How Appealing



Wednesday, May 6, 2009

“Supreme Court watchers eye Sonia Sotomayor; The court will gain another woman and its first Latino if she’s appointed; But Obama has yet to suggest that the choice must be a specific gender or minority”: James Oliphant and David G. Savage will have this article Thursday in The Los Angeles Times. Today in that newspaper, columnist Tim Rutten has an op-ed entitled “Obama should look far and wide for his Supreme Court nominee; Some of the best jurists of the last century weren’t veterans of the federal judiciary — a couple weren’t even sitting judges.”

This evening’s broadcast of NPR’s “All Things Considered” contained an audio segment entitled “For Sen. Jeff Sessions, Appointment Is Vindication” (RealPlayer required).

Thursday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal will contain an op-ed by Karl Rove entitled “Republicans and Obama’s Court Nominees: Senators can use the hearings to talk about judicial restraint.”

Today in The Washington Post, columnist Ruth Marcus has an op-ed entitled “Behind Justice’s Blindfold.”

And in Thursday’s edition of The Providence (R.I.) Journal, columnist Edward Fitzpatrick will have an op-ed entitled “As always, Souter makes his own path.”

Posted at 11:00 PM by Howard Bashman



“N.Y. Federal Judge Likely on Shortlist; Backers Say She Meets Obama Requisites”: Thursday’s edition of The Washington Post will contain an article that begins, “George M. Pavia remembers being instantly impressed with the young woman he hired for his law firm in 1984. Sonia Sotomayor had graduated summa cum laude at Princeton, edited the Yale Law Journal in law school and had courtroom experience in the Manhattan prosecutor’s office.”

Posted at 8:54 PM by Howard Bashman



“Dismissal of Guilty Pleas Is Sought for Immigrants”: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “The immigration lawyers’ national bar association called on the Justice Department on Tuesday to consider dismissing the guilty pleas of nearly 300 illegal immigrant workers arrested in a meatpacking plant raid in Iowa last year, one day after the Supreme Court rejected a statute that prosecutors used to pressure them.”

That newspaper also contains a related editorial entitled “Making the Punishment Fit the Crime.”

Posted at 8:47 PM by Howard Bashman



“Document: Judge sets May 27 war court hearing.” Carol Rosenberg of The Miami Herald has a news update that begins, “The chief judge for the Pentagon’s military commissions has scheduled the next war court hearing at Guantánamo Bay for late May, according to a document obtained by The Miami Herald.”

Posted at 7:52 PM by Howard Bashman



“Morning Joe airs Letterman skit ridiculing Sotomayor, Latinos”: Click here to view the video clip, via Media Matters for America.

Posted at 4:20 PM by Howard Bashman



“Top Republican inclined against Scotus filibuster”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee says he’s inclined against using a filibuster to block President Barack Obama’s nominee to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.”

Posted at 3:14 PM by Howard Bashman



“Prison Awaiting Hostile Bloggers”: At Wired.com’s “Threat Level” blog, David Kravets has a post that begins, “Proposed congressional legislation would demand up to two years in prison for those whose electronic speech is meant to ‘coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person.'”

Posted at 10:32 AM by Howard Bashman



“Small, Seasoned Group Helps Obama Manage Supreme Court Selection”: The Washington Post contains this article today. In addition, columnist Ruth Marcus has an op-ed entitled “Behind Justice’s Blindfold.”

Today in The Los Angeles Times, David G. Savage reports that “Justice Souter reflects on service; Days after news of his pending retirement from the Supreme Court is leaked, he speaks with emotion as he likens his work as a judge to craftsmanship.”

Joan Biskupic of USA Today has an article headlined “Souter emotional, wry in ‘a sort of farewell.’

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “Justice Souter says goodbye to colleagues.”

And today in The New York Daily News, columnist Dolores Prida has an essay entitled “Here comes ‘La Jueza.’

Posted at 8:27 AM by Howard Bashman



“U. law professor resigns from federal appeals court; He is leaving to teach at Stanford Law School”: Today in The Salt Lake Tribune, Pamela Manson has an article that begins, “Judge Michael W. McConnell’s resignation from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday was a surprise to many, but his love of teaching is not.”

The Deseret News reports today that “Utah judge leaving for Stanford post.”

And The Tulsa World reports that “McConnell to resign from Tenth Circuit court.”

Additional coverage appears in this post from last night.

Posted at 7:45 AM by Howard Bashman