Dana Milbank made quite a whopper on NPR’s Dianne Rehm show earlier today. In a discussion of the politics of judicial nominations and abortion, Milbank made the point that Congress is likely to address many abortion-related issues in coming months beyond whether judges would support or overturn Roe v. Wade. Fair enough. But among the […]
Archive | November, 2004
Hewitt v. The Corner on Specter:
For those who have missed it (which I suspect are very few VC readers), Hugh Hewitt has been questioning the prudence of the campaign of some, especially those in The Corner on NRO, to deny Arlen Specter the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. As someone with no prior position on this tactical matter, I […]
The Information Age:
I wonder if it’s time for a moratorium (or at least a bit of skepticism) on describing our time as “the Information Age.” First, it seems unlikely to me that in the future we will think of the year 2004 as part of the Information Age. The Stone Age was marked by the introduction and […]
Split the Ninth Circuit?
Judges Kozinski and Thomas say no. Judge Kozinski, for whom I clerked, is a Reagan appointee, and Thomas is a Clinton appointee. Important reading for those who follow this debate.
Bush, Kerry, and Wikipedia:
Apropos of our discussion awhile back on why Wikipedia doesn’t do a very good job with politically charged entries, check out this story in today’s New York Times about Wikipedia’s entries on George Bush and John Kerry.
“What Brown Teaches Us About Constitutional Theory”:
Jack Balkin has just posted his article by that name published in the most recent issue of the Virginia Law Review. Like everything by Balkin, it’s a great read. One excerpt: Judges are sort of like place kickers in football. Most place kickers are pretty bad at making an open-field tackle to stop a speedy […]
Bills of Rights:
I love reading those ridiculous “Riders’ Bill of Rights” things posted in taxicabs throughout the country. You know the ones I mean: “You Have the Right To: A clean cab, a driver who speaks English and knows the location of major destinations in the city, a smoke-free environment, etc. etc. etc.” [Someone should do a […]
OPPOSITION TO SPECTER BUILDING:
Frontiers of Freedom today posted a press release and letter addressed to Senator Frist and signed by several leaders of conservative think tanks and lobbying organizations opposing Sen. Specter’s appointment to head the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Freedom of speech at Tulsa.–
I was struck by something in reading our blogfather Eugene’s post on the flap at Tulsa. IF the dean’s email is legitimate and IF it was in response to an email from the VP of the Republican Law Society, then the dean appears to be violating or encouraging violations of his or her own policy. […]
Affirmative Action in Law Schools, Pt. 2
Entry Two: The Effects of Preferences on Grades, Graduation, and the Bar As I discussed yesterday, a very large majority of American law schools essentially race-norm black and white academic credentials when they admit their classes. Since the black/white credentials gap in the applicant pool is quite large, this means a typical law school has […]
How Hillary Clinton Won the Presidential Elections of 2008 and 2012:
That’s the title of my newly-published future history of the United States. Looking back on the United States from a French perspective in the year 2150, the story explains how Mrs. Clinton won, and how she governed so successfully. The keys to her first election, it turned out, were President Bush’s victory in the War […]
University of Tulsa:
By the way, if any readers have first-hand knowledge of the background behind the University of Tulsa incident mentioned below, or of any further reactions by the administration or others, please do let me know. Certainly do let me know if you think I’ve gotten any of the facts wrong, but also if there are […]
Do not question:
I quote below an e-mail that was apparently sent by one of the assistant deans at University of Tulsa College of Law. (I e-mailed the assistant dean to confirm its authenticity, but did not hear back; and when I called the author to provide an opportunity to challenge the authenticity and to provide the school’s […]
Must a Justice First Be a Judge?
Most (though by no means all) speculation about potential Supreme Court nominees focuses on currently sitting judges — and federal judges at that. Given the current composition of the Court, this is be unsurprising. Seven of the nine justices were federal judges before they were nominated to the Court, and an eighth was a state […]
O’Connor Bobblehead Going Once…:
Only a few more hours left to bid on a Justice O’Connor bobblehead on Ebay; my wife and I are sending the proceeds to the Israeli Red Magen David Adom, the brave folks who are first on the scene after terrorist attacks. UPDATE: Auction closed at $362.88.