“Media, DA decried in Manzanares death; Ethics questioned in coverage of stolen laptop case”: The Rocky Mountain News today contains an article that begins, “The death of Larry Manzanares has raised several sharp ethical questions about the news media and prosecutors for the way the case against the former Denver judge and city attorney was filed and covered. Several friends and colleagues of Manzanares blamed the media in general, and the Rocky Mountain News in particular, for what they felt was sensational treatment of the fact that pornography was discovered on a stolen state court laptop computer found in his possession.” In addition, columnist Tina Griego has an op-ed entitled “Sadness, anger reflect enormity of this loss.”
And The Denver Post reports today that “Family, friends mourn lawyer; Gathering at the park.”
“4th Circuit Vacancies: Nominees needed fast.” Law Professor Carl Tobias has this op-ed today in The National Law Journal.
“Bench Marks: The Supreme Court’s looming legitimacy crisis.” Online today at The New Republic, Benjamin Wittes has this essay.
“A Judge at the Plaintiff’s Table Tips the Scales”: Today in The New York Times, the new installment of Adam Liptak‘s “Sidebar” column begins, “Chief Justice Robert R. Thomas of the Illinois Supreme Court has lately been disqualifying himself from hearing libel cases. That is probably because he is a libel plaintiff himself, one who not long ago won a $7 million verdict against a little newspaper in the Chicago suburbs, The Kane County Chronicle, circulation 14,000.”
My most recent earlier coverage of this matter, including a link to access the newspaper’s federal court lawsuit against the Chief Justice of Illinois, can be accessed here.
“With Alito aboard, court weighs racial diversity in school”: This article appears today in The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger.
ABC News reports that “Supreme Court Returns to Race Issue; Court Will Rule on Affirmative Action for First Time Since 2003.”
And The Seattle Post-Intelligencer today contains an editorial entitled “Seattle Schools: Righting wrongs.”
“In Second Term, Roberts Court Defines Itself; Many 5 to 4 Decisions Reflect Narrowly Split Court That Leans Conservative”: Robert Barnes has this article today in The Washington Post.
“High Court Just Says No to Pro-Business Extremism”: Bloomberg News columnist Ann Woolner has this essay today.
“What did Brown mean? The Supreme Court may reinterpret the landmark ruling, threatening racial diversity in schools.” Edward Lazarus has this op-ed today in The Los Angeles Times.
“He’s a hired gun of the highest caliber: Wal-Mart’s top outside lawyer is known for limiting punitive damages and defending media access.” This profile of Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. appears today in The Los Angeles Times.
“Guantanamo justification is cloaked in hypocrisy”: John Chandler and Robert Allen have this op-ed today in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“The mean men in black”: Today in The St. Petersburg Times, columnist Robyn Blumner has an op-ed that begins, “Often you can sum up the collective actions of the Supreme Court under a particular chief justice with one word. The Warren court will always be remembered as liberal, the Burger court as pragmatic, the Rehnquist court as conservative, and the Roberts court in a short time has already earned its moniker: mean.”
“Speech Police, Riding High In Oakland”: Columnist George F. Will has this op-ed today in The Washington Post.
“Judge’s death rocks colleagues; Manzanares committed suicide Friday amid charges he had stolen a court laptop”: The Denver Post provides a news update that begins, “Anger and sadness settled Saturday on those who remembered Larry Manzanares for his lifelong service to the community and blamed his suicide on excessive publicity surrounding the scandal that toppled his career. Harvard-educated Manzanares, 50, who had been a popular and well- respected local judge for 15 years, resigned from his nearly 2-month-old post as city attorney in February after a stolen laptop was found in his possession. Felony charges of theft, embezzlement and tampering with evidence were filed against him June 13. The former judge was dealing with a collapsing career, possible prison time and media scrutiny of his personal life. He shot himself Friday, just hours after he was advised of the charges against him in court.”
Another news update from The Denver Post is headlined “Colleagues decry actions of prosecution.” And today’s newspaper reports that “Ex-city attorney kills himself.”
And Saturday’s edition of The Rocky Mountain News contained an article headlined “Laptop case on lockdown; Temporary gag order issued by judge” that begins, “The defense attorney for former Denver city attorney and District Judge Larry Manzanares contends prosecutors violated his rights when they held a news conference and released an affidavit detailing pornography found on a stolen laptop.”
“Bush domestic spying program flawed, former FISA court chief says”: McClatchy Newspapers provide a report that begins, “The former chief judge of a secret national security court took a swipe Saturday at the administration’s recently halted domestic spying program and said he insisted from the outset that the information gleaned must not be co-mingled with intelligence gathered under court warrants.”
And The Associated Press reports that “Judge Criticizes Warrantless Wiretaps.”
