Today the Supreme Court heard oral argument in the case of Vernon Madison, an Alabama inmate who has been on death row for more than 30 years for the murder of a Mobile police officer, Julius Schulte. In that time, Madison has had several strokes, causing significant brain damage, and suffers from (among other things)… Read More
Justices officially return from summer recess, issue orders from long conference
The eight justices of the Supreme Court returned to the bench today to hear oral arguments in the first cases of their new term. But before they did so, they issued an extensive (75 pages) list of orders from last Monday’s “long conference” – their first conference since their summer recess began in late June…. Read More
Kavanaugh nomination voted out of committee, but FBI investigation to follow (UPDATED)
UPDATE: NBC News has reported that President Donald Trump has asked the FBI to conduct the supplemental background investigation requested by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Trump indicated that the investigation should be “limited in scope and completed in less than one week.” Less than 18 hours after a hearing on sexual-assault allegations that alternated between… Read More
Argument preview: Justices to consider competency in capital cases
It has been over 33 years since Vernon Madison shot and killed Julius Schulte, a police officer in Mobile, Alabama. Schulte had come to Madison’s house to protect Madison’s former girlfriend and her daughter while they moved out; Schulte was sitting in his car when Madison shot him twice in the back of the head…. Read More
Government asks justices to act in document dispute in transgender-ban case (Updated)
[UPDATED: On September 18, U.S. solicitor general Noel Francisco sent a letter to the court withdrawing the government’s application. Francisco explained that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit had granted the stay that the government had requested, eliminating the need for the Supreme Court to act.] The federal government today asked the… Read More
Kavanaugh responds to post-hearing questions
Last week the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy. After the hearing ended, senators submitted written questions – over 1200 in all – to Kavanaugh, who responded last night. The senators’ questions address everything from Kavanaugh’s reaction when he was approached at the… Read More
Divided court stays out of foster care dispute
The Supreme Court today declined to intervene in a dispute between the city of Philadelphia and Catholic Social Services over foster care and the Catholic Church’s position on same-sex marriage. Catholic Social Services had asked the justices to block an “intake freeze” on the new placements of foster children in the agency’s foster-care program while… Read More
Court releases November argument calendar
The Supreme Court released the argument calendar for its November sitting, which begins on Monday, October 29. During the six days of the November sitting, the justices will hear oral arguments in 12 cases, involving topics that range from the proper method of service for a foreign country to pre-emption by the Atomic Energy Act…. Read More
With Kavanaugh hearing set, Senate releases records
Although the battle over records related to Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s tenure in the George W. Bush White House continues, the Senate Judiciary Committee has recently released over 100,000 pages of documents. The first batch of documents, released last week, contained over 5,000 pages of emails from Kavanaugh’s stint as an associate White House counsel, a… Read More
Roberts takes on 9th Circuit after Kennedy retirement
Justice Anthony Kennedy is now officially a retired justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Among other things, this means that Kennedy no longer sits as the “circuit justice” for the 9th Circuit – a position in which he was responsible for both emergency requests (such as July’s request by the federal government for the Supreme… Read More