Supreme Court Gets First-Ever Wall Calendar

In rare interviews, they discuss dynamics of Supreme Court shifts

(NEWSER) - When Sonia Sotomayor takes the bench for the first time next week, the Supreme Court will never be the same—as justice after justice tells C-Span in a rare interview program, each new member transforms the court's composition. John Roberts says that he looks at the bench "like people look at their families," and Clarence Thomas uses the same metaphor: "It changes the whole family. . . . You have to start all over. The chemistry is different." More»

(NEWSER) - The women of the Supreme Court—Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and now likely Sonia Sotomayor—may come from wildly different backgrounds, but they all shared a common childhood pastime: curling up with a Nancy Drew novel. What was it about that wholesome teenage detective? wonders Mary Jo Murphy in the New York Times. The books are not exactly masterpieces of prose, but they do show an image of justice. More»

NJ strip-search case reaches Supreme Court

(NEWSER) - Is it unconstitutional to strip-search every new inmate entering a jail? The Supreme Court will consider that question next month when it hears the case of Albert Florence, a 35-year-old New Jersey man who spent a week in jail because of a warrant that wrongfully said he was wanted for nonpayment of a fine. Florence is suing the two jails where he was strip-searched and detained, arguing that searching him for contraband when he had been arrested for a minor offense violated his constitutional protection against unreasonable searches, reports the Washington Post . More»

Obama too timid on federal nominees, with big issues coming

(NEWSER) - With big issues working their way toward the Supreme Court on such vital issues as health care reform, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, and police stops of undocumented immigrants, liberals need to be on guard, writes longtime court-watcher Emily Bazelon for the New York Times . Sure, there are solid progressives, such as Obama appointees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. But frequent swing vote Anthony Kennedy, while he may side with liberals on occasion, has a voting record on par with Ronald Reagan. More»

Oldest justice says her retirement is not imminent

(NEWSER) - Ruth Bader Ginsburg tells the AP , in a roundabout way, that she won't be retiring from the Supreme Court "anytime soon." The significance? Ginsburg is 78 and the court's oldest justice. She's also had health problems , and Democrats' worst-case scenario is that President Obama loses re-election, and Ginsburg has to retire soon afterward. She could, of course, retire now and allow Obama to make a new left-learning pick. More»