NRA Fails to Win Votes Against Sotomayor

Senate judiciary chair: it's a 'reasonable schedule'

(AP) - Confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor will convene on July 13, says the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman. Patrick Leahy said the date represents a "reasonable schedule" that would give committee members several more weeks to prepare. President Obama has urged the Senate to vote before it leaves for a congressional recess in August; Republicans have pressed for more time to consider the nomination. More»

Or at least, with parts of it

(NEWSER) - Today the Supreme Court heard the final arguments in the case over Arizona's controversial immigration law, and it's not looking good for the Obama administration. Justices seemed decidedly skeptical about the Justice Department's central argument that the law impinged on the federal government's power to control immigration, the Washington Post reports. "What could possibly be wrong," John Roberts asked, with having police check detainees' immigration status, and pass the information to the federal government? More»

'I hope it is a long life,' dad tells gathering

(NEWSER) - The National Rifle Association just gained a new lifetime member: Bella, the 3-year-old daughter of Rick Santorum. He revealed his toddler's enlistment in a speech at the NRA's annual meeting in St. Louis today, reports CNN . "(My wife) Karen and I are life members of the NRA, and we wanted to announce today that ... now Bella is a life member of the NRA, too," he said. "I hope it is a long life." She suffers from a usually fatal chromosomal disorder called Trisomy 18. More»

Most seem inclined to let parts of it stand

(NEWSER) - If the individual mandate is deemed unconstitutional , should the rest of President Obama's health care reform die with it? Supreme Court justices wrestled with that question today in the third and final day of arguments, with the challengers' lead attorney stating his case simply: “If the individual mandate is unconstitutional, then the rest of the act cannot stand," said Paul D. Clement. That got a mixed reaction, reports the Washington Post and New York Times :

• Antonin Scalia: He sounded sympathetic. “My approach would be to say that if you take the heart out of this statute, the statute’s gone.”
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg: She disagreed. “There are so many things in this act that are unquestionably OK,” she said. If the choice is between "a wrecking operation and a salvage job, a more conservative approach would be a salvage job."

It's already legal in 4 states, but gun control advocates appalled

(NEWSER) - Bills are in the works in at least 12 states to allow residents to buy and carry concealed weapons without a permit, USA Today reports. Gun control advocates are naturally appalled. "They want a gun in every nook and cranny in society with no permission needed," fumed a Brady Campaign official. "This is just a recipe for disaster." But proponents point out that the four states that already allow carrying guns without a permit—Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, and Wyoming—have low crime rates. More»