Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

03 May 2010 16:03

tags

U.S.: High Court justices upset that they can’t walk in through the front

  • I write in the hope that the public will one day in the future be able to enter the Court’s Great Hall after passing under the famous words ‘Equal Justice Under Law.’
  • Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer • On the new security measures for the main entrance to the Supreme Court – a giant stairwell designed by Cass Gilbert back in the 1930s. Now, instead of being able to enter that bastion of law and justice as it was designed, people now have to enter through the side and go through security. Both Breyer and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg complained about the changes, with Breyer saying about Gilbert’s design, “Time has proven the success of Gilbert’s vision: To many members of the public, this Court’s main entrance and front steps are not only a means to, but also a metaphor for, access to the Court itself.” We wonder what the more right-leaning justices think about this change. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 May 2010 09:20

tags

U.S.: Elena Kagan could be the rare SCOTUS justice who wasn’t a judge

  • 1972 the last time a new justice wasn’t a judge source
  • » The nature of nominees: Many Supreme Court justices, beyond being judges already, tend to be East Coast, Ivy League, and largely have careers in government. Kagan, the current Solicitor General and a leading candidate for the Supreme Court post, fits that bill, too. She was nominated for a judicial post in 1999 but had her nomination stalled, does share other things in common with Supreme Court judges. Her career path is very similar to that of Chief Justice John Roberts, minus, you know, the judging.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Apr 2010 23:15

tags

Politics: The Supreme Court is over its head when it comes to sexting

  • Does it say: ‘Your call is important to us, and we will get back to you?’
  • Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy • Trying to wrap his head around the idea of sending a text message, as part of a case on sexting involving the . He’s not the only justice who doesn’t understand this newfangled technology. Fellow Justice Antonin Scalia showed off the fact that he’s old by saying this gem: “Could [the plaintiff, Sergeant Jeff] Quon print these spicy little conversations and send them to his buddies?” Because cell phones have printers. These people, by the way, are setting the law of the land, yet they don’t know what the heck they’re talking about. Should we be nervous? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2010 20:03

tags

Politics: People like today’s Supreme Court ruling on dogfighting

  • The ruling struck down a law barring the distribution of animal cruelty videos. Today’s Supreme Court decision may be the strongest across-the-board decision they’ve made in a while, finding in favor of documentary producer Robert Stevens, who sold dogfighting videos that violated a 1999 law (and was jailed for the practice). In this case, free speech won, but by the way everyone’s talking, you’d think both sides won:
  • Free-speech fans A lawyer for the Cato Institute, which filed a brief in the case, said it was a win for free speech, no matter what kind: “The government’s effort to remove any area of public expression from the First Amendment’s protection would have been highly troubling.”
  • Animal Cruelty fighters The U.S. Humane Society saw silver lining in the court’s 8-1 decision: “The Supreme Court’s decision gives us a clear pathway to enact a narrower ban on the sale of videos depicting malicious acts of cruelty, including animal crush videos and dogfighting.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2010 11:30

tags

Politics: Bill Clinton: Me or Hillary on Supreme Court a bad idea

  • Because I’m already 63-years-old, I hope I live to be 90. I hope I’m just as healthy as Justice Stevens is. But it’s not predictable. I’d like to see him put someone in there, late 40s, early 50s, on the court and someone with a lot of energy for the job.
  • Former President Bill Clinton • Regarding the possibility of his becoming Supreme Court justice. He says that, while he’d enjoy the job, it’d be better to choose someone younger. He also discounts the possibility of Hillary’s nomination. “She’s like me, you know, we’re kind of doers. We like being out there and doing things, rowing our own boat and making changes we could see happen.” So that’s that. Clinton recommends putting someone on the court who hasn’t been a judge before, who knows the impact of their decisions. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2010 21:18

tags

Politics: Is Hillary Clinton REALLY a Supreme Court candidate?

  • NO Orrin Hatch was just pulling
    our collective leg source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2010 09:10

tags

Politics: This should wake you up: Hillary Clinton, Supreme Court nominee?

  • Whoa, what did he just say? Our boy Orrin Hatch was on The Today Show this morning and dropped this bombshell. Hillary Clinton is a possibility for Supreme Court justice. If this is true, it’d be a major change for the court, because everyone knows Hillary and she’d already come with a long history. Oh, and she just ran for president a year or two ago.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Apr 2010 16:40

tags

U.S.: Obama’s gonna have fun filling John Paul Stevens’ shoes

  • 35 number of years John Paul Stevens served on the Supreme Court; Obama says “he leaves at the top of his game”
  • ten the number of names on
    Obama’s replacement list (we hope one is John Paul Jones, just for spits and giggles) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Apr 2010 10:55

tags

U.S.: Twitter debates John Paul Stevens’ and Bart Stupak’s retirements



Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Apr 2010 10:51

tags

U.S.: Bart Stupak, John Paul Stevens: Today’s a good day for liberals to retire

  • Stupak Apparently worn out from the health care debate, where he played a front-and-center role, he plans to retire at the end of this term.
  • Stevens The liberal justice, almost 90, had been considering this decision for months. Now he’s firmly decided – he retires this Summer.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>