Supreme Court Won't Hear Wiretapping Case

Panel KOs warrantless wiretapping case on procedural grounds

(NEWSER) - Although it raises a "cascade of serious questions," a federal appeals court will not hear a case about the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program because the plaintiffs can't prove they've suffered direct harm. In a 2-1 decision, the Sixth Circuit court dismissed the case, brought by the ACLU and several other parties, without addressing its merits, the Times reports. More»

Slam ex-prez over authorizing waterboarding

(NEWSER) - The ACLU and some US officials are calling for a criminal investigation of George W. Bush after he acknowledged directly authorizing the use of waterboarding ("damn right") in Decision Points and throughout his book tour, the Huffington Post reports. “The admission cannot be ignored,” wrote the ACLU in a letter to the attorney general. “In our system, no one is above the law or beyond its reach, not even a former president.” More»

Theft follows Court ruling that cross can stay put

(NEWSER) - Somebody unhappy with the high court appears to have taken the law into their own hands by making off with the controversial 7-foot-tall cross that the Court recently ruled could remain on display in the Mojave Desert. The cross, a memorial to soldiers who died in World War I, vanished on Sunday from the Mojave National Preserve, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

Enough already with Harvard and Yale: blogger

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court and White House may as well be decorated in ivy, complains David Bernstein. "Once Elena Kagan gets confirmed, every Supreme Court Justice will have attended Harvard or Yale law schools," he writes. And Kagan—whose bachelor's degree, for the record, is from Princeton—was nominated by a Harvard-educated president who beat Yale and Harvard opponents to succeed a Yalie who himself succeeded ... oh, you get the picture. More»

Bush put US on path to banana republic status

(NEWSER) - The 2000s were dominated by George W. Bush and the new American oligarchy he represents, writes Juan Cole. He lists hit 10 lowest points of an awful decade:

• “The constitutional coup of 2000,” in which “ugly racial and other low tricks” and a “far right-wing Supreme Court” delivered the election to the worst president in history.