Few
things
capture
the
current
state
of
constitutional
discourse
quite
like
Matt
Damon’s
Saturday
Night
Live
imagining
of
Brett
Kavanaugh,
drunk
after
ordering
a
“6-3
decision”
(i.e.,
six
Bud
Lights
and
three
shots
of
Jamo),
solemnly
explaining
that
Donald
Trump
can
serve
a
third
term
because
he
found
the
“original
Constitution”
and
wrote
“SIKE”
at
the
end
of
it
—
presumably
in
Sharpie,
right
next
the
22nd
Amendment.
It’s
the
kind
of
joke
that
works
because
it
feels
only
marginally
more
ridiculous
than
the
actual
legal
theories
currently
floating
around
American
politics.
The
sketch
immediately
went
viral
online,
with
entertainment
outlets
and
viewers
alike
latching
onto
the
sheer
dumb
elegance
of
the
bit:
Trump
allegedly
discovering
a
constitutional
loophole
by
vandalizing
America’s
founding
document.
The
cold
open
was
less
“political
satire”
and
more
“lightly
fictionalized
documentary.”
More
than
anything
else,
though,
the
sketch
landed
because
it
said
the
quiet
part
out
loud:
a
growing
number
of
Americans
genuinely
believe
this
Supreme
Court
could
eventually
try
to
find
a
way
to
let
Trump
run
for
a
third
term.
Of
course,
this
is
hardly
the
first
time
Damon’s
Kavanaugh
has
become
instant
SNL
canon.
His
original
2018
appearance
screaming
about
beer
and
calendars
during
the
confirmation
hearings
remains
one
of
the
show’s
most
memorable
political
cold
opens.
The
“sike
Constitution”
gag
may
be
the
purest
distillation
yet
of
the
Court’s
current
public
image:
less
solemn
guardians
of
precedent,
more
guys
workshopping
constitutional
interpretation
after
a
whisky
drink,
a
vodka
drink,
a
lager
drink,
and
a
cider
drink.
Check
out
the
sketch
below:
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to email her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
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