The 82nd Annual Academy Awards airs tonight. Five songs were nominated for Best Original Song, but none of the artists will perform on the program — perhaps because this year’s nominees are a bit underwhelming. Which song will win? Although Randy Newman penned two of the five songs, my guess is “The Weary Kind” by […]
Author Archive | Jonathan H. Adler
Will KSM Be Tried in a Military Tribunal After All?
Today’s Washington Post reports that White House advisors are likely to recommend that Khalid Sheikh Muhammed be tried before a military commission, rather than in a civilian court as had been planned.
“A Shameful Attack on the U.S. Legal System”
Walter Dellinger has an op-ed in today’s Washington Post decrying the “shameful” attack on lawyers who represented Guantanamo detainees. It begins: It never occurred to me on the day that Defense Department lawyer Rebecca Snyder and Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler of the Navy appeared in my law firm’s offices to ask for our assistance in […]
Keisler Calls Out Attackers of “Al Qaeda 7”
The New York Times reports that former Bush Administration Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler has criticized conservative attacks on Obama Administration appointees at the Justice Department who performed pro bono legal work for Guantanamo detainees. Good for him. From Charlie Savage’s report: Peter D. Keisler, who was assistant attorney general for the civil division in […]
Anatomy of a Rumor
How did the folks at Radar Online ever get the idea Chief Justice Roberts was going to retire? It appears the folks at ATL have found the answer [UPDATE: link fixed].
Restoring Faith in Climate Science
The NYT reports on various efforts to restore the credibility of climate science and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in the wake of “ClimateGate” and the discovery of a handful false claims and misrepresentation of scientific research in portions of the IPCC reports. The unauthorized release last fall of hundreds of e-mail messages from […]
Will Dawn Johnsen Finally Get a Vote?
Once again, the Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel. The vote was along party lines, 12-7. BLT reports: Johnsen, a law professor at Indiana University at Bloomington, still has a long way to go if she is to be confirmed. Republicans […]
U.S. Backs Bluefin Tuna Trade Ban
The Washington Post reports that the U.S. will support a proposal to list Atlantic bluefin tuna on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. This would have the effect of prohibiting all international trade in this valued fish. A single prized specimen has sold for as much as $175,000 in Japan. […]
Chief Justice Roberts Denies Stay of D.C. Same-Sex Marriage Law
This evening, Chief Justice John Roberts, acting as the circuit justice for the District of Columbia, denied an application for a stay to prevent a law allowing same-sex marriage to take effect before there is a public referendum. Roberts’ opinion is here. More from Jan Crawford and SCOTUSBlog.
“Cap-and-Trade Is Dead” — Long Live Cap-and-Trade?
Last week, GOP Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) declared “Cap-and-trade is dead.” There is no way the Senate will pass the Waxman-Markey climate change bill that passed the House. But Sen. Graham is working with Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) on an alternative proposal to control greenhouse gas emissions and promote the development […]
Sunday Song Lyric
Carly Simon is releasing a new version of her 1972 hit, “You’re So Vain,” renewing speculation over who the song is about. For years, many assumed the song was about Warren Beatty — indeed, that’s what Beatty himself said. Other speculation is summarized on the song’s Wiki page. The new version of the song adds […]
Reid Won’t Support Disciplining Bybee
Via How Appealing comes this article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid believes Congress should defer to AAG David Margolis resolution of the OPR inquiry into the “torture memos.” The Nevada Democrat was “disturbed” by the memos that gave a green light to CIA interrogators to employ waterboarding and […]
Luban v. Taylor on Torture
In a recent column on the Yoo-Bybee OPR report and Margolis memo, the National Journal‘s Stuart Taylor suggested that “the kind of waterboarding that the agency proposed in 2002 was not illegal torture.” David Luban critiqued Taylor’s article at Balkinization. “Goodbye, poor judgment — hello, legalization.” Taylor has a repl, appended as an update to […]
Greener Grid, Fewer Jobs
There may be lots of good reasons to develop a “smart grid” for electricity transmission, but as Sunil Sharan explains, job creation is not among them. Automating functions to increase energy efficiency can be worthwhile, but it will tend reduce the need for labor. So, for instance, installing smart meters nationwide could produce a few […]
A Setback for Nuclear Power
Yesterday the Vermont state senate voted overwhelmingly to block renewal of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant’s license after 2012. The NYT reports: In an unusual state foray into nuclear regulation, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 Wednesday to block operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant after 2012, citing radioactive leaks, misstatements in […]