Supreme Court

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Justice Is Blind, Not Disenfranchised
Justice Is Blind, Not Disenfranchised
Feb 12, 2008 11:35 AM CST

Justice Is Blind, Not Disenfranchised

Most Supremes go to polls today; Roberts votes only in general elections

(Newser) - Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia always exercise their right to vote, and John Roberts goes to the polls only for general elections, the Washington Post reports. Six of the nine Supreme Court justices—five in Virginia, one in DC—are eligible to participate in today’s primaries, and the...

Court Rejects $40B Suit from Enron Investors

Plaintiffs claimed banks abetted fraudulent deals

(Newser) - The Supreme Court yesterday turned away an appeal from Enron investors seeking to sue banks that loaned the company money, Bloomberg reports. A lower court ruling had blocked the investors from organizing a $40 billion class-action suit against Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse and other banks. The investors accused the banks...

At 35, Roe v. Wade Still Divides
At 35, Roe v. Wade Still Divides
Jan 22, 2008 11:19 AM CST

At 35, Roe v. Wade Still Divides

Protesters on both sides will mark today's anniversary

(Newser) - Protesters on both sides of the abortion debate today mark the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that frames the debate. The anniversary of Roe v. Wade arrives with surveys showing US views on abortion largely unchanged over the past 15 years and with abortions at their lowest level...

Capitol Police Arrest Man Carrying Gun

Suspect also wore samurai sword, was headed for Supreme Court, police say

(Newser) - Police in Washington arrested a man today who was carrying a loaded shotgun and had a samurai sword strapped to his back just blocks from the US Capitol building, WUSA-TV reports. Michael Gorbey also wore a combat-style bulletproof vest and had a tactical bow and arrow in his backpack when...

Court Limits Investors' Suits Over Fraud

Justices side with big business in important securities case

(Newser) - The Supreme Court today made it harder for defrauded investors to sue to get their money back. The court limited the ability of investors to sue third parties—accountants, bankers, and lawyers, for example—who help a company commit securities fraud. The 5-3 ruling, considered one of the most important...

No Right to Drugs for Dying
No Right to Drugs for Dying
Jan 15, 2008 3:30 AM CST

No Right to Drugs for Dying

Supreme Court declines to hear plea for experimental drugs

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has declined to hear what could have been a landmark case on whether terminally ill patients should be given access to experimental drugs not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The decision lets stand a lower court ruling that the terminally ill have no special...

Supreme Court Examining Voter ID Laws

Obtaining correct documents is undue burden, detractors say

(Newser) - The Supreme Court heard arguments today on the legality of voter ID requirements, which have sprung up in 24 states since the 2000 election. The laws are designed to guard against polling-place fraud, which studies show is non-existent. Proponents say requiring ID preempts potential fraud and builds voter confidence, NPR...

Court Skeptical of Challenge to Lethal Injection

Justices cite low chance of painful death, lack of better option

(Newser) - As the Supreme Court opened its hearing on lethal injection today, justices expressed serious doubts that the method amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, the LA Times reports. Most of the panel, including Chief Justice John Roberts, seemed unconvinced that the three-chemical cocktail results in a painful death, or that...

Death Penalty Details Withheld
Death Penalty Details Withheld
Jan 7, 2008 8:56 AM CST

Death Penalty Details Withheld

As high court weighs lethal injection, actual methods are shrouded in secrecy

(Newser) - With a landmark case coming before the Supreme Court today on lethal injection, the Los Angeles Times examines the unusual secrecy that shrouds the execution method. Defense lawyers who argue that it inflicts unnecessary pain are routinely blocked from information about executioners and the drugs injected. States say such information...

Bill's Next Job: Supreme Court?
Bill's Next Job: Supreme Court?
Jan 4, 2008 5:50 PM CST

Bill's Next Job: Supreme Court?

