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13 May 2009 22:18

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U.S.: Ladies! Judges! Cabinet members! Obama plays his Supreme Court cards

  • Five of Obama’s six possible choices are women, and just one is a dude. We wonder which way he’s leaning. Clearly, it’s with the guy. Because he’s dropping tons of hints. source
  • The judicial choices are two female appeals court justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Wood, and a male Calif. Supreme Court justice, Carlos Moreno. source
  • Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who argues for the government in Supreme Court cases, is also a possibility. Plus, she knows everyone on the bench already. Hooray! source
  • Outside of the courtroom are Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano, both of whom are fairly well-known. source
  • Whoever wins the race to become the next Supreme Court justice, we recommend using extra Lysol on David Souter’s chair, because who knows where that guy’s been? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2009 12:42

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U.S.: Justice David Souter’s former clerks have nice things to say

  • Although he’s someone who doesn’t like to spend a lot of time out in high society, he is a really warm and engaging person, and in fact quite a talented story teller and sort of off-the-cuff speaker.
  • Meir Feder • One of Souter’s former clerks in 1990, on her former boss, who was famously not into high society. Obama plans to replace Souter on the court with a similarly independent-minded thinker. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 May 2009 11:16

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U.S.: The Supreme Court’s losing David Souter to retirement

  • Outta here in June Souter, who’s served on the court since 1990, will be leaving to retire at the end of the term in June. Compared to other justices (looking at you, John Paul Stevens), he’s not particularly old, but he is 69, and would be eligible for social security if he wanted it. source
  • Outta here in June Souter, who’s served on the court since 1990, will be leaving to retire at the end of the term in June. Compared to other justices (looking at you, John Paul Stevens), he’s not particularly old, but he is 69, and would be eligible for social security if he wanted it.
  • The balance won’t change In terms of political balance, Souter’s departure likely won’t change things much. A George H.W. Bush appointee, he actually became one of the court’s most noted liberals. Unless Obama leans right, the makeup of votes won’t change. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Apr 2009 10:30

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U.S.: Could part of the Voting Rights Act get flipped over?

  • At some point you have to say we’ve come far enough. Why do we and the other affected jurisdictions have to have the federal government looking over our shoulder?
  • Gregory S. Coleman • Attorney for the Northwest Austin, Tx. Municipal Utility District, who argues that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is too archaic and outdated. The section requires that the Justice Department approve changes in voting procedure for jurisdictions covered by the law (essentially, those with a history of disenfranchised voters). Coleman and the district will be arguing the case in front of the Supreme Court today, and many will be watching closely. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2009 14:49

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Culture, U.S.: A artistic, graphical, humorous approach to The Supreme Court

Maira Kalman takes to drawing her thoughts on the history of the court and the “elegant” Ruth Bader Ginsburg. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Apr 2009 10:36

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U.S.: Norm Coleman drags the Minnesota Senate seat fight out – again

  • The Minnesota tradition in law [is] to enfranchise people, and their decision disenfranchises many Minnesotans whose votes have been wrongly rejected.
  • Norm Coleman • Who has bitterly fought Al Franken in a tightly-contested senate race that should have ended six months ago, considering it’s almost May. With just a couple hundred votes separating the two, Franken was declared winner in a court decision, but Coleman filed an appeal with the Minnesota Supreme Court. You know, we understand why Coleman’s fighting so hard, but there has to be a point where you just give it up out of respect for a state which hasn’t had proper representation for nearly four months. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Apr 2009 10:07

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U.S.: Why are these women so happy? They can get married.

Vermont passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, and Iowa’s supreme court legalized it. Can you feel the love? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

05 Mar 2009 22:43

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U.S.: Gay marriage goes to the California Supreme Court

And the supporters for (and detractors against) same-sex marriages came out. Oof. That pun hurt. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2009 22:17

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Tech, U.S.: The latest type of Supreme Court evidence: YouTube videos

This video of a police officer repeatedly tasering a motorist was shown in a recent case. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Feb 2009 08:53

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U.S.: Ruth Bader Ginsburg has pancreatic cancer; will she survive?

  • <5% of all pancreatic cancer patients survive beyond five years after the diagnosis, mostly because of a lack of early diagnosis source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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