this. We are one vote away probably from winning that. Who knows, but what we may have someone on the Supreme Court by then that could do it.

Tim:

Right. There’s a lot of speculation that Justice Kennedy might be stepping down this summer.

David:

That”€™s right.

Tim:

And if he does, he would be the swing vote in this.

David:

That’s right. So, then if you have another Neil Gorsuch kind of guy this could be very interesting what the Supreme Court does.

David:

It could be very interesting. Now, here’s where it gets kind of interesting within the state. Because they passed this law and Kim Reynolds, bless her heart, great governor. She has stepped up and said, “€œAbsolutely, I’m going to sign this law.”€ Because people thought she might not because it’s clearly going to be a legal challenge in court. No question about it. She didn’t back away from that, she’s pushing this, she was– she said she’s 100 percent pro-life which is really good.

The Consequence of Elections

David:

And by the way, this is the consequence of elections. A recent election in Iowa where they flipped their Senate and in doing so they’re now getting pro-life laws out they could not get for a number of years.

But here’s the deal, Planned Parenthood, ACLU, all these others, are going to sue against this law. Planned Parenthood’s already announced they’re suing. So, it has to be defended by– who defends the laws when a state law gets attacked by someone?

Rick:

Usually there’s a solicitor general in that state.

David:

Not the solicitor general.

Tim:

Or the attorney general attorney.

Rick:

Yeah, the attorney general.

David:

The attorney general has to defend. Well, in Iowa, the attorney general is Tom Miller who is a pro abortion Democrat. So, the law has to be defended by him and he has just announced he is not going to defend that law. He said that conflicts with his core beliefs and so he’s recused himself from the case – not going to defend the law. But here’s the cool part – he recommended to the state that they get a outside group to defend the law. Rick:

No way.

Tim:

Wow. So, he actually recommended a really good law firm.

David:

A really good– it’s not a throw away law firm.

Tim:

Wow. It’s not like getting the law firm that does insurance for trucks or something.

Tim:

Wow.

David:

He got a pro life law– and kudos to him for not throwing the case. He’s going to give it a fair chance to be fought. And so the legislative council there in Iowa has accepted and they are going to have Thomas More Law Center defend this pro-life law all the way through if they can make it to the Supreme Court.

Liberal Courts Won”€™t Be So Liberal After Trump’s Nominees Are Confirmed

Rick:

That’s great news, guys. Thanks for bring us so much good news to us today. I know our listeners enjoy it. We get comments about it all the time. Folks, we want to give you more good news, we want to help equip you, and inspire you. So, go to WallBuildersLive.com, you can listen to the programs over the last few weeks. And we challenge you to share those with your friends and family. Help us spread the word and get this good news in the hands of other folks.

And then you can go to WallBuilders.com and use those materials there in your Sunday school class, and in your home schooling, or just educating your family every evening. Become a partner with us, come alongside WallBuilders Live and WallBuilders, help us do our work across the country and around the world. You can do that by going to WallBuilders.com, make a one time gift, or be one of our monthly donors to help spread this good news. Thanks for joining us today on WallBuilders Live.