My worry is that the pool of potential justices is itself too tainted anymore. Think about it; Ivy League is basically prerequisite, and those institutions have systematically purged all originalist sentiment ruthlessly. When one stops to consider the upbringing and life choice/life style of the type of person who would rise to be selected for the position, it is flat out incredible we can even get people as conservative/libertarian as we have appointed recently. It is only going to get worse as previous generations from more tolerant years are replaced by militant progressives.
As diligent about these types of constitutionalism issues as Mr. Cruz is (love him or hate him, he's basically the second most outspoken senator on this issue specifically behind Paul), it was he who first nominated Roberts. And even Roberts has shown unusual deference to state interests on certain politically sticky issues. Nothing is guaranteed, except that who ever is chosen will probably be completely ignorant of firearms and their rightful place in this nation.
Do Thomas, Alito, or Roberts hunt, or do any shooting at all? I have only heard Scalia (of course) and Kagan of all people have any kind of exposure to firearms, if only recreationally. This is DC where guns are essentially banned, and these judges come from cities where guns are despised, and educated in elitist schools promoting the idea the state should possess a monopoly on force. How can ignorant justices possibly become educated on this issue?
All this naively ignores the blatant politicization going on, and it still seems nearly insurmountable. Court's going to swing left for a generation or two, it's inevitable (it is a lagging indicator of the populace, after all), but will it be enough to permanently mar gun rights? Depends on whether the justices prefer to be politically popular, or popularly relevant. If we get rational-basis decisions masquerading as strict scrutiny, their opinions will become meaningless in short order.
"Am I the only one here that thinks the Justice Dep't blocks an autopsy?"
As much as my shock compels me to think there must be some explanation here, there isn't. Were foul play at work, the system is already irretrievably broken and spiraling down to the next Great Terror...and I'm not buying that just yet. Roberts may have been blackmailed for the O-care rulings, but that is hardly unprecedented --an assassination is on a whole other level, and can't possibly be protected by the powers that be. Scalia was 79; death after a strenuous day of hunting is extremely plausible.
God bless him and keep him. Pretty much the only friend of gun rights at that level of political power, who actually acted in our interest in any way whatsoever.
TCB