The upcoming arraignment of five accused 9/11 terrorists before a military tribunal has ignited renewed debate over removal of the case from a federal courtroom. Find out details in Gavel Grab.
"This independence of the judges is ... requisite to guard the Constitution and the rights of individuals."
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 78.
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 78.
Federal News and Releases
The number of minority law clerks serving federal judges has declined from five years ago. The clerkships are considered to be an important path to an eventual judgeship. For more, see Gavel Grab.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in another high-profile case involving the federal government’s power, this time focusing on Arizona’s restrictive law for cracking down on illegal immigrants. For details, see Gavel Grab.
In an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune, Nancy Pelosi discusses the independent role of the judiciary and warns of the dangers of court-stripping legislation.
The nation’s latest debate over claims of “judicial activism” has served a useful purpose, according to a Des Moines Register editorial: Political leaders on both sides are condemning use of the label. See Gavel Grab for more.
It makes no sense to close a federal courtroom in Durango when the number of people who are served by the facility is growing, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said in a letter to the chairman of a committee overseeing U.S. Courts. “Closure would impact a growing number of constituents,” said Udall, citing particularly the Southern Ute Native American and the Ute Mountain Ute tribes, which rely on the federal court system.
A New York Times editorial decried the steps leading up to a planned trial of the accused 9/11 terrorists before a military tribunal as “The Road We Need Not Have Traveled.” Read Gavel Grab for more.
JAS said President Obama, discussing the Supreme Court, "did a significant public disservice by invoking phrases too often used to demonize our nation's courts." See details in Gavel Grab.
The debate over President Obama’s verbal confrontation with the Supreme Court showed no sign of letting up at week’s end. For more, visit Gavel Grab.
A federal appeals court’s questioning of President Obama’s pointed remarks about Supreme Court judicial review has sparked criticism of the appeals panel as politically engaged. See Gavel Grab for more.
President Obama backpedaled on his remarks about the Supreme Court; a federal judge and some editorials questioned his posture; and others leapt to Obama’s defense. Learn more from Gavel Grab.
President Barack Obama’s remarks about the Supreme Court sparked criticism in some quarters and a ho-hum reaction in others. Read Gavel Grab for more.
To illustrate one major gap in "diversity," all members of the court, if they wanted to attend next autumn's Harvard-Yale football game and support their alma mater law schools, would all fit cozily on one side of the grandstand or the other. That's right. Eight members of the Court earned their law degrees from either Harvard or Yale. And one, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, attended Harvard Law as well but switched to Columbia Law to take her degree.
Behind closed doors on Friday, the Supreme Court's justices are likely to cast a secret, preliminary vote that will kick off perhaps three months of deliberations on the fate of the federal health care law. For more, see Gavel Grab.
Reno attorney Miranda Du was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday as Ne vada's newest U.S. District Court judge, becoming the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the federal bench in the state.
Nearly 10 months after her nomination by President Barack Obama, attorney Susie Morgan won Senate confirmation Wednesday to a seat on the New Orleans Federal District Court. The vote was 96-1. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who pushed for Morgan's nomination, apologized to her for the long delay, saying it had nothing to with her qualifications. Like so many other Obama nominees, Landrieu said, Morgan's confirmation was held up by politics as Republicans stalled confirmation of nominees by the Democratic president.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments over whether the federal health care law should survive if its individual mandate provision is struck down as unconstitutional, and over its expansion of Medicaid. Read Gavel Grab for more.
A conservative group has asked the Supreme Court to hear its challenge to a Montana ban on corporate election spending, in a case one analyst called a "Citizens United sequel." Learn more from Gavel Grab.
A divided federal appeals court has reinstated Minnesota’s restrictions on fundraising and endorsements by judicial candidates. See Gavel Grab for more.
In two hours of oral arguments on Tuesday, the Supreme Court appeared closely divided on the central constitutional question in the federal health care case. Read Gavel Grab for details.
The Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments on Monday in the high-stakes federal health care case, which presented what one reporter called an "epic constitutional showdown." Learn more from Gavel Grab.
For our live tweeting of the Supreme Court's oral arguments over the federal health care law, join us on Twitter [link: http://twitter.com/#!/justicestake]. You can find more coverage through Gavel Grab.
Sixty federal court facilities in 29 states could be placed on the chopping block due to federal fiscal constraints, sparking concerns in some quarters about access to justice. Read Gavel Grab for more.
If budget cuts approved by Congress for January take effect, some federal civil trials may be suspended and court personnel reduced. Find out details from Gavel Grab.
Federal trials may have to be suspended if severe budget cuts that Congress has currently scheduled for January actually take effect.
