Lawocracy -

This week at the Court

carl — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:01:08 -0600

The Court is on winter recess until the Justices reconvene for the Conference of February 17. Our “Petitions to watch” for that Conference is here. The February sitting begins February 21.... Read More »»»

U.S. urges more health care argument

carl — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:31:07 -0600

The Obama Administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to expand by a half-hour — to a total of six hours — the time allowed for oral arguments in late March on the constitutionality of the new federal health care law. In a ten-page motion, U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., said the added [...]... Read More »»»

Friday round-up

carl — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:44:07 -0600

With the Court still in its mid-term recess, today’s clippings focus on the activities of Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. The AP’s Mark Sherman (via the Traverse City (Mich.) Record-Eagle) reports that Justice Ginsburg has returned from her visit to Egypt and Tunisia, a trip that was sponsored by the State Department. Speaking [...]... Read More »»»

April arguments, day by day

carl — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:03:07 -0600

The Supreme Court will conclude its oral arguments for the current Term with the major case on a state’s power to pass laws to control undocumented immigrants living in the state — Arizona v. United States (docket 11-182) — on April 25. The Court on Friday released the April calendar, listing cases to be heard [...]... Read More »»»

Petitions to watch: Conference of February 17, 2012

carl — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:48:07 -0600

At its February 17, 2012 Conference, the Court will consider such issues as the burden of persuasion for warrantless searches of residences, the use of a defendant’s pre-arrest silence, grandparent visitation, whether human genes are patentable, and exhaustion under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This edition of “Petitions to watch” features petitions raising issues [...]... Read More »»»

By the numbers: Update on OT11 and an updated Stat Pack

carl — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:40:07 -0600

This is another post in an ongoing series analyzing statistical trends at the Court. For a more complete look at the statistics that we collect on the Court, you can find all of our up-to-date charts and graphs here. Pace of Opinions. The Court has released opinions at a blistering pace through the first half [...]... Read More »»»

Petition of the day

carl — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:30:07 -0600

The petition of the day is:... Read More »»»

Prop. 8: Video release barred

carl — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:19:07 -0600

The Ninth Circuit Court on Thursday barred the public release of a videotape recording of the historic trial two years ago on the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 — a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in the state. The three-judge panel, in a unanimous ruling, found that the trial judge had promised both sides in the [...]... Read More »»»

Thursday round-up

carl — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:37:07 -0600

Although the Justices are in their mid-term recess, coverage of the Court continues to focus on last week’s decision in United States v. Jones. Writing for Fox News, Robert Samuel of NewsCore reports on the lack of consensus regarding whether the Court’s decision in Jones requires authorities to obtain warrants before attaching GPS devices to [...]... Read More »»»

Prop. 8: Video ruling due

carl — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:19:06 -0600

The first ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court on California’s controversial ban on same-sex marriage — but not an ultimate ruling on the ban’s constitutionality — will be released Thursday morning, the Circuit Court announced Wednesday. Coming out at 1 p.m. Washington time (10 a.m. in San Francisco), this will be a decision on whether the courts will [...]... Read More »»»