Federal Judge Writes ‘Epiphany Of Ideocracy’ In Epitome Of Idiocy

Simple typos happen. It’s a fact of life that no matter how many hours however many eyes pore over your documents, at some point a dumb typo will make it through. But when a federal judge manages to brutally cock up a turn of phrase — especially the phrase he intends as his big “gotcha” moment to prove his MAGA bona fides — it’s not a typo, it’s just the epitome of idiocy.

Which, as it happens, is the phrase that Trump judge James Cain Jr. of the Western District of Louisiana was reaching for in his 62-page manifesto striking down the federal government’s temporary ban on liquid natural gas exports to countries that have not signed LNG free trade agreements with the U.S. pending an evaluation of their impact on economic, environmental, and national security grounds.

Instead he wrote… this:

The Court has reviewed the voluminous studies attached as exhibits, all of which boast of both the economic and environmental benefits of exporting natural gas. It appears that the DOE’s decision to halt the permit approval process for entities to export LNG to non-FTA countries is completely without reason or logic and is perhaps the epiphany of ideocracy.

Putting aside the propriety of a federal judge using a written opinion to insult the federal government, if that’s the play… you absolutely cannot whiff so bad that the accusation is a confession.

As to the substance of his claim that halting the approval process for non-FTA countries made no sense, that… doesn’t make sense either. The U.S. still allowed LNG exports to FTA countries — that is, countries where we have a Free Trade Agreement for natural gas — only blocking new permits for countries outside those treaties. The ban even left in place all currently approved export permits, only putting a halt on future deals. But 15 Republican-managed states filed suit seeking to force the government to approve more permits. The next time the GOP complains about “energy independence” or “lowering the price of energy,” remember that they ran to court to STOP natural gas from staying in the U.S. or going to our allies in favor of sending it to… China, which is both the world’s largest importer of LNG and the second-largest re-exporter, taking the LNG it buys from the U.S. and reselling it at a profit.

[UPDATE: My colleague Chris points out that “ideocracy” — despite appearing as a misspelling — can mean “government based on ideology.” Which could mean the judge only botched the epiphany/epitome distinction.]

In the interest of fairness, it’s possible that the judge — rather than reaching for “idiocy” — was hoping to invoke the concept of “government by idiots.” And yet, that’s not even how you’d spell that! That would be an “idiocracy.” See how that word doesn’t cause the word processor to draw squiggly red lines underneath it?

But if red flags were a problem for Trump-appointed judges, then the Fifth Circuit would produce very different rulings.

Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.