Politico‘s Mike Allen thinks so. Jan Crawford profiles the pros and cons of the final four — SG Elena Kagan, and Judges Diane Wood, Sidney Thomas, and Merrick Garland — while most of the buzz surrounds Kagan and, to a lesser extent, Wood. For what it’s worth, I remain skeptical that SG Kagan would be […]
Author Archive | Jonathan H. Adler
President to Seek Line-Item Veto
The NYT reports that President Obama is likely to ask for some form of enhanced recission authority — a line-item veto of sorts – to help restrain federal spending. The report is based on an anonymous source, and provides little detail. A big question will be how the administration’s proposal will sidestep the Supreme Court’s […]
“It Was Like Watching an Episode of 24 in Real Time”
NPR has an interesting (and troubling) story about how leaks to the news media, and resulting coverage, influenced the investigation of the Times Square car bomb. As the story details, the leaks came close to helping Faisal Shahzad escape and could have endangered the lives of law enforcement officials. Details about the Times Square investigation […]
Sixth Circuit Now 0-4 in Habeas Cases This Term
This morning the Supreme Court released its opinion in Renico v. Lett. By a vote of 6-3, the Court overturned a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit granting habeas relief to Reginald Lett, who had been convicted of murder in Michigan. Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion begins with the following […]
Bankruptcy Reform Instead of Bailouts
Nobody likes bailouts, but what’s the alternative? Stanford economist John Taylor has an interesting op-ed in today’s WSJ suggesting that proper reforms of the bankruptcy code could reduce the need for the federal government to retain legal authority to bail out ailing financial firms. Here is the core of his proposal: During the past year […]
PhRMA Thanks Reid
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association is co-sponsoring ads in Nevada thanking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for his efforts to create jobs in Nevada. As the Wall Street Journal editorializes, this is a fairly transparent effort to repay Reid for pushing through health care reform. PhRMA invested heavily in trying to pass health care […]
What Will Kagan Say about AZ Immigration Law
While controversy rages over Arizona’s recently passed illegal immigration law, the Supreme Court is considering whether to hear a legal challenge to an earlier Arizona immigration measure signed into law by then-Governor Janet Napolitano, and wants to hear the Solicitor General’s views. As the LA Times reports: In November, the justices asked Kagan to file […]
Matt Welch on the Immigration Law
Matt Welch at Reason writes: I have sympathy for people who are freaked out by desperate immigrants and ruthless smugglers trampling over their property in southern Arizona, and as I’ve said elsewhere, us pro-immigrant types too easily skate over rule-of-law objections. Federal immigration policy is a failure, and poses real public policy challenges that no […]
Arizona Revises Immigration Law
Well that was quick. In response to criticism, Arizona has made a few changes to its controversial illegal immigration law. The LA Times reports: The initial law, signed by Gov. Jan Brewer last week, required police to determine a person’s immigration status if officers formed a reasonable suspicion about their legality during any “lawful contact.” […]
Libertarian Critiques of AZ Immigration Law
Here are a few libertarian critiques of the Arizona immigration law. Shikha Dalmia argues that Europe’s stringent immigration laws are no model for the U.S. these countries are doing a far more effective job of controlling their citizens than their borders–exactly what will happen in the United States if the Arizona law is replicated or […]
SCOTUSReport.com
The Federalist Society has launched SCOTUSReport.com, a new website focused on President Obama’s forthcoming Supreme Court nomination.
Upcoming Talks
Just a quick post to note some upcoming talks. Tomorrow I’ll be speaking at the Ohio State Bar Assocation’s 25th Annual Ohio Environment, Energy and Resources Law Seminar in Newark, Ohio. I’m on a panel at 11:15 am with Ohio Solicitor General Benjamin Mizer to discuss environmental law in the Supreme Court. The full program […]
Feds May Sue Arizona Over Immigration
Today’s Washington Post reports that the Justice Department is considering whether to challenge Arizona’s new immigration law. A key legal ground being considered, officials said, is the doctrine of “preemption” — arguing that the state’s law illegally intrudes on immigration enforcement, which is a federal responsibility. The White House probably will make the final call, […]
Kobach on Arizona’s Immigration Law
UMKC law professor Kris Kobach, who helped author Arizona’s controversial immigration law, defends the law in today’s NYT. According to Professor Kobach, the law “prohibits the harboring of illegal aliens and makes it a state crime for an alien to commit certain federal immigration crimes. It also requires police officers who, in the course of […]
Cape Wind Approved
This morning, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced his approval of the proposed Cape Wind offshore wind energy project in the Nantucket Sound. This is an important decision, as the Cape Wind project will be the nation’s first offshore wind farm. Offshore wind power has a significant foothold in Europe, but not in the United States. […]