The class action behemoth at the foot of the nation’s largest employer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., has been vanquished by a narrowly divided Supreme Court. In an opinion for the nation’s highest court, Justice Antonin Scalia rejected the argument for the… Continue Reading
The Obama administration’s decision to decline to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in current challenges to the act’s constitutionality has had a palpable emotional impact on the public and the folks on the front lines of the ongoing… Continue Reading
Many “isms” are flying around the Judiciary Committee hearing room as senators continue to grill Solicitor General Elena Kagan in her Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Republican senators speak with scorn and worry of judicial “activism.” Will Justice Kagan be an… Continue Reading
In a pair of blockbuster decisions, one issued two years ago and the other earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down two handgun bans. In doing so, the Court has rediscovered the Second Amendment of the U.S.… Continue Reading
Diane Wood, a judge on the federal appellate court in Chicago, is considered one of the front-runners for the Supreme Court seat being vacated this summer by Justice John Paul Stevens. Wood’s supporters cite her extensive legal experience and sharp… Continue Reading
Primary runoff elections for judicial candidates concluded last week with winners thanking their supporters and losers licking their wounds. As a shining example of democracy, this election day, as usual, fell rather short. In Travis County, for example, the turnout… Continue Reading
The full name of the retiring Supreme Court justice, John Paul Stevens, echoes another important “John Paul.” Like the late pope, Justice Stevens was of service to the cause of justice and democracy for several decades and across eras of… Continue Reading