Supreme Court nominations will never be the same

The story of the Supreme Court in 2016 can be summarized in a statistic: It's been 311 days since Justice Antonin Scalia died on Feb. 13, and his seat remains unfilled. That's not the longest Supreme Court vacancy in the modern era, but it's about to enter second place - and it will become the longest if Donald Trump's nominee isn't confirmed before the end of March.

Trump: Muslim ban proposal ‘proven to be right. 100 percent correct’

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according... Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a... Trump's memory lapse on Wednesday, in which he appeared unaware of the inflammatory statement he released the day before about the attack in Berlin, was just a start to the crazy. Because Trump isn't going to wait to find out the motive behind the attack.

Death penalty falls to new low as voters seek resurgence

Use of the death penalty in the United States fell to a historic low in 2016, even as voters in three states passed ballot initiatives in support of capital punishment, according to a year-end report from the Death Penalty Information Center . Thirty death sentences are expected to be imposed by the end of the year - a 39 percent decrease from 2015 - marking the lowest number of executions in a single year since 1972, the beginning of a four-year moratorium on capital punishment.

It’s a day ending in a ‘y,’ so of course Trump is obsessing over losing the popular vote

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according... Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a... Unpresidented-elect Trump just cannot get over losing the popular vote by millions. Here's how he spent his Wednesday morning: Campaigning to win the Electoral College is much more difficult & sophisticated than the popular vote.

BWW Review: Joyce DiDonato Brings WAR & PEACE, Baroque-Style, to Carnegie Hall

At IN WAR & PEACE, HARMONY THROUGH MUSIC, her Carnegie Hall concert the other night with the Baroque ensemble, Il Pomo d'Oro, mezzo Joyce DiDonato was in fine voice, if not in high spirits--and who could blame her? The state of the world is about as bad as it has been for a long time, with death and taxes far from the only certainties, starting in our own backyard.

Setting the Record Straight on Sessions & School Funding

On November 21, 2016, Thomas J. Sugrue published an op-ed titled, "Jeff Sessions' Other Civil Rights Problem," in the New York Times that I believe unfairly criticized Senator Sessions regarding the so-called "equity funding" case. Before my retirement, I served as an associate justice on the Alabama Supreme Court that decided four appellate matters arising from that case.

From Bowie to Prince, America lost some great musicians in 2016

From Bowie to Prince, America lost some great musicians in 2016 It wasn't the year the music died, but we lost many of those who made it. Check out this story on northjersey.com: http://usat.ly/2ibTjsl Bowie, the innovative and iconic singer whose illustrious career lasted five decades, died Jan. 10, 2016, after battling cancer for 18 months.

Samsung Scores Victory Over Apple

A unanimous Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with smartphone maker Samsung in its high-profile patent dispute with Apple over design of the iPhone. The justices said Samsung may not be required to pay all the profits it earned from 11 phone models because the features at issue are only a tiny part of the devices.

North Carolina Republicans plot legislative coup against democracy to usher in a new era of Jim Crow

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according... Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a... Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, while Democrats also gained a majority on the state Supreme Court, breaking the Republican stranglehold on North Carolina's state government. Now, though, Republicans have used the pretext of a lame-duck special legislative session-ostensibly convened for disaster relief-to introduce a slew of measures that and even the high court itself.

Labor Secretary Tom Perez is running for DNC chair

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according... Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a... Labor Secretary Tom Perez is running for Democratic National Committee chair, he told DNC members Thursday after a lot of very heavy hinting. Perez has been an effective and respected labor secretary, but he enters the DNC race after Rep. Keith Ellison has locked up a great deal of support, including the AFL-CIO endorsement .

Even Now, Leftist Statists Can’t Imagine a World They…

There is a story freshly put out by BuzzFeed titled " No One In Congress Wants To Regulate Fake News ," and if you know anything about journalism, then you know this story can only come about if someone is actually calling for Congress to do so. The very people who have been preaching about the Fake News Menace are the ones who are outraged that Hillary Clinton lost, and they need someone or something to blame.

Utah Supreme Court hears 2nd refinery expansion challenge

A second challenge to a refinery expansion proposed along the Wasatch Front wound up on the desks of Utah Supreme Court justices, but it remains a big question mark if there will ever be a legal probe of the actual merits of the case. The Utah Supreme Court, in a decision last year, rejected an appeal by environmental groups over Tesoro's planned action, and Wednesday the justices were asked to look at the case involving HollyFrontier Corp. in Woods Cross.

Lawsuit challenges new Texas rules over fetal remains

In this July 13, 2013 file photo, abortion rights advocates, left, protest in the State Capitol as anti-abortion rights supporters pass them in Austin, Texas. A coalition of national advocacy groups sued Texas on Monday, Dec. 12, 2016, seeking to block Texas' soon-to-be-implemented rules mandating the burial or cremation of fetal remains.