I'm having a hard time nailing down Sen. John Kerry on the issues. He's militantly pro-abortion, and yet he told reporters that he would consider appointing a pro-life judge, but only if it didn't tilt the Supreme Court into overturning Roe v. Wade. Kerry said he has voted in favor of "any number of judges […]
The old axiom goes that a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged by reality. So, can we expect a sea change from Supreme Court Justice David Souter?
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has apologized for the confiscation/erasure of two print reporters audiotaping of a speech last week. Scalia says that he will now allow such audiotaping by print reporters in the interests of promoting "accurate reporting." At the time this incident occurred, I thought the actions by the U.S. marshal was out […]
...and water's for fighting over. When I read this, I found it strangely refreshing. Local water officials voted yesterday to appeal to the state Supreme Court regarding litigation aimed at protecting the region's water supply during a crisis. The case filed by the San Diego County Water Authority focuses on the method used by the […]
Sen. Tom Daschle, irked that President Bush would use the recess appointment power that is only to be used by Democrat presidents, has ordered a halt to approval of all federal judicial nominees. It's not a new suggestion, but it is one that is increasingly being considered -- put conservative and libertarian legal minds that […]
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia gives a speech in Louisiana and two things about the report are notable. First, an illustration of what New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and his ilk have done to the judicial nomination process. He decried what he said he thinks is a politicizing of the judiciary. "Eighteen years ago I […]
Last Friday, a federal judge in San Francisco (surprise!) rejected a Justice Department request for edited medical records as they attempt to defend the Partial Birth Abortion Ban that was passed by Congress last year. As I mentioned last month, the point of the records request is to prove that partial-birth abortion is never medically […]
National Review Online published a couple of excellent pieces on the California Supreme Court's decision in the Catholic Charities case.
The California State Supreme Court ruled today that Catholic Charities of Sacramento must provide coverage for contraceptives, despite the Catholic Church's prohibition on their use. The state supreme court said the charity, incorporated separately from the church, was not a "religious employer" exempt from legislation mandating such coverage. While affiliated with the Catholic Church, the […]
I'm against gay marriage for all of the (non-bigoted) reasons that you've heard cited by other conservative commentators. Civil unions I can live with. Initially I was somewhat inclined to accept the proposition that some states would sanction gay marriage, as long as other states weren't forced to recognize it. Well, after reading these questions […]