Andy Kessler argues that the greater use of technology-inducement prizes could reap dramatic social benefits — far greater benefits that the sorts of prizes given out to recognize past achievement. On the recently awarded Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences. This type of prize is commendable, its generosity admirable. But it prompts a question: Will such […]
Author Archive | Jonathan H. Adler
Conservatives in the Academy
In light of my post on Steven Hayward’s appointment at the University of Colorado, I thought it might be worthwhile re-posting some earlier thoughts on the general subject. Here are some thoughts from a post of mine from 2003, prompted by this David Brooks column. “LONELY CAMPUS VOICES”: Today’s David Brooks column struck a chord. […]
Conservative Studies at the University of Colorado
Last week, the University of Colorado announced that Steven Hayward has accepted a one-year appointment as the university’s first “Visiting scholar in Conservative Though and Policy.” Hayward, who holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from Claremont Graduate School is the author of several books, including volumes on Reagan and Churchill, and has held positions at the […]
CIA Loses Drone Strike FOIA Appeal
By Jonathan H. Adler on March 15, 2013 12:46 pm in Counter-Terrorism Policy, Government Transparency, Targeted Killing, War on Terror
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) seeking information about drone strikes. The CIA filed a so-called “Glomar response,” refusing to confirm or deny the existence of material responsive to the ACLU’s request. The ACLU then sued, and the district court granted summary […]
Blue Slips vs. Filibusters
In the comments to my recent judicial nomination posts, some have wondered why I insist on distinguishing between blue slips and filibusters. So I thought I’d quickly address this point before posting on how to end the obstruction of judicial nominees. The reason for distinguishing between filibusters and blue slips is that these two modes […]
On Judicial Confirmations — History and Numbers
Partisans in judicial nomination fights like to play the victim. As each side tells it, obstruction of judicial nominees is all the other side’s fault. Each act of contemporary obstruction is justified by some act of obstruction that came before. The reality, however, is that there are no clean hands in these fights any more. […]
The Case for Drone Courts
Last month, former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal made the case for creating an executive branch court to oversee the use of drones for targeted killings. In Katyal’s view, subjecting drone strikes to an Article III “drone court” would be a “mistake.” Thus he endorsed an alternative oversight mechanism to be housed within the executive […]
No More Transparency, But Less Outside Scrutiny
Paul Thacker writes that the Obama Administration has “failed miserably” to fulfill its promises of more open and transparent government. What’s changed, however, is that the press and self-appointed good-government watchdogs are less interested in covering such questions. Whether it’s responding to Congress, media questions, or FOIA requests, this administration is no better than its […]
Rick Hasen Read the DoJ Inspector General Report on the Civil Rights Division So You Don’t Have To
As his Election Law Blog Rick Hasen has a fairly thorough summary of the just-released Justice Department Inspector General’s report on the politicization of the Civil Rights division. The bottom line: liberal and conservative employees of the division did not play well with one another. The IG largely absolves attorneys within the division of engaging […]
The NYT‘s Selective History on Judicial Filibusters
Over the weekend, the NYT published a highly misleading story about Republican filibusters of President Obama’s judicial nominees. Consider the very first sentence of the article: “A fresh feud over federal judgeships has again begun to agitate the Senate, with Republicans so far blocking President Obama from filling any of the four vacancies on the […]
Swan Song for Nuclear Power?
Several years ago, many policymakers and industry experts believed nuclear power was on the verge of a renaissance. New reactor designs, a streamlined approval process, and the desire for carbon-free electricity generation were to herald a rebirth for this power source. Yet as the Washington Post reports, it has not worked out that way. companies are […]
New York Judge Nixes Super-Size Soda Ban
A state court judge has voided New York City’s much discussed (and much derided) ban on the sale of large sugary drinks, the New York Post reports. The ban was slated to take effect tomorrow. Due to the judge’s ruling, however, NY health inspectors won’t have to run around testing drink sizes and coffee sellers […]
Clearing the Air in the Faculty Lounge
Today all of The Faculty Lounge’s permanent bloggers posted a notice stating that none of them have ever disclosed identifying information about anonymous or pseudonymous bloggers to any third party. The post comes in response to allegations by Paul Campos that someone at TFL had given such information about a pseudonymous commenter to Brian Leiter. […]
Authorizing the Strike on al-Awlaki
The NYT has a very interesting story on the targeting of Anwar al-Awlaki for a drone strike. Of particular interest is the story’s account of the efforts by academics-turned-government-lawyers to ensure that targeting al-Awlaki would be legal. Here’s a taste: David Barron and Martin Lederman had a problem. As lawyers in the Justice Department’s Office of […]
Iowa’s Prof. Hovenkamp Comments on Dismissal of Ideological Bias Suit
The University of Iowa College of Law’s Professor Herbert Hovenkamp, offers the following statement on the dismissal of Teresa Wagner’s lawsuit against the school alleging ideological bias in hiring. While the Wagner viewpoint discrimination trial involving the University of Iowa College of Law has generated considerable attention, the only principals who have spoken to the […]