Hillary could try to appoint Bill if elected, some believe

(Newser) - She may not have gotten off to a great start in Iowa, but a Hillary Clinton victory in November could give the family access to the only branch of federal government it hasn't cracked yet, CNN's Bill Mears writes—the judicial branch. Indeed, Bill Clinton as Supreme Court justice has...

Supreme Court to Hear Child Rapist's Death Penalty Appeal

Executions limited to murderers since 1964

(Newser) - The Supreme Court today agreed to hear the case of a Louisiana man sentenced to death in the brutal rape of his 8-year-old stepdaughter. His attorneys say Patrick Kennedy is "the only person in the United States who is on death row for a non-homicide offense." A 1977...

States Drag Feet on 'Humane' Lethal Injections

Supreme Court ruling may

(Newser) - With the Supreme Court scrutinizing whether lethal injections constitute "cruel and unusual punishment," the New York Times wonders why none of the 38 states who use it have taken a simple step that could solve the problem: trade the three-drug sequence that's said to risk intense pain for...

Public Defender Gets Case to Supreme Court

Lethal-injection appeal filed by 29-year-old on docket next week

(Newser) - When the Supreme Court hears a case on the legality of a method of capital punishment next week—for the first time in over a century—it will be largely thanks to the toils of a 29-year-old assistant public defender, AP reports. David Barron filed the appeal on behalf of...

Texas Tallies 60% of Executions
Texas Tallies 60% of Executions
Dec 26, 2007 4:47 AM CST

Texas Tallies 60% of Executions

Capital punishment in decline elsewhere

(Newser) - As the rest of the country backed away from applying the death penalty in 2007, Texas kept up its customary pace, making the state responsible for an astounding 60% of all executions in the US. Of last year's 42 executions, 26 were in Texas, the New York Times reports. In...

Executions Drop to 13-Year Low
Executions Drop to 13-Year Low
Dec 19, 2007 12:14 PM CST

Executions Drop to 13-Year Low

42 people put to death in '07; further decline could follow Court ruling

(Newser) - With the Supreme Court set to hear arguments Jan. 7 about lethal-injection procedures, figures show that US states executed just 42 people this year, a 13-year low. The case before the court has prompted states using lethal injection to execute inmates to stay pending executions; on Monday, New Jersey became...

Texas Couple Fights to Save Their Orgies

Swingers sue after suburb in Dallas shuts down sexy get-togethers

(Newser) - Swingers Jim Trulock and Julie Norris think they should be allowed to have sex in the privacy of their own home—with 100 of their closest friends. Unfortunately, the Dallas suburb they live in disagrees, Newsweek reports. Trulock and Norris have twice been charged with running a sex club after...

Inmates Can Seek Early Release in Crack Cases

Panel applies new guidelines retroactively

(Newser) - Nearly 20,000 inmates now in jail on crack cocaine offenses can seek to have their sentences reduced, a federal sentencing panel ruled today. The panel decided to apply retroactively more lenient sentencing guidelines for crack convictions that went into effect last month. The move will have the "most...

Recent Cases Showcase New Judicial Leeway

Black, Vick decisions illustrate turn from sentencing guidelines

(Newser) - More federal judges are giving themselves wiggle room when it comes to once-strict sentencing guidelines, as evidenced by three recent high-profile court cases. The three—involving Conrad Black, Michael Vick, and a crack cocaine case that made it to the Supreme Court—illustrate how a spate of high-court rulings have...

Supremes: Judges Can Shorten Crack Sentences

Court sides with judicial discretion

(Newser) - The Supreme Court ruled today that federal judges can use discretion to order shorter prison sentences in crack cocaine crimes, to lessen a disparity with sentencing for powdered cocaine. It was a win for civil rights advocates, who have long argued that sentencing guidelines call for longer terms in crimes...

India Allows Female Workers Behind Bar

Court lifts 93-year-old ban on women serving alcohol

(Newser) - Women in India who want to work as bartenders are popping corks after the country's supreme court this week overturned a law banning women from serving alcohol. The decision was a major victory for both gender equity and the Institute of Bar Operations and Management, which has already reported rising...

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