US Supreme Court

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GOP Unsure How Big of a Brawl It Wants
GOP Unsure How Big of a Brawl It Wants
ANALYSIS
Jul 12, 2009 1:26 PM CDT

GOP Unsure How Big of a Brawl It Wants

Sotomayor battle could be jolt the party needs —or invite backlash

(Newser) - To fight, or not to fight—that is the question for the fractious GOP on the matter of Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, and one that may not be easy to answer. On the one hand, taking a united stand against the Democratic nominee could energize the Republican base and...

Princeton Adviser Recalls Sotomayor's Grade-A Thesis

Not 'best student', but the 'most transformed'

(Newser) - Count Sonia Sotomayor's Princeton thesis adviser among her strongest supporters to reach the Supreme Court. Peter Winn, writing in the Washington Post, recalls that her judicial skills were evident even as an undergrad. "After conquering Princeton, she is unlikely to be fazed by another institution legendary for its white...

Sure Sotomayor Is Tough&mdash;as She Should Be
Sure Sotomayor Is Tough—as She Should Be
OPINION
Jul 10, 2009 9:13 AM CDT

Sure Sotomayor Is Tough—as She Should Be

Arguing a case before her isn't fun, but that's not a bad thing

(Newser) - Sonia Sotomayor may be a self-proclaimed “bear on the bench,” but the critics saying she's too harsh are way off base, writes constitutional lawyer Floyd Abrams in the Wall Street Journal. Abrams has argued multiple cases before Sotomayor. “Her questions are tough and fair, demanding and acute....

Ginsburg: Bring On Sonia

(Newser) - Ruth Bader Ginsburg can't wait for Sonia Sotomayor to join her on the Supreme Court. In a lively Q&A with Emily Bazelon for the New York Times magazine, Ginsburg says she's tired of being the lone female justice. "It’s almost like being back in law school in...

Firefighter Ruling Leaves Guidelines as Muddy as Ever

Employers likely to ditch written tests altogether to avoid discrimination suits

(Newser) - Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling in favor of a group of white firefighters looks likely to be a boon for employment lawyers instead of cities seeking clear guidance, experts tell the New York Times. The court's ruling makes it harder for employers to chuck out tests that overwhelmingly favor whites, and...

Roberts Court Takes Narrow Path to the Right
Roberts Court Takes Narrow Path to the Right
ANALYSIS
Jun 30, 2009 6:28 AM CDT

Roberts Court Takes Narrow Path to the Right

Supremes offer more modest rulings, put up barriers to lawsuits

(Newser) - The Supreme Court shifted further to the right in its 2008-09 term, ended yesterday, particularly on issues of civil rights and environmental protection. As USA Today reports, the conservative bloc led by John Roberts used several rulings to set tougher standards for individuals bringing suit, and it offered narrower opinions...

Tossed Ruling No Rebuke to Sotomayor: Dems

Firefighter decision shows judicial 'modesty'

(Newser) - Democrats are struggling to paint the Supreme Court’s rejection today of an opinion by nominee Sonia Sotomayor as proof that she is, in fact, not an “activist judge,” Roll Call reports. The high court decided to reverse Sotomayor’s 2nd Circuit ruling against white New Haven firefighters...

Souter Says Goodbye to Supreme Court

On his final day, a testament to friendship in the face of dissent

(Newser) - David Souter bid farewell to the Supreme Court today, but not before taking a moment to reflect on the rewarding bonds forged between him and his fellow justices, the AP reports. Though he will leave the court, Souter told his colleagues in an open letter that he would not “...

High Court Rules for White Firefighters

5-4 decision reverses appeals panel that included Sotomayor

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge. In a 5-4 ruling along ideological lines, the court said that New Haven was wrong...

