Supreme Court Limits Power of Voting Rights Act

Republican upset over president's Supreme Court comments

(NEWSER) - Sen. Charles Grassley is in hot water today after a tweet Saturday in which the Iowa Republican called President Obama stupid. "Constituents askd why i am not outraged at PresO attack on supreme court independence. Bcause Am ppl r not stupid as this x prof of con law," Grassley tweeted . CNN notes that Grassley has long been quite vocal in his criticism of Obama, and this time around he was apparently upset at Obama's comments on the possibility of the "unelected" Supreme Court overturning ObamaCare. Obama's senior campaign strategist David Axelrod was quick to respond. More»

Supreme Court will hear arguments on health care law's individual mandate

(NEWSER) - Today's the big day: The Supreme Court will hear arguments on the focal point of the challenge to President Obama's health care law, the individual mandate. If the mandate is upheld, everyone in the US will be required to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty; it's up to the high court to decide whether such a requirement oversteps government bounds. A ruling is expected in the summer, the AP reports; yesterday, the justices signaled that they would not be putting off a decision until 2015. More»

Today's the day at the Supreme Court

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court will hear three days of arguments on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law starting today, and Politico offers up five things to keep an eye on:

• Do politics enter the discussion? It will be difficult for the justices to ignore the political debate that has raged over this issue, and liberal justices could argue that the voters should ultimately decide on the law's constitutionality by voting Obama out (or not). Some opponents of the law actually hope the court upholds it, ensuring GOP voters are fired up to throw Obama out of office in November.
• What questions will the justices ask? The justices already know the case inside and out and don't have many "real" questions to ask, one expert explains. Therefore, the questions they do ask will be aimed at swaying their colleagues to their way of thinking. If John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, or Anthony Kennedy is going to provide the winning vote to Obama's side, the biggest hint may come in the questions they ask.

They say judge strayed too far from legislature's vision

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court threw out a federal court's draft of a Texas electoral map, saying it strayed too far from the one drawn by the state's Republican legislature. The decision, which was issued by the court as a whole, rather than signed by an individual justice, is a near-term win for Republicans, likely guaranteeing them a friendly 2012 map, Politico reports. More»

NH, Wisconsin, North Carolina could make it trickier for students to vote

(NEWSER) - Republican state legislators across the US are stirring up controversy with proposals to tighten voting laws in ways that would affect college kids. The Washington Post points to a particularly heated bill in New Hampshire that would bar out-of-state students from voting in their college towns. Opponents say the efforts, which also include requiring state-issued IDs at the polls, are simply veiled attempts to cut down on Democratic demographics—a criticism fueled by the New Hampshire House speaker’s comment that "foolish" college kids, lacking "life experience," vote "as a liberal." More»