How Appealing



Friday, April 16, 2010

“NYC appeals court hears challenge to wiretap law”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “A civil rights lawyer asked a federal appeals court Friday to restore a lawsuit challenging a law that lets the United States eavesdrop on overseas conversations. A government lawyer disagreed, saying a lower court got it right.”

Posted at 4:55 PM by Howard Bashman



“Oboe-Playing Judicial Artist Diane Wood Eyed for High Court”: Bloomberg News has this report.

Today’s edition of The Billings Gazette contains an article headlined “Thomas’ colleagues hail judge’s credentials” that begins, “Sidney R. Thomas, a federal appeals court judge from Billings, may not have the traditional Eastern elite background of a Supreme Court justice, but Montanans who work with him say it would be hard to find a better candidate for the highest court.”

Today’s edition of The Daily Northwestern contains an article headlined “NU law alumnus Justice John Paul Stevens ‘hard to replace.’

Today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition” contained an audio segment entitled “GOP Fires Filibuster Warning Shot On Court Nominee.”

The Detroit News contains an editorial entitled “Nomination of Gov. Granholm to U.S. Supreme Court would be an interesting choice.”

Finally, at Salon.com, James Doty has an essay entitled “On the Supreme Court, not a lot of respect for Elena Kagan; The solicitor general’s appearances before the high court have been marked by unusually brusque treatment.” And Mary Ann Sorrentino has an essay entitled “Have you thanked a Supreme Court justice lately? My letter to the justice who authored the Roe v. Wade decision taught me an important lesson about gratitude.”

Posted at 10:38 AM by Howard Bashman



“Three Supreme Court Myths: Since the 1970s, the Court has strayed more often to the left of the center than to the right of public opinion.” In tomorrow’s issue of National Journal, columnist Stuart Taylor Jr. will have this “Opening Argument” essay.

Posted at 10:30 AM by Howard Bashman



“Tom Goldstein, Objective Centrist Poseur”: At National Review Online’s “Bench Memos” blog, Ed Whelan has this post in response to a post from Tom Goldstein that I linked to here last night.

Posted at 10:25 AM by Howard Bashman



“Breaking Barriers: Edward DuMont, praised by colleagues as ‘brilliant,’ would be the first openly gay federal appellate judge in the country.” Chris Geidner has this article online at the web site of Metro Weekly, Washington, DC’s gay & lesbian news magazine.

Posted at 10:11 AM by Howard Bashman



“Feinstein defends Obama court pick against GOP”: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko has an article that begins, “On the eve of Goodwin Liu’s confirmation hearing as a federal appeals court judge, Sen. Dianne Feinstein tore into the UC Berkeley law professor’s Republican critics Thursday, saying they were smearing him and applying standards they never used for their own party’s nominees.”

The Associated Press reports that “Liberal court pick ready for Senate GOP grilling.”

The Hill reports that “Despite GOP protests, Dems to move forward on Liu nomination.”

On today’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Nina Totenberg has an audio segment entitled “Senate Battle Looms Over Appeals Court Nominee Liu.”

And at Politico.com, Eric Liu has an essay entitled “Right uses Liu to frame court debate.”

Today’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. eastern time.

Update: The Senate Judiciary Committee’s live video feed of the confirmation hearing can be accessed at this link. And C-SPAN will also provide live coverage online via this link.

Posted at 8:02 AM by Howard Bashman



“White House complains about CBS News blog post saying that possible Supreme Court nominee is gay”: Today in The Washington Post, Howard Kurtz has an article that begins, “The White House ripped CBS News on Thursday for publishing an online column by a blogger who made assertions about the sexual orientation of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, widely viewed as a leading candidate for the Supreme Court.”

Posted at 7:48 AM by Howard Bashman