“Pelosi Won’t Pick Tainted Lawmaker for Key Post “: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “Representative Nancy Pelosi announced on Tuesday that she would not award the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee to Representative Alcee L. Hastings of Florida, who was a leading contender for the post.”
The Washington Post today contains a front page article headlined “Hastings, Harman Rejected for Chairmanship; Pelosi Decides Against Both of House Intelligence Panel’s Top Two Democrats.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that “Hastings won’t chair intel panel, Pelosi says; With top Democrats out, an outsider may be named to the key post.”
The Wall Street Journal reports “Pelosi Moves to End Quarrel Over Intelligence Post; Speaker-in-Waiting Says She Won’t Name Hastings, Who Was Once Impeached” (free access).
Josh Gerstein of The New York Sun reports that “Pelosi Rejects Hastings as Intelligence Chairman.”
McClatchy Newspapers report that “Pelosi rejects Hastings for leadership position.”
The Washington Times reports that “Hastings denied top intelligence seat.”
And The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that “Hastings loses bid for chairmanship of U.S. House Intelligence commiittee.”
“Happy ending? Suit over Barney parody is settled.” The Los Angeles Times today contains an article that begins, “Barney the purple dinosaur may sing about how much he loves you, but his corporate masters don’t care much for Stuart Frankel.”
“San Quentin’s execution team is called incompetent; A brief filed on behalf of killer Michael Morales finds broad problems with death penalty cases”: Henry Weinstein has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.
“FBI appoints veteran for criminal division”: The Washington Times today contains an article that begins, “A veteran FBI supervisor who oversaw the investigation into the high-profile, unsolved death of a federal prosecutor in Baltimore was appointed yesterday to lead the criminal division of the bureau’s Washington field office.”
Next Monday will mark the three-year anniversary of the discovery of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Luna’s dead body in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Baltimore Sun’s coverage of the case can be accessed via this link.
“Few chances for lawyers to develop trial skills”: This article appears today in The Boston Globe.
“‘Super-Sealed’ Excavation”: Today in The Hartford Courant, Lynne Tuohy has an article that begins, “Forty court files remain ‘super-sealed’ four years after revelations that the judicial branch had concealed existence of many lawsuits, enraging lawmakers and the public. But more information about the cases trickled out Tuesday as a judge and lawyers for several litigants who have sued the court system over the practice try to solve the conundrum.”
“A Slide Toward Segregation”: Today in The Washington Post, columnist Ruth Marcus has an op-ed that begins, “A half-century after Brown v. Board of Education, it’s come, amazingly, to this: The Supreme Court, in the name of preventing race discrimination, is being asked to stop local schools from voluntarily adopting plans to promote integration.”
“Supreme Court to hear greenhouse warming case”: Reuters provides this report.
The Boston Globe reports today that “High Court to hear case on auto pollution; Mass., other states challenge EPA.”
And c|net News.com reports that “Supreme Court to consider climate-change rules.”
Meanwhile, in commentary, USA Today contains an editorial entitled “Justices can clear the air by telling EPA to do its job; Bush administration drags feet on climate change; world seeks solutions.” In addition, Law Professor Jonathan Adler has an op-ed entitled “It’s not up to the EPA;
If global warming requires regulation, that is a decision for Congress to make.”
And in The New York Sun, Thomas Bray has an op-ed entitled “Environmental Intervention Is In.”
“Evidence Obtained In Unabomber Case”: cbs5.com of San Francisco provides this report.
And The Associated Press reports that “Evidence Offers Insight Into Unabomber.”
“U.S. Currency Discriminates Against Blind, Judge Rules”: This article appears today in The New York Times.
And The Washington Times reports today that “Currency changes ordered to help blind.”
My earlier coverage is at this link.
“Protecting Reporters’ Phone Records”: The New York Times today contains an editorial that begins, “A journalist’s ability to protect the identity of confidential sources has been further eroded by the Supreme Court’s refusal this week to stop a prosecutor from reviewing the telephone records of two New York Times reporters.”
“Supreme Court Weighs the Meaning of ‘Obvious'”: Linda Greenhouse has this article today in The New York Times.
And today in The Los Angeles Times, Jim Puzzanghera reports that “High court puts patent standard to the test; Justices ponder the ‘obviousness’ gauge; Companies and the government take sides.”
“Justices today tackle consumer protection; State regulators take on banking industry”: This article appears today in USA Today.
On this evening’s broadcast of NPR‘s “All Things Considered“: The broadcast contained audio segments entitled “German Plaintiff Appeals Court Ruling in Torture Case” and “Lawyer’s Apprentice: Reading the Law in Vermont” (RealPlayer required).
