How Appealing



Wednesday, January 3, 2007

“Bay State moves closer to gay-marriage challenge; Massachusetts lawmakers approved a measure Tuesday that’s needed to put a proposed ban on the ballot in 2008”: This article will appear Thursday in The Christian Science Monitor.

Posted at 5:30 PM by Howard Bashman



“Rehnquist FBI File Sheds New Light on Confirmation Battles, Drug Dependence”: Legal Times has just posted online an article (free access) by Tony Mauro that begins, “The late Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s Senate confirmation battles in 1971 and 1986 were more intense and political than previously known, according to a newly released FBI file that also offers dramatic new details about Rehnquist’s 1981 hospitalization and dependence on a painkiller.”

Posted at 3:25 PM by Howard Bashman



Wonderful news for Duke Law School, but a sad loss of a very talented judge for the federal judiciary: Duke Law School has issued a press release announcing that “Federal Judge David F. Levi selected as Dean of Duke Law School.”

You can access the official federal judicial center biography for Chief Judge David F. Levi of the Eastern District of California at this link. A narrative biography is also available from that court’s web site. Chief Judge Levi currently chairs the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, which sits at the top of the federal judiciary’s rulemaking process.

At WSJ.com’s “Law Blog,” Peter Lattman has a post titled “Duke Law School Selects Judge David Levi as Dean.”

Posted at 12:23 PM by Howard Bashman



“Judicial Seminars — Dowling Complains; Adler Responds”: Jonathan Adler has this post at “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

Posted at 10:40 AM by Howard Bashman



On rehearing, Sixth Circuit panel adheres to its earlier decision disqualifying appellate counsel after an attorney who once represented a plaintiff-appellee in this very case went to work for the law firm representing the defendants-appellants: Today’s decision on panel rehearing provides new and improved reasons for maintaining the original result.

My coverage of the panel’s initial ruling can be accessed here.

Posted at 10:08 AM by Howard Bashman



“Crash alters meaning of judicial branch; Large tree crushes car belonging to state’s chief justice”: This article appears today in The Salem (Ore.) Statesman Journal. A related photo can be accessed here.

Posted at 9:40 AM by Howard Bashman



“Court OKs profession as block to jury service”: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko has an article that begins, “Prospective jurors can’t be removed because of their race, religion or sex. But it’s all right to toss a journalist or a teacher. A state appeals court said an Alameda County prosecutor acted for legitimate, nonracial reasons when he challenged a member of the jury pool at a murder trial because she was a member of what he described as ‘two notorious liberal professions,’ teaching and journalism.”

You can access at this link last Friday’s unpublished ruling of the California Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District, Division One.

Posted at 8:20 AM by Howard Bashman



“Juneau woman helped pioneer benefits law; After several years of waiting, same-sex partners are eligible”: This article appeared Sunday in The Juneau Empire.

Posted at 8:10 AM by Howard Bashman



“The Silent Justice: In a rare interview Justice John Paul Stevens talks about President Ford.” Jan Crawford Greenburg had this video segment on last night’s broadcast of the ABC News program “Nightline.”

Posted at 7:55 AM by Howard Bashman



“Schwarzenegger’s gay marriage misstep: If he hadn’t vetoed a bill granting marriage rights to all, the governor could have saved the state a court battle.” This editorial appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

Posted at 7:52 AM by Howard Bashman



“Even a Supreme Court loss can propel a cause; Activists find success at the state level in battles to curb eminent domain and affirmative action”: Today in The Los Angeles Times, David G. Savage has an article that begins, “For activists who seek to change the law, nothing works better sometimes than losing a big case in the Supreme Court. This year saw two small, public-interest law firms convert losses in the high court into wins in the court of public opinion.”

Posted at 7:45 AM by Howard Bashman



“It’s a battle not written in stone”: The St. Petersburg Times today contains an article that begins, “To government officials, it was a simple request: A local business owner wanted to donate a monument of the Ten Commandments and place it on the steps of the Dixie County Courthouse. The commissioners, all professed Christians, approved the gift and its placement outside the building in the center of town that is home to several government agencies, including the County Commission.”

Posted at 7:42 AM by Howard Bashman



“N.J. death penalty on way out; The Legislature is moving to abolish it after a report called it costly and pointless”: The Philadelphia Inquirer contains this article today.

The New York Times reports today that “Panel Seeks End to Death Penalty for New Jersey.”

In The Los Angeles Times, Henry Weinstein reports that “End to death penalty is urged; A New Jersey panel says life in prison costs less and prevents the risk of an innocent person being executed.”

And The Newark Star-Ledger reports that “Panel calls for an end to death penalty; Corzine, top legislators back life without parole.”

You can access the panel’s report at this link (via “Sentencing Law and Policy“).

Posted at 7:30 AM by Howard Bashman



“Truck deaths victims’ families demand justice; The penalty phase resumes in smuggling retrial”: The Houston Chronicle today contains an article that begins, “As relatives took the stand Tuesday, universal body language told the story of their grief while Spanish translators relayed to the jury how life has changed since losing family members in the nation’s deadliest illegal-immigrant smuggling attempt.”

Posted at 6:45 AM by Howard Bashman



“Same-sex marriage ban advances; Lawmakers OK item for ballot, but hurdle remains”: This article appears today in The Boston Globe. The newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “A shameful reversal of rights.” And columnist Eileen McNamara has an op-ed entitled “This battle’s worth a fight.”

The New York Times reports today that “Same-Sex Marriage Setback in Massachusetts.”

The Washington Post reports that “Mass. Gay Marriage Law Contested; Divided Legislature Agrees to Revote Next Year for the 2008 Ballot.”

The Los Angeles Times contains an article headlined “A same-sex marriage setback: Lawmakers allow an initiative banning the unions to go to voters; But the fight isn’t over.”

The Republican of Springfield, Massachusetts reports that “Legislators OK vote on gay spouses.”

The Boston Herald contains articles headlined “Legislators advance bid for gay-wed vote” and “One step remains to put amendment on 2008 ballot.” In addition, an editorial is entitled “Lawmakers get it, Patrick doesn’t.”

And The Washington Times reports that “Same-sex ‘marriage’ measure advances.”

Posted at 6:42 AM by Howard Bashman



“Courts Gets Case Of Grandparental Visitation Rights”: Today in The New York Sun, Joseph Goldstein has an article that begins, “The state’s highest court is set to hear a case today about grandparent visitation rights, an issue so constitutionally troublesome that the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000 issued six conflicting opinions on the topic in a single case.” The article mentions the petition for writ of certiorari filed last month in the U.S. Supreme Court on this subject.

Posted at 6:24 AM by Howard Bashman