“A New Cheney-Gonzales Mystery”: Michael Isikoff will have this Periscope item in the July 2, 2007 issue of Newsweek.
In the July 2, 2007 issue of Time magazine: An article is headlined “The Endgame for Guantanamo?”
Reynolds Holding has an article headlined “E-mail Privacy Gets a Win in Court.”
And a profile of former Third Circuit Judge Michael Chertoff is headlined “The Running Man.”
On yesterday’s and today’s broadcasts of NPR’s “All Things Considered”: Yesterday’s broadcast contained audio segments entitled “Deciding the Future of Guantanamo” and “Military Lawyer Questions Guantanamo Hearings.”
And today’s broadcast contained an audio segment entitled “Judge Remembers Time on Top Secret Bench.”
RealPlayer is required to launch these audio segments.
Altoona Curve 5, Reading Phillies 4: My son and I traveled this afternoon to Reading, Pennsylvania where we saw the home Phillies lose to the visiting Curve. Notwithstanding the outcome, the weather this afternoon was beautiful and the game was exciting. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps are available here and here.
California city’s declawing ban regains its claws: Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko has an article that begins, “Court says city can ban declawing.”
You can access yesterday’s ruling of the California Court of Appeal for the Second District at this link.
“At White House, Renewed Debate on Guantanamo”: This article appears today in The New York Times.
“Third-in-Command at Justice Dept. Resigns; Mercer to Leave Washington Job but Keep U.S. Attorney’s Position in Montana”: The Washington Post contains this article today.
“Protecting e-mail: A court rules that e-mails deserve the same 4th Amendment protections as telephone calls.” This editorial appears today in The Los Angeles Times.
“Civil rights lawyer Yagman found guilty of tax evasion; The verdict could end the career of the combative attorney, who brought hundreds of cases against the LAPD and other agencies”: Joe Mozingo and Henry Weinstein have this article today in The Los Angeles Times.
“Court turns a cold shoulder”: The St. Petersburg Times today contains an editorial that begins, “‘It is intolerable for the judicial system to treat people this way.’ That’s what four dissenting U.S. Supreme Court justices said of the treatment of Keith Bowles. In denying Bowles the ability to appeal of his murder conviction, the high court demonstrated it puts process ahead of justice.”
“Kelo warning fulfilled”: Today in The Washington Times, Dick Carpenter and John Ross have an op-ed that begins, “Today marks the two-year anniversary of the now-infamous Kelo decision, in which five Supreme Court justices ruled that the U.S. Constitution permits the use of eminent domain to seize well-maintained private property for economic development.”
“Court Upholds Gun Conviction, Police Stop; D.C. Officers Lacked Just Cause, Appellant Tells Federal Judges”: The Washington Post contains this article today.
And The Associated Press reports that “Judge slams police tactics.”
My earlier coverage of yesterday’s D.C. Circuit ruling appears at this link.
“An Ex-Member Calls Detainee Panels Unfair; Lawyer Tells of Flawed ‘Combatant’ Rulings”: This article appears today in The Washington Post.
The New York Times reports today that “Reserve Officer Criticizes Process of Identifying ‘Enemy Combatants’ at Guantanamo.”
And The Boston Globe reports that “Officer criticizes military tribunals; Affidavit cites problems at Guantanamo Bay.”
“Recanted Testimony Fails to Overturn Conviction in a 1991 Murder”: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has denied the appeal of a man convicted of murder in 1992 on the strength of testimony from five eyewitnesses who later recanted under oath.”
Happy birthday to Justice Clarence Thomas: According to the “Today in history” feature from The AP, today is Justice Thomas’s 59th birthday.
“8 Cases Await Rulings by Supreme Court”: Mark Sherman of The Associated Press provides this report. The AP’s description of those eight cases can be accessed here.
“Batson and the ‘O.J. factor'”: Lyle Denniston has this post at “SCOTUSblog.”
FEMA meets FOIA: According to a lengthy decision that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued today, “At issue today is whether FEMA has established that the names and addresses of 1.3 million individuals who applied for aid or made insurance claims after one of 31 federally-declared disasters are exempt from disclosure under the FOIA ….” The court holds that the addresses are not exempt from disclosure, but the names are.
“A Supreme Court Conversation”: Slate’s “The Breakfast Table” featuring Walter Dellinger and Dahlia Lithwick is back, and the first two installments are titled “Are We All Legal Realists Now?” and “The Constitution: The Juicy Bits.”
“The Next Supreme Court Vacancy: There’s plenty of room to confirm another strong justice.” Edward Whelan has this essay at National Review Online.
“Tax resisters finding allies in cyberspace; N.H. couple vow to continue fight”: This article appears today in The Boston Globe.
