The Supreme Court has issued the following statement with regard to Elena Kagan’s confirmation: Elena Kagan will be sworn in as the 100th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on Saturday, August 7, at 2 p.m. at the Supreme Court of the United States. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., will first administer the Constitutional [...]... Read More »»»

The Senate has just voted to confirm Elena Kagan as the 112th Justice of the Supreme Court. The final vote was 63 in favor, 37 opposed.... Read More »»»

The Senate is set to vote on Elena Kagan’s confirmation to the Supreme Court at approximately 3:30 PM. We will report on any developments as they occur. A video feed of the proceedings on the Senate floor is available here.... Read More »»»

Yesterday’s landmark gay-rights ruling in a federal district court in San Francisco was the primary news story of the day, with general coverage by (among others) the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle (here), the San Jose Mercury News, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as Lyle Denniston of this blog. Some coverage [...]... Read More »»»

Through Sunday, August 15, we are continuing to accept applications for both blog internships.  We have also extended the deadline for the job opening for a special assistant to Tom Goldstein/Howe & Russell office manager/SCOTUSblog staff member to August 15. See instructions and requirements for applying here (for the internships) and here (for the paid [...]... Read More »»»

In a first step toward a historic Supreme Court test, a federal judge on Wednesday struck down California’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples.  U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled that so-called “Proposition 8″ — approved by the state’s voters in November 2008 — violated two clauses of the federal Constitution.  Those who persuaded [...]... Read More »»»

With Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., considering a plea to block a war crimes trial of a young Canadian detainee at Guantanamo Bay, the D.C. Circuit Court on Wednesday rejected the same request, saying that the prisoner, Omar Khadr, can challenge the constitutionality of  the military commisson system in an appeal if he is convicted.  [...]... Read More »»»

It’s almost here . . . the Senate vote to confirm Elena Kagan as the 112th Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  But, you might ask, can you really say at this point that the Court should be purchasing a leather chair for the soon-to-be fourth female Justice?  Yes, given the Democratic majority in [...]... Read More »»»

UPDATE 3 p.m.  It now appears that the ruling could be issued between 4 and 7 p.m. Eastern time. —————– The federal judge’s plan to release on Wednesday a ruling on the constitutionality of California’s ban on same-sex marriage has been complicated, at least temporarily, by a dispute over whether the ruling will be promptly [...]... Read More »»»

On Friday, August 6, the American Bar Association is hosting a panel discussion with five Supreme Court experts to evaluate the Court’s OT2009 criminal cases.  The panel is part of the ABA’s annual meeting and will take place at 2:00 PM PST at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Full details on the event are available here.... Read More »»»

Yesterday the full Senate opened debate on Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court, and a final vote is planned before the end of the week, likely tomorrow. Even though the result is not in doubt, “the floor speeches were contentious at times,” reports the New York Times. Julie Hirschfeld Davis of the Associated Press [...]... Read More »»»

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker will release later Wednesday his ruling in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal constitutional challenge to California’s “Proposition 8″ ban on same-sex marriage, the Court in San Francisco announced Tuesday (docket 09-2292).  After the announcement, supporters of the ballot initiative filed a request for a stay pending appeal, should the judge strike [...]... Read More »»»

We have updated our sister site, SCOTUSwiki, to include a number of new filings in OT10 cases.  New amicus briefs in support of the petitioners have been added to the case page for Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association, and we have added new amicus briefs in support of the respondent to the case page for [...]... Read More »»»

Below is the transcript of the second half of my phone interview with Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow about her new book on Brown v. Board of Education.  The book, In Brown’s Wake, examines the legacies of the case in perhaps unexpected places: in struggles for the integration of non-racial identity groups, in social science, and abroad. The first [...]... Read More »»»

The Senate convened this morning to begin consideration of Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court. According to the Caucus Blog of the New York Times, Kagan is expected to garner more votes than Justices Thomas and Alito did. A vote is expected sometime later this week. The Atlanta Journal Constitution, the AP (via NPR), [...]... Read More »»»