Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee began its confirmation hearings on the nomination of Samuel Alito for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Alito is no John Roberts. Whereas Roberts had barely been a judge for two years when Bush nominated him for the Supreme Court, Alito has authored 361 opinions during his 15-year tenure on… Read more »
In 1960, California Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown agonized about whether to grant clemency to death row inmate Caryl Chessman. Brown’s refusal to commute Chessman’s sentence haunted him for the rest of his life. He reversed 23 death judgments in the last 7 years of his term. Ronald Reagan, who defeated Brown in the 1966… Read more »
Once again, at the 11th hour, the Bush administration has pulled its punches in the case of Jose Padilla. Using an approach that more closely resembles a game of chess than a system of justice, Team Bush has altered its strategy, while seeking to keep all options open. Its fancy footwork, however, may ultimately backfire…. Read more »
The “accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands … may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”–James Madison, Federalist Paper No. 47 In blatant defiance of the Constitution’s guarantees of Habeas Corpus and separation of powers, the Senate on Thursday approved the Graham Amendment to the Department of Defense… Read more »
On the day we honored Rosa Parks, Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, George W. Bush appointed a white male to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court. Evidently unable to find a woman or Latino sufficiently “qualified” to sit on the high court, Bush reached deep into the trough of right-wing federal judges… Read more »
Bush has nominated his Texas crony as a stealth appointment to the Supreme Court. Although the Senate will be hard-pressed to discover Harriet Miers’s positions on the critical issues, she does have a long record of loyalty to Bush, whom she calls “the most brilliant man I ever met.” Bush undoubtedly knows where she stands… Read more »
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings have ended and the jig is up. Although Roberts characterized his judicial role as merely an “umpire,” he consistently played hide the ball about his views during the questioning. Nevertheless, Roberts’ disingenuousness came through in spite of his evasions. And the senators have enough information about Roberts’ record to know… Read more »
Judges are like umpires. Umpires don’t make the rules; they apply them … I come before the committee with no agenda. I have no platform.— John Roberts’ opening statement, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, September 12, 2005 The opening statements of the 18 senators who will first vote on John Roberts’ nomination for Chief Justice of… Read more »
George W. Bush has nominated John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States. Bush lauded Roberts for his “goodwill and decency toward others.” Yet Roberts’ record reveals a callous disregard for the rights of people very much like the tens of thousands who have died and been rendered homeless by Katrina. The outpouring… Read more »
Consider this: John Roberts’s nomination for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court is confirmed by the Senate. Chief Justice William Rehnquist steps down. Then, Bush elevates Roberts to Chief. This scenario would avoid the nasty fight that would surely ensue if Bush elevated his model Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia – or chose another rabid… Read more »