2nd Amendment call was a question for states: legal scholars
New York Times Oct 21, 08 8:10 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Last summer's Supreme Court decision that ruled citizens have an individual right to possess guns drew hosannas from the American right wing. But now the court's ruling is coming under attack—from conservative legal scholars. As the New York Times reports, two Reagan-appointed judges have called DC v. Heller the conservative version of Roe v. Wade, unjustly transferring a political question from the states into the courts.
More »
analysis
Most state and city
laws appear safe,
others will challenge
New York Times Jun 26, 08 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Today's Supreme Court ruling upholding an individual's right to bear arms is unlikely to lead to sweeping changes across the nation, the New York Times reports. Gun laws in most cites and states—putting restrictions on felons and the mentally ill, for example, or banning guns in certain settings—appear to be safe. The biggest impact will be in cities with the most restrictive laws—DC, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Detroit—where a wave of legal challenges no doubt awaits.
More »
ANALYSIS
Obama steps back
from support of ban; McCain smells red meat, slams rival
Talking Points Memo Jun 26, 08 4:17 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Barack Obama and John McCain were firing away even before the Supreme Court's Second Amendment salvo today, Talking Points Memo notes. The Democrat backed away from a year-old comment (by an aide) that he thought Washington’s handgun ban was constitutional; the Republican smacked his opponent for flip-flopping—even using a reference to Obama's much-publicized remarks about "bitter" Americans and guns.
More »
ANALYSIS
Supreme Court's 5-4 decision "takes certain policy choices off the table"
Washington Post Jun 26, 08 2:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Supreme Court’s decision today striking down Washington's handgun ban represented a change in interpreting the Second Amendment. The court’s 5-4 vote split down partisan lines, the Post reports, with Justices Scalia, Roberts, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito in opposition to Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer. "The enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table," Scalia wrote.
More »
Justices will hand down 26 of the most contentious opinions beginning today
USA Today Jun 9, 08 8:49 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Supreme Court is poised to begin unveiling decisions today in some of the year's most heated cases, reports USA Today . As the term winds down, the 26 final opinions will be released on select days in June, and include clashes over Guantanamo detainees, DC's handgun ban, and the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
More »
ANALYSIS
5-4 votes that characterized last
term grow scarce
New York Times May 23, 08 2:35 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Supreme Court divisions expected after Samuel Alito replaced Sandra Day O’Connor materialized last term but have since disappeared in a tide of consensus. Only one of 35 cases this term has been decided 5 to 4. Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times looks at a once-predictable panel that seems to be emphasizing concessions over confrontations.
More »
Appeals courts, where the real action is,
continue to weaken federal authority
USA Today May 12, 08 5:36 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Ronald Reagan’s influence on American courts remains unprecedented, and his transformation of the nomination process is only part of the story. With sheer numbers and ideological consistency, Reagan created a legacy that will influence American justice well into the 21st century, and perhaps beyond, USA Today reports.
More »
He says politics
played no role in the court's decision
CBS Apr 24, 08 6:20 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
"Get over it," Justice Antonin Scalia tells critics who accuse the Supreme Court of letting political motivations affect its 2000 decision in Bush v. Gore. Plus, Al Gore was responsible for pushing the Florida recount through the courts, Scalia points out in an upcoming 60 Minutes interview. And while he's a self-confessed social conservative, "it does not affect my views on cases," he says.
More »
Conservative justice will plug stance as he pitches new book
USA Today Apr 18, 08 2:20 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
After years of courting controversy but shunning publicity, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is about to go on a media offensive, reports USA Today. The conservative Scalia, who has notoriously kept the press away from his public appearances, allowed C-SPAN recently to broadcast a question-and-answer session with students. He'll also appear on 60 Minutes this month. Why? He's plugging a book he co-authored on legal arguments.
More »
Blacks wrongly blocked from jury in case compared to OJ
Washington Post Mar 20, 08 5:09 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a former Marine awaiting execution on Louisiana's death row. Allen Snyder, an African-American, was convicted of fatally stabbing his estranged wife and her boyfriend, but the court ruled 7-2 that prosecutors acted improperly by using its challenges to seat an all-white jury, reports the Washington Post .
More »
Decision restricts suits under state law over devices OK'd by feds
New York Times Feb 20, 08 6:20 PM CST
(Newser)
-
A Supreme Court ruling today makes it nearly impossible for patients and their families to sue makers of federally approved medical devices under state law. The court ruled 8-1 in favor of cardiovascular device company Medtronic, dismissing a suit brought by a patient injured after one of the company's balloon catheters burst during an angioplasty, the New York Times reports.
More »
Most Supremes go to polls today; Roberts votes only in general elections
Washington Post Feb 12, 08 11:35 AM CST
(Newser)
-
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia always exercise their right to vote, and John Roberts goes to the polls only for general elections, the Washington Post reports. Six of the nine Supreme Court justices—five in Virginia, one in DC—are eligible to participate in today’s primaries, and the chief justice is likely qualified in Maryland.
More »
Justices cite low chance of painful death, lack of better option
Los Angeles Times Jan 7, 08 2:49 PM CST
(Newser)
-
As the Supreme Court opened its hearing on lethal injection today, justices expressed serious doubts that the method amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, the LA Times reports. Most of the panel, including Chief Justice John Roberts, seemed unconvinced that the three-chemical cocktail results in a painful death, or that a better option exists. A national moratorium is in place while the high court weighs the issue.
More »
But press overstates endorsement power, Salon scribe says
Salon Nov 8, 07 1:30 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Pat Robertson’s endorsement will undoubtedly help Rudy Giuliani snag conservative votes, but the televangelist's nod can only do so much to help the pro-choice divorcé, writes Salon ’s Walter Shapiro—and Rudy may be satisfied with that. The aging evangelical has granted permission for those already attracted to Rudy to set aside abortion or gay-rights doubts and vote Giuliani.
More »