How Appealing



Tuesday, June 2, 2009

“Sotomayor Makes Rounds at Capitol”: This article will appear Wednesday in The New York Times.

Wednesday’s edition of The Los Angeles Times will contain an article headlined “Sotomayor, senators make nice — for now; The Supreme Court nominee talks race and the law in meetings with lawmakers; Sen. Jeff Sessions, who will lead GOP questioning of Sotomayor, calls her a ‘delight,’ promises a fair hearing.”

The Washington Post has a news update headlined “Sotomayor Visits Lawmakers on Capitol Hill.”

David Lightman of McClatchy Newspapers reports that “Sotomayor meets key senators amid bets she’s a shoo-in.”

This evening’s broadcast of NPR’s “All Things Considered” contained an audio segment entitled “Sotomayor Meets With Senators” (RealPlayer required).

The Associated Press has reports headlined “AP poll finds support for Sotomayor confirmation“; “Sotomayor counters GOP critics over bias claims“; and “Sotomayor stays mum during Senate visits.”

And Politico.com has reports headlined “The Sotomayor PR offensive“; “Patrick Leahy wants Sonia Sotomayor hearings before August“; “McConnell undecided on Sotomayor“; “Dianne Feinstein signals satisfaction on Roe v. Wade“; and “Right demands tougher fight on Sonia Sotomayor.” Meanwhile, in commentary, Michael Steele has an essay entitled “Judge Sotomayor: a milestone nomination, but her record requires scrutiny.” Rick Santorum has an essay entitled “Why I would oppose Sonia Sotomayor.” And Hugh H. Mo has an essay entitled “Real-world experience prepared Sonia Sotomayor.”

Posted at 10:32 PM by Howard Bashman



“D.C. Circuit Revives Suit Against Prosecutor, Court Official”: At “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Mike Scarcella has a post that begins, “A federal prosecutor and a D.C. Superior Court jury official are not entitled to absolute immunity in a suit filed by a man alleging constitutional violations stemming from his abrupt dismissal from a grand jury, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled today.”

You can access today’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit at this link.

Posted at 10:08 PM by Howard Bashman



“Court upholds Navy cancellation of A-12 aircraft”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “Boeing Co. and General Dynamics Corp. must pay the government $2.8 billion to settle a nearly two-decade dispute over the cancellation of a Navy contract for a stealth aircraft, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Tuesday.”

And at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Joe Palazzolo has a post titled “Court: Government Was Right to Kill ‘Flying Dorito’ Contract.”

My earlier coverage of today’s Federal Circuit ruling appears at this link.

Posted at 9:25 PM by Howard Bashman



“7th Circuit homage for Sotomayor gun-rights stance”: Josh Gerstein has this post at his “Under the Radar” blog at Politico.com.

Abdon M. Pallasch of The Chicago Sun-Times has a news update headlined “Chicago’s handgun ban stands.”

The Associated Press reports that “Appeals court upholds Chicago ban on handguns.”

And at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Tony Mauro has a post titled “7th Circuit Ruling Agrees With Sotomayor on Second Amendment.”

My earlier coverage of today’s Seventh Circuit ruling appears at this link.

Posted at 9:18 PM by Howard Bashman



“ACLU defends girl’s lewd MySpace principal parody”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “A federal appeals court must decide whether a Pennsylvania middle school can suspend a student who, at home on her own time, created a lewd MySpace page about her principal.”

Posted at 4:30 PM by Howard Bashman



“Already sentenced to prison, Galveston’s Samuel Kent to quit next year”: The Houston Chronicle has a news update that begins, “Disgraced U.S. District Court Judge Samuel Kent has notified President Barack Obama of his ‘unconditional resignation’ from the federal bench effective next June 1, his lawyer, Dick DeGuerin told the Houston Chronicle today. Kent sent his letter to the president on the eve of formal impeachment proceedings by the House Judiciary Committee, DeGuerin said.”

The Associated Press reports that “Convicted federal judge submits resignation letter.”

And Texas Lawyer reports that “Retired U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent to Turn in Resignation Today.” You can view the letter of resignation by clicking here.

Posted at 3:44 PM by Howard Bashman



“Top Democrat: Sotomayor would follow the law.” The Associated Press has a report that begins, “Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor sought Tuesday to hit back against GOP charges that she would let her background dictate her rulings, telling senators in both parties that she would follow the law as a justice.”

