How Appealing



Thursday, August 20, 2009

“When the bedroom leads to the courtroom: Despite U.S. Supreme Court decisions, lower courts still use the ‘morality of the majority’ to criminalize consenting sexual acts.” Law professor J. Kelly Strader had this op-ed yesterday in The Los Angeles Times.

Posted at 6:02 PM by Howard Bashman



“Planned Parenthood’s CEO ‘thrilled’ by ruling”: The Argus Leader of Sioux Falls, South Dakota has a news update that begins, “Planned Parenthood’s CEO said she ‘couldn’t be happier’ with today’s rulings on South Dakota’s informed consent for abortion law.”

And The Associated Press has a report headlined “Judge: SD doctors must say abortion ends life.”

I have posted online today’s summary judgment opinion and order of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota.

Posted at 5:52 PM by Howard Bashman



“Judge Betty’s Revenge: Conservatives thought they’d sidelined the 9th Circuit’s lion of liberalism; They were wrong.” Nina Shapiro has this lengthy cover story in the current issue of Seattle Weekly.

Posted at 2:34 PM by Howard Bashman



“Lawyer: FBI Paid Right-Wing Blogger Charged With Threats.” At Wired.com’s “Threat Level” blog, David Kravets has a post that begins, “A notorious New Jersey hate blogger charged in June with threatening to kill judges and lawmakers was secretly an FBI ‘agent provocateur’ paid to disseminate right-wing rhetoric, his attorney said Wednesday.”

Posted at 1:42 PM by Howard Bashman



“This case raises an Establishment Clause challenge to religious displays at a contract postal unit operated by a church in Manchester, Connecticut.” So begins an opinion that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued today.

The court’s opinion holds that an Establishment Clause violation occurred and requires by way of remedy that “the postal counter be free of religious material, and that visual cues distinguish the space operating as a postal facility from the space functioning as the private property of the Church.”

Posted at 10:32 AM by Howard Bashman



“Appeals court overturns Holocaust looted-art law, but Norton Simon suit continues”: This post appears at the “Culture Monster” blog of The Los Angeles Times.

Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle has a blog post titled “Holocaust art ruling.”

And The Pasadena Star-News reports that “Legal fight over Norton Simon art can go forward, court rules.”

You can access yesterday’s ruling by a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link.

Posted at 10:25 AM by Howard Bashman