Meat-Riding the Constitution: Neil Gorsuch Just Threw a Molotov Cocktail at the Administrative State and Reddit is Losing Its Goddamn Mind
Alright, buckle up, buttercups. We’ve got a Supreme Court justice who’s apparently decided that his job isn’t just to interpret the law, but to personally fist-fight the entire federal government into a coma. I’m talking, of course, about Neil Gorsuch, the man who looks like he’s permanently smelling a fart from a century ago and just dropped a new book that’s basically the intellectual equivalent of a flamethrower aimed at the DMV.
Yeah, Neil “Small Government, Big Feelings” Gorsuch is back in the headlines, and he’s not just writing dry dissents about obscure tax codes anymore. He’s out here with a new book called *Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law*, and let me tell you, the vibes are… chaotic. He’s basically arguing that the United States has become a bureaucratic hellscape where you can’t sneeze without needing a permit from three different alphabet agencies, and he’s got the receipts to prove it.
And honestly? The man might have a point, even if he’s the last person on Earth I’d want to share a beer with.
So, what’s the big deal? In true Gorsuch fashion, he’s not just writing some dry, academic tome that’ll gather dust on a law library shelf. No, he’s dragging the administrative state through the mud by telling human interest stories. He’s talking about the guy who got his fishing boat seized for accidentally catching the wrong fish, the family that got eviscerated by a zoning law that even the bureaucrats didn’t understand, and the poor schmuck who spent a decade fighting the EPA over a puddle in his backyard.
This is the kind of shit that gets Reddit’s attention, because it’s not just about “big government bad.” It’s about the specific, soul-crushing ways that a mountain of regulations makes it impossible for normal people to just *live their lives* without getting sued into oblivion.
The reaction has been, predictably, a dumpster fire of mixed signals. The libertarian wing of the internet is having a collective orgasm, posting excerpts of Gorsuch asking, “Did you know there are literally 300 federal crimes you can commit without knowing you’re committing them?” Meanwhile, the progressive side of the aisle is having a full-blown meltdown, screaming that Gorsuch is just a corporate shill trying to dismantle the safety net so we can all go back to working in coal mines and breathing asbestos.
But here’s the thing that’s making this go viral: Gorsuch is not playing the usual political game. He’s not saying “We need less government to help the rich get richer.” He’s saying, “Look at this actual human being who had his entire life ruined because he didn’t fill out Form 27B-6 in triplicate while standing on one foot.” It’s the kind of “little guy vs. the machine” story that would get a standing ovation in any AITA post, especially if the little guy is a fisherman and the machine is a federal agency with a budget bigger than some countries.
And that’s where the 2024 election context comes in, because you know this is going to get weaponized. The Trump camp is already using Gorsuch’s book as a cudgel, saying “See? Even the Supreme Court knows the deep state is eating your lunch!” Meanwhile, the Biden administration is probably having a stroke trying to figure out how to respond without sounding like they love bureaucracy.
But let’s be real: the most viral part of this story is the sheer audacity of a Supreme Court justice writing a book that’s basically a 300-page rant about how the government sucks at its job. It’s like your dad finally snapped and wrote a manifesto about why the HOA can go fuck itself. It’s unhinged, it’s petty, and it’s kind of beautiful.
The kicker? Gorsuch isn’t just complaining. He’s actually suggesting solutions, like the “Major Questions Doctrine,” which basically tells federal agencies, “Hey, if you want to do something massively life-altering, you better have clear permission from Congress, not just a vague memo from 1972.” It’s the legal equivalent of saying, “Stop making shit up.”
And the internet, as always, has taken this and run with it. You’ve got people on r/law arguing about the nuances of Chevron deference. You’ve got people on r/politics calling Gorsuch a fascist for wanting to deregulate the chemical industry. And you’ve got the memes—oh, the memes. There’s already a picture of Gorshu
ch photoshopped onto the “This Is Fine” dog, sitting in a burning room of federal code. It’s perfect.
So, what’s the final verdict? Is Neil Gorsuch the hero we need, or just another asshole with a gavel? The jury’s still out, but one thing’s for sure: he’s making the most noise anyone in a black robe has made since RBG dropped her dissent collar. And in a world where the government can’t even figure out how to send a check on time, having a Supreme Court justice tell the bureaucracy to “calm the fuck down” is a pretty good start.
Final Thoughts
After reading through Gorsuch’s record, it’s hard to shake the feeling that his jurisprudence is less about a rigid political agenda and more about a genuine, almost libertarian skepticism of federal power—a thread that runs from his book on assisted suicide to his opinions on Chevron deference. Yet, for all his intellectual consistency on that front, his votes on social issues have aligned so neatly with the conservative base that the distinction between judicial philosophy and partisan outcome often feels academic. Ultimately, Gorsuch will be remembered as a craftsman of the law, but the legacy of his tenure will hinge on whether that craft was used to bolster the Court’s institutional authority or to quietly dismantle the administrative state.