Describing himself as a judge who will “apply the law” and not be a “secret” legislator, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch said he will attempt to be an independent justice who will “seek consensus” whenever possible. On the first day of his confirmation hearing today before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gorsuch steered clear of ideological labels and instead told the senators that “putting on” a judge’s black robe “reminds us judges that it’s time to lose our egos and open our minds.”
Category: US Supreme Court
US Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal, Clearing Way for Pretrial Litigation in Menendez Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to immediately take up a petition of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, claiming that corruption charges against him are pre-empted by the speech or debate clause of the Constitution. The court’s Monday order denying certiorari, clears the way for U.S. District Judge William Walls of the District of New Jersey to resume pretrial proceedings, which have been on hold since Menendez filed an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in November 2015.
Supreme Court denies Rowland’s petition for appeal
Former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, right, and his wife, Patty, arrive at federal court in New Haven, Conn. on March 18, 2015.
Almost all of Ohio’s voucher cash goes to religious schools
Almost all of the money from Ohio’s main tuition voucher programs – 97 percent of it – flows to private religious schools, a Plain Dealer examination of records from the 2015-16 school year shows. And Catholic and other Christian schools in Cleveland are the biggest winners, thanks to a Cleveland-only voucher program that was the first in the state when it started in 1996.
Advocates say First Amendment can withstand Trump attacks
Whenever Donald Trump fumes about “fake news” or labels the press “the enemy of the people,” First Amendment scholar David L. Hudson Jr. hears echoes of other presidents – but a breadth and tone that are entirely new. Trump may not know it, but it was Thomas Jefferson who once said, “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper,” said Hudson, a law professor at Vanderbilt University.
Trumpcare: Different Plan, Same Problems
With his widely followed, and positively reviewed, address to Congress last week, President Trump showed how easy it could be to unite Washington around a big-budget centrist agenda on health care, immigration, taxes, infrastructure and the military. But the continued accusations surrounding his campaign’s alleged Russian connections, and the President’s conspiratorial responses, have insured that the battle lines have only hardened.
Fire ravages home in Harvest
Some say it’s a big headache, others say it’s a big fix to traffic backups on one of Montgomery busiest roadways. A construction project on Chantilly Parkway is in its final stages and officials say it should make traveling the road safer.
Why We Support the Gorsuch Nomination
We are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and independents; progressives, conservatives and moderates; religious and non-observant; married, single and divorced; men and women; straight and gay. Our group includes citizens residing abroad and a U.S. resident holding a green card.
Dismantling America’s Destructive ‘Fourth Branch’ of Government
Every American learns in grade school of the three-part structure of the U.S. government: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In The Federalist Papers , No.
Neil Gorsuch: A Supreme Court pick whose w…
When Justice Antonin Scalia backed out of a book project with writing partner Bryan Garner, the justice recommended who might take his place. Neil Gorsuch was first on this list.
Court decisions prompt city to reconsider panhandling law
The Daily Press reports that Hampton’s ordinance bans repeated requests for a handout after the panhandler is told “no.” Abusive language intended to intimidate is also barred.
Texas delays execution of man paid $2,000 to murder woman
Texas delayed the execution on Tuesday of a man convicted of murdering a woman in exchange for $2,000 from her relatives while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a last-minute appeal. Roland Ruiz, 44, was scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection at the state’s death chamber in Huntsville at 6 p.m. for the murder of Theresa Rodriguez, 29, in 1992 in the San Antonio area.
Hit man in San Antonio murder-for-hire slaying of young woman set to be executed by lethal injection
The U.S. Supreme Court is considering appeals from attorneys trying to keep a paid hit man from execution in Texas for gunning down a San Antonio woman in a life-insurance scheme nearly a quarter-century ago. Rolando Ruiz was convicted of accepting $2,000 to fatally shoot Theresa Rodriguez, 29, outside her home in 1992 as she was getting out of a car with her husband and brother-in-law, who both orchestrated her murder.