Adam Liptak is reporting: Wednesday in The New York Times, he will have articles headlined “Lawyers Debate Why Blacks Lag at Major Firms” and “Ruling Lets Women Share Rights in Fight Over Custody.”
“Man Mistakenly Abducted by C.I.A. Seeks Redress”: In Wednesday’s edition of The New York Times, Neil A. Lewis will have an article that begins, “A lawyer for a German man who was abducted while on vacation in Macedonia and said he was tortured while in C.I.A. custody in Afghanistan urged a federal appeals court on Tuesday to reinstate his lawsuit against the agency, which had been dismissed for national security reasons.”
“Justices to Decide Merits of Global Warming Petition”: This article will appear Wednesday in The New York Times.
Joan Biskupic is reporting: In Wednesday’s edition of USA Today, she will have articles headlined “Supreme Court to hear case on global warming; States seek federal oversight of emissions” and “Supreme Court patent case comes down to stating ‘obvious.’”
“Supreme Court battle considers regulation of greenhouse gases”: Michael Doyle of McClatchy Newspapers provides this report.
“Listen Up: The Supreme Court’s hot/cold audio-casting policy.” Dahlia Lithwick has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.
I too have argued in favor of same-day release of oral argument audio from the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Supreme Court hearing abstract patents case”: Jim Puzzanghera of The Los Angeles Times provides this news update.
“Virginia appeals court: Vt. has say in lesbian custody battle.” The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “A Virginia appeals court sidestepped the issue of civil unions Tuesday and ruled that Vermont courts have jurisdiction in a custody battle between two former lesbian partners.”
The “SW Virginia law blog” covers the ruling in a post titled “Virginia Court of Appeals tiptoes around DOMA in Miller-Jenkins case.”
You can access today’s ruling of the Court of Appeals of Virginia at this link.
“Pelosi Passes on Hastings, Harman for House Intel Chair”: The Washington Post provides this news update.
Earlier, in today’s edition of The Daily Journal of California, Lawrence Hurley has an article headlined “Congressman Rises Above Impeachment; Disgraced Ex-Judge Could Chair House Intelligence Panel.”
“Key test of state power for Supreme Court: In a case of state vs. federal bank laws, to be argued Wednesday, the Roberts court may offer clues to its stance on federalism.” Warren Richey will have this article Wednesday in The Christian Science Monitor.
“A View from the Bench: The unpersuasive case for judicial activism.” In the December 4, 2006 issue of The Weekly Standard, Edward Whelan has this review of Law Professor Kermit Roosevelt III‘s new book, “The Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions.”
“Justice shares his change in thinking about flag desecration”: Online at the First Amendment Center, Tony Mauro has a report that begins, “Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who voted to uphold laws that banned flag-burning in rulings in 1989 and 1990, now opposes a constitutional amendment that would accomplish the same thing.”
C-SPAN aired Justice Stevens’ remarks this past Saturday night, and I linked to the video of the broadcast in this recent post.
“Judge: Make Bills Recognizable to Blind.” The Associated Press provides a report that begins, “The government discriminates against blind people by printing money that all looks and feels the same, a federal judge said Tuesday in a ruling that could change the face of American currency.”
My earlier coverage appears at this link.
“Justices Slam Nation’s Patent System; Federal Circuit Chief Defends Three-Part Test”: law.com’s Tony Mauro provides this report. The article includes statements from the Federal Circuit‘s Chief Judge, Paul R. Michel, whom Mauro interviewed after today’s oral argument.
“Top court criticizes patent ‘obviousness’ test”: Reuters provides this report.
A quote from the U.S. Supreme Court‘s oral argument transcript today in KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 04-1350: At page 49 of the transcript, the following exchange appears:
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something’s not obvious.
MR. GOLDSTEIN: You get —
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: I mean, the least insightful person you can find?
(Laughter.)
You can access the complete transcript at this link.
“Marketplace: Supreme Court Hears Patents Case.” This audio segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on today’s broadcast of NPR‘s “Day to Day.”
“Supreme Court Signals Change in U.S. Patent Protection Rules”: Bloomberg News provides this report.
And c|net News.com reports that “Supreme Court weighs ‘obviousness’ of patents.”
Seventh Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner appeared on today’s broadcast of C-SPAN‘s “Washington Journal“: You can view the broadcast, during which Judge Posner also answered questions from callers, by clicking here (RealPlayer required).
Access online the transcripts of today’s oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court: Now available online are the transcripts of oral argument in Weyerhaeuser Co. v. Ross-Simmons Hardwood Lumber Co., No. 05-381, and KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 04-1350.
“Interview: David Lat: Former Federal Prosecutor and Wachtell Lipton Associate Turned Celebrity Blogger.” The blog “JD Bliss” has posted online this interesting interview.