Roberts Labors to Bring Divided Court Together
Roberts Labors to Bring Divided Court Together
ANALYSIS
Jun 29, 2009 7:35 AM CDT

Roberts Labors to Bring Divided Court Together

Chief scores 2 big 8-1 decisions last week, but Supremes still split

(Newser) - John Roberts told the Senate in 2005 that the Supreme Court was too polarized, and as chief justice he promised to encourage harmony between the court's left and right blocs. Last week he delivered, with two 8-1 decisions on the Voting Rights Act and the strip-search of a 13-year-old girl....

62% Want Sotomayor on Court: Poll

Nominee's politics 'about right'

(Newser) - Some 62% of Americans want Sonia Sotomayor confirmed to the high court, with 55% saying her place in the political spectrum is "about right," the Washington Post reports. Her numbers, however, vary on partisan lines: About eight in 10 Dems and two-thirds of independents want her on the...

Court: Defendants Can Question Crime Lab

Scientists must be brought to court

(Newser) - A 5-4 Supreme Court ruling yesterday gives defendants the chance to face authors of crime lab reports in their cases. Prosecutors who want to use lab testing undertaken for a given case will be required to bring its authors to court, where the defense can confront them. The ruling shows...

Strip Search of Middle School Student Illegal: Supremes

(Newser) - An Arizona middle school's strip search of a teenage girl accused of having prescription-strength ibuprofen was illegal, the Supreme Court ruled today. School officials violated the law with their search of Savana Redding, the justices said in an 8-1 ruling. Redding, who now attends college, was 13 when school officials...

Court Will Quash Key Voting Act Provision—Next Time

(Newser) - Today’ non-decision by the Supreme Court on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is actually a stern repudiation, Tom Goldstein writes for SCOTUSblog. Reading between the lines, Goldstein surmises that the court will strike down Section 5 when the next challenge comes if Congress does not significantly alter it...

Supreme Court Sidesteps Major Voting-Rights Ruling

(Newser) - The Supreme Court ruled narrowly today in a challenge to the Voting Rights Act, exempting a small Texas district from a key provision of the law, but side-stepping the larger constitutional issue. The act requires Southern areas with a history of discrimination to get advance federal approval before changing election...

Sotomayor Proves Poor Lightning Rod for GOP

Nominee fight doesn't boost fundraising

(Newser) - After nearly a month in the public eye, Sonia Sotomayor isn’t proving nearly as controversial as Republicans had hoped, Politico reports. “She doesn’t have the punch out there in terms of fundraising and recruiting, at least so far," said Republican congressman John Thune. Things could change...

Obama May Soon Face Decisions on Death Penalty
Obama May Soon Face Decisions on Death Penalty
ANALYSIS
Jun 21, 2009 12:50 PM CDT

Obama May Soon Face Decisions on Death Penalty

Cases might alter president's support for narrow use of executions

(Newser) - As if reviving the economy, reforming health care, taming North Korea, and forging relations with Iran weren’t challenges enough, President Obama may soon have to deal with the death penalty. Within months, the cases of six federal death-row inmates, all black and all convicted of capital murder, could land...

Sotomayor Quits Elite Women-Only Club

Republicans say Belizean Grove membership violates judicial code

(Newser) - Sonia Sotomayor has ended her membership in an exclusive women-only club following pressure from GOP lawmakers, Politico reports. Senators suggested the Supreme Court nominee's membership in the Belizean Grove—a 120-strong club of influential women that hosts annual Latin American retreats—violated codes of conduct banning judges from belonging to...

Supremes Make Age-Bias Suits Harder to Prove

Ruling puts burden of proof on workers

(Newser) - Workers who sue their employers for age discrimination will find their cases much harder to win under a Supreme Court ruling issued yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports. The court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that it is up to employees who believe they were fired or demoted because of...

Convicts Don't Have Right to Test DNA: Supreme Court

(Newser) - The Supreme Court said today that convicts have no constitutional right to test DNA evidence in hopes of proving their innocence long after they were found guilty of a crime. The court ruled 5-4, with the conservative justices in the majority, against William Osborne, an Alaska man convicted in a...

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