Texas to execute man convicted of taking money to murder woman
Texas is set to execute on Tuesday a man convicted of accepting $2,000 to murder a woman from the victim’s husband and her brother-in-law, who were looking to collect $400,000 from life insurance policies they took out on her. Roland Ruiz, 44, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection at the state’s death chamber in Huntsville at 6 p.m. for the murder of Theresa Rodriguez, 29, in 1992 in the San Antonio area.
Here’s How the War on Women Could Land in the Supreme Court
During his campaign, President Donald Trump pledged his commitment to the anti-abortion movement and promised he would only appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade , the 1973 decision that made abortion legal.
Hungary’s leader calls migration ‘Trojan horse’ of terrorism
21, 2016 file photo a Hungarian soldier patrols at the transit zone at Hungary’s southern border with Serbia near Tompa, 169 km southeast of Budapest, Hungary. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban… .
Texas set to execute triggerman in San Antonio murder-for-hire case
Death row inmate Rolando Ruiz is scheduled for execution on March 7, 2017. He was convicted of murdering Theresa Rodriguez, 29, of San Antonio.
Opinion: Turning a deaf ear
Recently, I’ve developed a crush on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I love her spunky, “I’ll never die” energy, and the fact that she does not take poop from anyone.
Supreme Court won’t say if trans teen can pick bathroom
The Supreme Court is leaving the issue of transgender rights in schools to lower courts for now after backing out of a high-profile case Monday of a Virginia high school student who sued to be able to use the boys’ bathroom. The court’s order in the case of teenager Gavin Grimm means that attention now will turn to lower courts around the country that are grappling with rights of transgender students to use school bathrooms that correspond to their chosen gender, not the one assigned at birth.
Supreme Court sides with defendant claiming jury race bias
In this photo taken March 3, 2107, the Supreme Court in Washington. The Supreme Court ruled Monday, March 3, 2017, that racial bias in the jury room can be a reason for breaching the centuries-old legal principle of secrecy in jury deliberations.
Supreme Court scraps case on transgender bathroom rights
The Supreme Court on Monday vacated a lower court’s ruling in favor of a Virginia transgender student after the Trump administration withdrew the federal government’s guidance to public schools about the controversial bathroom policy. The justices were scheduled to hear the case later this month.
The Florida Supreme Court Just Handed The US Supreme Court a Second…
In a 4-2-0 decision , the Florida Supreme Court upheld that state’s ban on openly carrying firearms which was enacted in 1987. The case is Dale Norman v.
Transgender youth come under the spotlight as Supreme Court decision nears
Sarasota-based LGBTQ youth group ALSO Youth coordinators Molly and Jules talk about how *Emma, a 13-year-old transgender girl, started the need for them to create a trans support group more than a year ago. Nate Quinn speaks to the Sarasota County School Board after Pine View School allowed him to use the boy’s bathroom.
How the US press reacted to Trump’s Congress speech
In his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, Trump used the word “America” – or a variant – more than 70 times . Obama averaged 52.4 million viewers during his first address to the joint Congress as the USA was struggling under the recession- about 17% more than what Trump received on Tuesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter .
SF tells high court there’s nothing to fear from trans
This photo taken on May 4, 2016, shows a sign posted outside the Santee High School’s gender neutral restrooms at their campus in Los Angeles. This photo taken on May 4, 2016, shows a sign posted outside the Santee High School’s gender neutral restrooms at their campus in Los Angeles.
Gloucester School Board: Supreme Court should delay transgender teenager’s case
Both sides in the Supreme Court case that would decide how public schools must accommodate transgender students urged the justices Wednesday to move forward with the case, saying schools and students need an answer.
High court ruling could reshape Virginia political map
A U.S. Supreme Court decision reviving a challenge to several Virginia legislative districts could send lawmakers back to the drawing board, but Republicans say they are confident the state’s current electoral map will withstand further scrutiny. The justices on Wednesday tossed out a ruling that upheld 11 districts in which African-Americans made up at least 55 percent of eligible voters and ordered the lower court to re-examine the boundaries.
Texas court hears case that could dent gay marriage right
The Texas Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a Houston case that top Republicans hope will provide an opening to chip away at the landmark 2015 ruling legalizing gay marriage nationwide. A coalition of religious and social conservatives sued America’s fourth-largest city in 2013, challenging its decision to offer same-sex spousal benefits to municipal employees.
