“Powerful Shaper of U.S. Rules Quits, With Critics in Wake”: Saturday’s edition of The New York Times will contain an article that begins, “Cass R. Sunstein, who wielded enormous power as the White House overseer of federal regulation, came to Washington to test his theories of human behavior and economic efficiency in the laboratory of the federal government. Now he is departing with a record that left many business interests disappointed and environmental, health and consumer advocates even more unhappy.”
“Complex, Fractured Michigan Supreme Court Decision Includes Fight Over Font Size and Substantial Compliance”: Rick Hasen has this post at his “Election Law Blog” about a ruling that the Supreme Court of Michigan issued today.
The fight involved not just any font size, but rather the meaning of 14-point font, a size well known to lawyers who file appellate briefs in the U.S. Courts of Appeals.
“Justice Ginsburg weighs legal lessons of opera”: The Associated Press has this report.
“Senate GOP, Again, Blocks D.C. Circuit Nominee”: Todd Ruger has this post at “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.”
“Former Gov. Don Siegelman sentenced to 78 months in prison”: The Birmingham News has this update.
“2nd Circuit upholds RNC arrests of two anti-abortion protesters”: Reuters has this report on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued yesterday.
“Appeals court reinstates Vermont prison forced labor case”: Reuters has this report on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued today.
PBS to air “The Barnes Collection” documentary this evening: You can access the documentary’s home page at this link.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently published a review headlined “Fine PBS film on Barnes collection avoids controversy.”
“Shots Fired: D.C. Circuit Sharply Divides in Machine Gun Dispute.” At “The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times,” Mike Scarcella has this post about an en banc ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued today.
Among the interesting aspects of today’s decision, Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote the majority opinion, while Circuit Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote a lengthy dissent. In addition, two other judges wrote separate opinions questioning why the case had been accepted for en banc review.
“Obama’s Judicial Confirmations at the Election Year Summer Recess, and Prospects for the Fall”: Russell Wheeler of the Brookings Institution has posted this paper online today.
“Appeals court puts off ruling on Yucca Mountain”: The Associated Press has this report on an order that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued today.
Update: In other coverage, Lawrence Hurley and Hannah Northey of Greenwire report that “Court waits on Congress before ruling on license application.”
“Feds seek 4-to-7 years in last Bush-era adult porn case”: Josh Gerstein of Politico.com has this blog post.
“U.S. Justice Department opposes undocumented immigrant’s right to get California law license”: Howard Mintz has this article today in The San Jose Mercury News.
Today in The San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Egelko has an article that begins, “Illegal immigrants are ineligible to practice law in California, President Obama’s Justice Department told the state’s high court in a rebuff to a man who was brought to the United States as a toddler and worked his way through college and law school.”
And Reuters has a report headlined “Justice Department: California should not let illegal immigrant practice law.”
“Wash. Supreme Court rules backpack search illegal”: The Associated Press has a report that begins, “The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a student backpack search in 2009 at a Bellevue high school was illegal because the officer who conducted the search and found a weapon was acting as a police officer at the time.”
Yesterday’s ruling of the Supreme Court of Washington State consists of a majority opinion and a dissenting opinion.
Update: At the “School Law” blog of Education Week, Mark Walsh has a post titled “Court Invalidates Backpack Search by School Resource Officer.”
“Fifty Shades of Scalia”: Timothy Egan has this post at the “Opinionator” blog of The New York Times.
