You don’t have to love classical music to be amazed that Beethoven wrote his Ninth Symphony while deaf or be a fan of the old …
scotus
Why Obamacare May Stand: Reading Justice Kennedy, the Supreme Court’s Swing Vote
After three days of oral arguments and intense speculation in the press, the Supreme Court is said to be holding an initial vote Friday, March 30, on the fate of President Obama’s landmark health reform law. While conventional …
The ‘Heart’ of Health Care Reform: Can the Law Stand Without a Mandate?
During the summer of 2009, when the health care reform debate was dividing the country and the “public option” seemed like the most important policy issue in a generation, the proposal to require all Americans to have health …
The Mystery of Donald Verrilli’s Supreme Court Choke
After Donald Verrilli’s halting performance defending a national health-insurance mandate before the Roberts court on Tuesday, the White House Wednesday morning issued a statement of support for their beleaguered solicitor …
Inside the Supreme Court: Why Obamacare Supporters Are Getting So Nervous
For supporters of the two-year-old health reform law, Tuesday’s Supreme Court hearing was supposed to be the day that the grownups took over. After the Affordable Care Act had been demonized and misconstrued and called a threat …
Re: SCOTUS Solidifies Gun Rights
Meanwhile, in Chicago, the source of the lawsuit decided today by the Supreme Court, ten people were killed by guns after 54 people were shot over the weekend. The victims included a baby girl, who suffered a neck graze wound at a midnight barbecue, early Monday morning.
To read all the details, the Sun Times has the story.
1,000 Words: Kagan Edition
Polemic Justice: Framing the Supreme Court Debate
When Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced last Friday that he would retire at the end of this term, thus leaving a liberal gap on the bench, the next great legislative war was conceived. As Stephen Colbert colorfully put it last night, “No matter who the president nominates, cable news will be talking about this all …
White House: Don’t Hold Your Breath For Justice Hillary Clinton
After a briefing on nuclear security Monday afternoon, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs took a question about the possibility of Supreme Court Justice State Hillary Clinton. He did not dodge the question. “I think the president has identified in Secretary Clinton a job he thinks she is doing–a capacity in which she is doing a …
The Long and Short Of President Obama’s SCOTUS Nominee Lists
The last time President Obama choose a nominee for the Supreme Court, his staff read the opinions and legal writings of more than 40 people. Nine candidates were contacted by the staff for further vetting. The president met with four candidates–Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Janet Napolitano and Diane Wood. He chose Sotomayor.
This …
How Replacing Justice John Paul Stevens Could Get Interesting
In perhaps the most telegraphed move in recent history, Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement today. So begins the next great Supreme Court nomination fight, which is sure to bring all the usual bells and whistles: Cable News shout fests over the fate of the constitution, direct mail pieces from pro-life and pro-choice …
Obama and SCOTUS
Barack Obama had some interesting thoughts on two of the Supreme Court decisions this week that would seem to indicate he’s trending to the middle. First, the court decided that child rape was not a Capital Crime. Obama told reporters yesterday that his decision to oppose the ruling was an emotional one as he has two daughters around …