The Latest: Five justices to attend speech
The Supreme Court says five justices are expected at President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress, but sometime Trump critic Ruth Bader Ginsburg won’t be among them. Ginsburg apologized in July for negative remarks she made about Trump to The Associated Press and other news organizations.
Trump speech guests chosen to help highlight priorities
President Donald Trump is following the playbook for speeches to Congress and packing his guest box with individuals whose personal stories the administration hopes will put a face on the proposals he planned to highlight in Tuesday night’s address, namely illegal immigration. The lives of three of the eight people the White House invited to join first lady Melania Trump in a guest box high above the House floor for Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress were affected when loved ones’ crossed paths with people who were living in the U.S. illegally.
The stars are only present in darkness
“A democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities … is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” These were the last chilling words of Nelson Mandela’s three-hour speech before hundreds at his criminal trial proceeding in the Pretoria Supreme Court of South Africa on April 20, 1964.
Feds rescind opposition to key part of Texas voter ID law
The Trump administration says it won’t object to the strict voter ID law Texas wants to impose. A court has already concluded it violates the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the case.
Court may strike law barring sex offenders from social media
The Supreme Court appeared likely Monday to strike down a North Carolina law that prohibits sex offenders from using Facebook and other social networking sites. At least five justices suggested during argument that they would rule for North Carolina resident Lester Packingham Jr. He was convicted of violating a 2008 law aimed at keeping sex offenders off internet sites children might use.
U.S. justices weigh immigrant’s bid to avoid deportation over sex conviction
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday considered a Mexican immigrant’s claim that he should not be deported for having consensual sex with his under-age girlfriend, with several justices indicating sympathy for his plight. The case involving Juan Esquivel-Quintana, a lawful permanent U.S. resident who came to the country at age 12, was argued before the eight justices as President Donald Trump’s administration plans to ramp up deportations and broaden the categories of immigrants targeted.
CPAC 2017: Making Peace With Trump, Taking Aim at Congress
This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference could have been titled President Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Don . For the first time in years, most of America’s premier conservatives gathered to find themselves the proverbial dog who chased and caught the car.
Will the ConAgra 100% natural case end up in the Supreme Court?
POM v Coke got there, but will another high-profile food litigation case – this time over GMOs and 100% natural labels on cooking oil – also end up in the Supreme Court? ConAgra Brands certainly hopes so, and has just asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to stay its recent mandate in the case so it can file a petition to the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari . The case in question* consolidates lawsuits in multiple states alleging ConAgra falsely advertised Wesson-branded cooking oils as ‘100% natural’ when they were made from GM crops, and has not gone well for ConAgra, with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently agreeing with a decision by a lower court to certify the consumer class in the case.
Life Technologies Corp. v. Promega Corp. and the Absent Presumption Against Extraterritoriality
Guest Post by Tim Holbrook, Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law. Professor Holbrook has written extensively on the extraterritorial application of U.S. patent law.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Fast Facts
December 12, 2000 – Ginsburg is one of the four dissenting votes in Bush V. Gore which resolves the disputed 2000 Presidential election in favor of Texas Governor George W. Bush. January 26, 2007 – In a speech at Suffolk Law School, she says she dislikes being the only woman on the Supreme Court.
Apple, Airbnb, Box to sign amicus brief in transgender student’s case
Apple, Airbnb, Box to sign amicus brief in transgender student’s case The case of a teen’s right to use the bathroom of his chosen gender is headed to the Supreme Court Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2mgEHxW Apple is among several tech companies expected to sign a brief supporting transgender rights in a case scheduled to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court next month. In this Monday, Aug. 22, 2016 photo, transgender high school student Gavin Grimm poses in Gloucester, Va.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is Holding On For As Long As Possible
The 83-year-old Supreme Court Justice told the BBC “at my age, you have to take it year by year,” but has no plans of retiring early. “My most senior colleague, the one who most recently retired, Justice John Paul Stevens, stepped down at age 90. So I have a way to go,” she said.