How Appealing



Monday, June 14, 2021

“Senate Confirms Top Biden Judge as McConnell Threatens Future Nominees; As Ketanji Brown Jackson became the president’s first appellate judge, Senator Mitch McConnell suggested he would block a Biden Supreme Court pick in 2024 if Republicans gained the majority”: Carl Hulse of The New York Times has this report.

Ann E. Marimow of The Washington Post reports that “Senate confirms D.C. Circuit nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace Merrick Garland.”

Brent Kendall of The Wall Street Journal reports that “Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson for Powerful Appeals Court; Judge Jackson is seen as a candidate for a future Supreme Court vacancy.”

John Fritze and Ledyard King of USA Today reports that “Biden poised to double the number of Black women appeals court judges.”

Alex Swoyer of The Washington Times reports that “Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed to D.C. Circuit Court, succeeds Merrick Garland.”

Clare Foran, Ariane de Vogue, and Ted Barrett of CNN report that “Senate votes to confirm key Biden judicial nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.”

Sahil Kapur of NBC News reports that “Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to be judge on powerful appeals court; Jackson is widely seen in Democratic circles as a potential Supreme Court justice.”

Madison Alder of Bloomberg Law reports that “Jackson Confirmed to D.C. Circuit, First Biden Appellate Judge.”

Jennifer Bendery of HuffPost reports that “Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson To Powerful D.C. Circuit Court; She’s the ninth Black woman to ever become a federal appeals court judge.”

Jordain Carney of The Hill reports that “Senate confirms Garland’s successor to appeals court.”

Todd Ruger of Roll Call reports that “Senate confirms Jackson to DC Circuit; Judge considered a likely Biden pick for any future Supreme Court vacancy.”

And Samantha Hawkins of Courthouse News Service reports that “Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to the DC Circuit; Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is considered by many to be a top contender for a Supreme Court nomination.”

Posted at 8:38 PM by Howard Bashman



“Mississipi’s People Should Choose its Abortion Laws; When I face the Supreme Court, I will seek to vindicate democratic principles”: Lynn Fitch, Attorney General of Mississippi, will have this op-ed in Tuesday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal.

Posted at 7:48 PM by Howard Bashman



“Judges Halt Race and Gender Priority for Restaurant Relief Grants; Approvals for thousands of Restaurant Revitalization Fund applicants were rescinded after court orders struck down a policy that favored historically underserved groups”: Stacy Cowley of The New York Times has this report.

Posted at 5:52 PM by Howard Bashman



“Biden nominated as many minority women to be judges in four months as Trump had confirmed in four years”: Adrian Blanco of The Washington Post has this report.

Posted at 3:54 PM by Howard Bashman



“McConnell says he’ll block Biden’s Supreme Court nominee in 2024 if GOP controls Senate; Republicans blocked Garland nomination in 2016, backed Barrett in 2020”: Tyler Olson of Fox News has this report.

Posted at 1:40 PM by Howard Bashman



“The Supreme Court Molded Joe Biden; He could now have a chance to shape it”: Peter Nicholas of The Atlantic has this report.

Posted at 1:36 PM by Howard Bashman



“Eva Guzman, former Texas Supreme Court justice, joins GOP primary challenge against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton; Guzman’s candidacy adds a new dynamic to the primary that is already unfolding between incumbent Ken Paxton and Land Commissioner George P. Bush”: Patrick Svitek of The Texas Tribune has this report.

On a somewhat related note, Guzman has been serving as Summit Chair for the 2021 Appellate Judges Education Institute Summit slated to occur in Austin, Texas in November 2021. The election for the next Attorney General of Texas will not occur until November 2022, with the primary elections scheduled for March 2022.

Posted at 11:22 AM by Howard Bashman



Access today’s rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court in argued cases: The Court issued rulings in two argued cases.

1. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh delivered the opinion of the Court in Greer v. United States, No. 19-8709. And Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part. You can access the oral argument via this link.

2. Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court in Terry v. United States, No. 20-5904. And Justice Sotomayor issued an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment. You can access the oral argument via this link.

Posted at 10:01 AM by Howard Bashman



“Special IDs for Sex Offenders: Safety Measures or Scarlet Letters? The Supreme Court will soon consider whether to hear a First Amendment challenge to a Louisiana law that required driver’s licenses to identify sex offenders.” Adam Liptak will have this new installment of his “Sidebar” column in Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times.

Posted at 8:02 AM by Howard Bashman