How Appealing



Wednesday, May 11, 2005

“Democrats Seek to Rally Forces for Showdown Over Judicial Nominees”: This article will appear Thursday in The New York Times.

Meanwhile, online at Salon.com, Tim Grieve has an article entitled “Everything you wanted to know about the ‘nuclear option’: If the Republicans are as good as their word, it’s going to be much uglier than you think.” And Lou Dubose has an article entitled “Willie’s story: Less known but just as telling as Priscilla Owen’s abysmal abortion-rights record is her unconscionable handling of a case that may have cost a young man’s life.”

Posted at 11:30 PM by Howard Bashman



“Frist aides appeal for calm”: Thursday’s issue of The Hill will contain an article that begins, “Senior aides to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) reached out to conservative leaders Tuesday afternoon to explain the decision to consider President Bush’s embattled judicial nominees next week instead of this week, as many conservatives had hoped and expected.”

The Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star reports today that “Heat applied to Hagel, Nelson on judicial filibuster.”

Thursday’s edition of The Minneapolis Star Tribune will contain an article headlined “Minnesota Poll: Most in state voice support for filibusters.”

The CBS Evening News on Monday contained a segment entitled “Senate battling over Republican threat to change rules and do away with filibusters” (link to transcript via “Judging the Future“).

From yesterday, you can access online a transcript of “Senator Harry Reid’s Remarks at Media Availability: Reid Responds to Frist’s Proposal.”

Also yesterday, The Akron Beacon Journal contained an editorial entitled “Strike a deal, already: The filibuster serves a valuable purpose in the Senate; So does compromise — on judicial nominations.”

Posted at 10:00 PM by Howard Bashman



“What Matt Cooper Shares With Yaser Hamdi: A new petition before the Supreme Court explains all.” Online at Slate, Jack Shafer has this press box essay. You can access at this link the petition for writ of certiorari filed yesterday on behalf of Matthew Cooper and Time Inc. Miguel A. Estrada is counsel of record for petitioners.

Posted at 8:45 PM by Howard Bashman



On this evening’s broadcast of “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer“: The PBS newscast will contain a segment entitled “Judging Judges.” A preview email that I just received describes the segment as follows: “Senior Correspondent Gwen Ifill talks with Judge Charles Pickering of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge James Wynn of the North Carolina State Court of Appeals, about their experiences with the nomination and confirmation process.”

Judge Pickering recently completed his judicial service as a recess appointee on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Meanwhile, President Clinton had nominated Judge Wynn to the Fourth Circuit, but then-U.S. Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) blocked the nomination via the “blue slip” process. Judge Wynn previously appeared (transcript with links to audio and video) on The NewsHour program on May 8, 2001 to discuss his experience as a judicial nominee whose confirmation was blocked in the U.S. Senate.

Update: In somewhat related coverage pertaining to the Fourth Circuit, the August 10, 2003 issue of The Virginian-Pilot contained articles headlined “First black woman on 4th Circuit brings cautious tongue” and “Court nominee is often ‘hard to pin down.’

Posted at 4:28 PM by Howard Bashman



“Oral Argument in Irons v. Carey”: Gene Vorobyov provides this early report on a Ninth Circuit oral argument that I previewed here. Once the Ninth Circuit posts online the audio from today’s oral argument, I will provide the direct link.

Posted at 3:14 PM by Howard Bashman



For the umpteenth time, the Second Circuit has reissued its order denying rehearing en banc in the Vermont campaign finance case: As a matter of principle, I don’t oppose the concept of adding concurrences and dissents after an order denying rehearing en banc has issued, but the Second Circuit’s handling of this particular case makes it all but impossible to determine, without undertaking much additional work, what new concurrences or dissents have been added since the last iteration.

Posted at 3:05 PM by Howard Bashman



“Execution would set off prison ‘suicide contagion,’ lawsuit says”: The Associated Press provides this report from Connecticut.

Posted at 2:34 PM by Howard Bashman



“Former Bears kicker to become state’s top judge”: The Associated Press reports here that “Former Chicago Bears football player Robert Thomas was chosen on Tuesday to become the new Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.”

And The Rockford Register Star reports that “Judge from Rockford district new state chief.”

Posted at 10:45 AM by Howard Bashman



“Dodd’s Spirited Defense Of Filibusters”: This article appears today in The Hartford Courant.

And C-SPAN has helpfully collected video (RealPlayer required) of Monday’s most noteworthy addresses, on and off the floor of the U.S. Senate, on the subject of judicial nominations.

Posted at 10:24 AM by Howard Bashman



“Chief justice’s status up to panel; At issue is Chief Justice Frank Williams’ position on a military review panel that will hear appeals from suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba”: The Providence (R.I.) Journal today contains an article that begins, “With a three-judge panel set to convene today, lawyers have been marshaling arguments about whether Frank J. Williams surrendered his post as Supreme Court chief justice when he joined a federal military review panel last year.”

Posted at 10:22 AM by Howard Bashman



“Judge Rejects Ross’ Sister’s Petition; Attorney Says She’ll Appeal To State High Court, Federal Courts”: The Day of New London, Connecticut today contains an article that begins, “A Rockville Superior Court judge on Tuesday blocked an effort by a sister of Michael Ross to stop the serial killer’s execution Friday morning.”

And today in The Hartford Courant, Lynne Tuohy has an article headlined “Ross Video Exploits Notoriety.”

Posted at 10:14 AM by Howard Bashman



Brown and Originalism: There’s more than one way to get it right.” Edward Whelan has this essay today at National Review Online.

Posted at 8:55 AM by Howard Bashman



“To honor Justice Marshall, BWI will add his name”: The Baltimore Sun today contains an article that begins, “In a ceremony filled with song and tributes, the state’s top leaders renamed Baltimore-Washington International Airport yesterday for civil rights legend Thurgood Marshall, the nation’s first African-American Supreme Court justice.”

Posted at 7:08 AM by Howard Bashman



“Frist Pushes Toward Showdown on Judges; The GOP leader plans to bring a Bush nominee for a vote after a bill passes as early as this week; ‘Now is the time’ to face the issue, he says”: This article appears today in The Los Angeles Times.

The Houston Chronicle reports today that “‘Big fight’ over filibusters could begin next week; Republicans are expected to pave the way for stalled judicial nominees.”

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “Showdown on nominees is expected next week.”

The Washington Times contains an article headlined “Time to act on issue of judges, Frist says.”

The Sacramento Bee reports that “Frist promises a quick vote on stalled judicial nominees.”

The Rocky Mountain News reports that “Salazar’s filibuster critics assailed; Religious groups blasted as Gestapo.”

The Arkansas News Bureau reports that “Pryor seeks compromise on ‘nuclear option.’

The Daily Princetonian reports that “Protest travels to Capitol Hill.”

The Harvard Crimson reports that “Harvard Dems Filibuster ‘Nuclear Option.’

In commentary, The Washington Times contains an editorial entitled “Democrats and the filibuster.”

The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg, Virginia contains an editorial entitled “Extreme? Four years late, Priscilla Owen waits for a vote.”

In The Boston Globe, James C. Dobson has an op-ed entitled “Vote ’em up or down.”

In The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Paul Greenberg has an op-ed entitled “Of filibusters and fanatics.”

In The News-Leader of Springfield, Missouri, U.S. Senator Christopher S. “Kit” Bond (R-MO) has an op-ed entitled “Judicial filibusters being used as partisan tool.”

And in The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, Andrew Freeman has an op-ed entitled “The American nuclear option.”

Posted at 6:45 AM by Howard Bashman