Concurrence Hell
I enjoy reading the little paragraph at the end of a Supreme Court decision syllabus summarizing who voted with whom. They tell you how complicated any particular court decision is. Here are some...
View ArticleTonight’s Debate
I watched the debate tonight. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but: I think Clinton definitely had the better evening. Obama seemed off his game. The questions were appalling — Charles Gibson and...
View ArticleBrimley/Stritch
From an article about the upcoming “Sex and the City” movie: While the film revolves around Carrie and Big’s wedding, Mr. King was insistent that no mother or father of the bride be shown. “My idea...
View ArticleU.S. Senate Vacancies
Vacant U.S. Senate seats are in the news lately. Obama, Biden, and Clinton are all leaving office; Illinois legislators are talking about passing a law to prevent Gov. Blagojevich from appointing...
View ArticleJudicial Liberalism Not Happening
If you believe in judicial liberalism — which I sometimes do and, to be honest, sometimes don’t — the current direction of the Court is a little depressing. Tom Goldstein, Supreme Court analyst...
View ArticleSotomayor’s First Mention
Justice Sotomayor gets her first acknowledgment in an official Supreme Court opinion! Okay, all it says is, “JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR took no part in the consideration or decision of these motions and this...
View ArticleJustice Stevens
So, it looks like Justice Stevens might be retiring next spring, or so say the Supreme Court kremlinologists. Justices usually hire clerks a year in advance, and Stevens has hired just one for the...
View ArticleNew Yorker on Marriage Equality Lawsuit
The New Yorker has a terrific article by Margaret Talbot on the marriage equality case, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, that began yesterday in San Francisco. It has pretty much everything you need to know...
View ArticleSCOTUS: No Cameras in Prop 8 Trial
“Irreparable harm.” Nobody expected the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved in the Prop 8 case so soon, but a couple of hours ago, the Court issued an order preventing the broadcast of the Prop 8 trial...
View ArticleStevens to Retire; Appoint a Woman!
So, there it is… Justice Stevens is retiring at the end of this term, the day after the Supreme Court begins its summer recess. First, some geekery. His retirement date means that he’ll just miss...
View Article
