How Appealing



Friday, June 19, 2015

“You Will Be Assimilated: The same-sex marriage bait-and-switch.” Jonathan V. Last has this cover story in the June 22, 2015 issue of The Weekly Standard.

Posted at 8:50 PM by Howard Bashman



“SCOTUSblog on camera: Jeffrey Rosen (Part five).” You can access the video of the interview — the fifth of five parts — via this link.

Posted at 8:40 PM by Howard Bashman



“Empathy”: Today at “Balkinization,” Joseph Fishkin has a blog post that begins, “At the time of Justice Sotomayor’s nomination, there was much controversy about President Obama’s assertion that ’empathy’ was an important quality to look for in a Supreme Court justice.”

Posted at 8:26 PM by Howard Bashman



“The 2014 Term & the First Amendment — Surprising twists & turns”: Ronald Collins has this post today at “SCOTUSblog.”

Posted at 8:22 PM by Howard Bashman



“Appeals court declines to delay ruling on Texas abortion law”: Chuck Lindell of The Austin American-Statesman has this news update.

Brian M. Rosenthal of The Houston Chronicle has a news update headlined “Court declines to delay ruling that could close Texas abortion clinics.”

The Texas Tribune reports that “5th Circuit Won’t Halt New Texas Abortion Restrictions.”

And Laurel Brubaker Calkins of Bloomberg News reports that “Texas Abortion Clinics Lose Bid to Remain Open Past July 1.”

I have posted at this link the stay denial order that a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued today.

Posted at 8:20 PM by Howard Bashman



“How Government Stifled Reason’s Free Speech: Yes, the feds can compel magazines and websites to cough up user information about obviously non-threatening trolls, while barring them from even acknowledging it.” Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch have this post today at Reason’s “Hit & Run” blog.

Posted at 7:58 PM by Howard Bashman



“Court upholds gay divorce from Travis County”: Chuck Lindell of The Austin American-Statesman has a news update that begins, “The Texas Supreme Court declined Friday to overturn a Travis County court ruling granting a divorce to two women who had married in Massachusetts.”

The Houston Chronicle has a news update headlined “Texas Supreme Court upholds same-sex divorce.”

The Dallas Morning News has a blog post titled “Texas Supreme Court upholds Austin judge’s grant of divorce to two lesbians.”

The Texas Tribune has a report headlined “Court: Texas AG Cannot Halt Same-Sex Couple’s Divorce.”

Reuters reports that “Texas Supreme Court allows same-sex divorce.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Texas Supreme Court upholds divorce of same-sex couple.”

Today’s 5-to-3 ruling of the Supreme Court of Texas (with one justice not participating) consists of a majority opinion, a concurring opinion, and two dissenting opinions (here and here).

Posted at 1:36 PM by Howard Bashman



“Constitution Check: What power does the government have to control ‘mobile billboards’?” Lyle Denniston has this post today at the “Constitution Daily” blog of the National Constitution Center.

On yesterday evening’s broadcast of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Nina Totenberg had an audio segment titled “Justices Give Officials More Say On Cars’ Plates, Less On Roadside Signs.”

Yesterday evening’s broadcast of the PBS NewsHour contained a segment titled “Supreme Court renders decisions on First Amendment” featuring Marcia Coyle.

Online at The Atlantic, law professor Garrett Epps has an essay titled “Clarence Thomas Takes on a Symbol of White Supremacy: The justice casts the deciding vote on the U.S. Supreme Court, as it backs Texas’s refusal to print a Confederate flag on its license plates.”

And at the “Democracy in America” blog of The Economist, Steven Mazie has a post titled “Pick your poison: Free speech and licence plates.”

Posted at 11:44 AM by Howard Bashman



“The Other Other Major Supreme Court Cases This Term: The gay marriage and Obamacare rulings aren’t the only huge ones coming.” Brianne Gorod has this jurisprudence essay online today at Slate.

Posted at 11:33 AM by Howard Bashman



“Judge’s legacy explored in ‘Walk With Me'”: Melody Baetens of The Detroit News has an article that begins, “A federal judge in Detroit for more than 45 years, Damon J. Keith was honored Wednesday night at the Max M. Fisher Music Center with the premiere of a documentary on his life, ‘Walk With Me: The Trials of Damon J. Keith.'”

Posted at 11:30 AM by Howard Bashman



“Why Chief Justice John Roberts Will Probably Save Obamacare: The latest health care case is a fight between big business and the tea party — and Roberts usually sides with business.” Stephanie Mencimer has this report online today at Mother Jones.

Posted at 11:27 AM by Howard Bashman



“Iowa Supreme Court: Ban on telemed abortion unconstitutional.” The Des Moines Register has a news update that begins, “Iowa’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that Planned Parenthood of the Heartland may keep using its controversial telemedicine-abortion system.”

And The Associated Press reports that “Iowa court allows remote dispensing of abortion pill.”

You can access today’s ruling of the Supreme Court of Iowa at this link.

Update: In other coverage, Bloomberg News reports that “Iowa Top Court Lets Doctors Dispense Abortion Pills Remotely.”

And Reuters reports that “Iowa Supreme Court allows telemedicine abortion program to go on.”

Posted at 10:54 AM by Howard Bashman