Posted at 2:01 PM by Howard Bashman



“This American version of Jarndyce and Jarndyce has entered its eighteenth year of litigation.” A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today issued its ruling in a case that is likely to become known as McDonnell Douglas XIV.

According to today’s opinion, “This case arises from the government’s default termination in 1991 of a contract between the United States Navy and two contractors, McDonnell Douglas Corporation and General Dynamics Corporation to develop a carrier-based stealth aircraft, the A-12 Avenger.” You can access the Wikipedia entry on the A-12 Avenger by clicking here.

Posted at 12:17 PM by Howard Bashman



“High-Court Nominee Mirrors Industry Copyright Stance”: David Kravets has this post at Wired.com’s “Threat Level” blog.

Posted at 12:08 PM by Howard Bashman



“Court absolves school officials of responsibility in student’s suicide; Federal appellate court says Ontario-Montclair School District officials acted appropriately in disciplining four students who skipped school to attend a rally; One student killed himself”: Carol J. Williams has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

And The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, California reports today that “Appeals court upholds dismissal of civil rights lawsuit.”

You can access yesterday’s ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

Posted at 10:15 AM by Howard Bashman



“Sotomayor’s record shows she’s no sure vote on abortion”: Michael Doyle of McClatchy Newspapers has this report.

Today in The Washington Post, Michael A. Fletcher and Shailagh Murray report that “Sotomayor Prepares to Meet With Key Senators; Republicans May Stall Confirmation.” The newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “Double Standard: Funny how the achievements on Sonia Sotomayor’s resume suddenly count for so little,” while columnist Richard Cohen has an op-ed entitled “Dreams Built in the Projects.”

Today in The Wall Street Journal, Jess Bravin and Justin Scheck have an article headlined “Look for Sotomayor to Add Heat.”

Gail Russell Chaddock of The Christian Science Monitor has an article headlined “GOP quandary: how hard to swing at Sotomayor; Republicans on Capitol Hill are acutely aware that the tone and content of the nominee’s hearing could redefine the party after two punishing national elections.”

James Rowley of Bloomberg News reports that “Sotomayor May Have Some Unlikely Allies to Answer Gun Critics.”

The Associated Press reports that “Sotomayor to make her Capitol Hill debut.”

In The New York Times, columnist Ross Douthat has an op-ed entitled “Justices Gone Wild,” while columnist Bob Herbert has an op-ed entitled “The Howls of a Fading Species.”

And in The Los Angeles Times, columnist Jonah Goldberg has an op-ed entitled “The Sonia Sotomayor debate is a chance to talk it out on race: Liberals say they want a frank conversation, but when anyone disagrees with them, they shout ‘racist’; Can we get beyond that?

Posted at 9:58 AM by Howard Bashman



“Dispute Erupts Over Lawyer for Detainee”: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “Even before a Guantanamo detainee who was ordered by President Obama to face trial in civilian court in New York appears for arraignment, a legal imbroglio has erupted over who will represent him.”

Posted at 9:48 AM by Howard Bashman



“Justices to Weigh Issue of Patenting Business Methods”: Adam Liptak has this article today in The New York Times.

Today in The Los Angeles Times, Carol J. Williams reports that “Supreme Court to review what can be patented; Justices agree to hear a case in which an appellate court upheld the denial of a patent for a computerized method for using weather to predict commodities prices and energy costs.”

And law.com has articles headlined “Supreme Court to Hear ‘Bilski’ Case on Business Method Patents; If confirmed, Sonia Sotomayor may take a different view on patents from her predecessor when the case is heard next fall” and “Handicapping ‘Bilski’ at the Supreme Court.”

Posted at 9:42 AM by Howard Bashman



“Prosecutors cite judge in Bonds perjury appeal”: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Lance Williams has an article that begins, “A federal judge abused her discretion when she made alleged positive steroid tests and other key evidence off-limits in Barry Bonds’ perjury trial, prosecutors said Monday. Bonds’ prosecutors asked the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the evidence, which Judge Susan Illston banned from the case Feb. 19, on the grounds that there was no proof the tests had anything to do with the former Giants star.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Feds appeal ruling tossing out Bonds evidence.”

Posted at 9:32 AM by Howard Bashman