The NYT‘s Charlie Savage has confirmed that the President overruled the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel’s opinion of what constitutes “hostilities” under the War Powers Resolution, preferring instead the conclusion reached by the White House Counsel’s office and the State Department’s Harold Koh. In another story earlier this week on the Administration’s explanation to […]
Author Archive | Jonathan H. Adler
Chesley “Suspended” from State Case Against Fannie Mae
BLT reports that Ohio Attorney General has “suspended” noted plaintiffs attorney Stanley Chesley, aka the “Master of Disaster,” from the state AGSs’ lawsuit against Fannie Mae due to pending disciplinary proceedings against him. As I noted here, the Kentucky Bar Association voted to disbar him, and that recommendation is now before the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Retired Montana Law Professor Denied “Emeritus” Status
The Missoulian reports that the faculty at the University of Montana School of Law has voted agaisnt granting retired Professor Rob Natelson “emeritus” status. Natelson, who retired in May 2010 after serving 23 years as a professor in the law school to take a job as a senior fellow with the Independence Institute, was informed […]
WI Public Employee Unions’ Complaint
Here is the complaint filed in federal court by several Wisconsin unions seeking to overturn newly adopted restrictions on collective bargaining by public employees. Here is the nature of the action as described in the opening portions of the complaint. At the request of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Defendant in this action, the Wisconsin […]
Senate Takes Second Shot at Ethanol
Today the Senate voted to repeal the ethanol excise tax credit that it saved earlier this week. By a vote of 73-27, the Senate approved the amendment offered by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Tom Coburn (R-OK). As The Hill reports, many Democrats who had voted against the measure on procedural grounds switched to […]
“Fidelity to principles of federalism is not for the States alone to vindicate”
Today the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a unanimous opinion in Bond v. United States, holding that an individual indicted for violating a federal law has standing to raise federalism-based challenges to the relevant statute. The outcome of this case was not much in doubt, as the federal government had conceded that the judgment of […]
Did Bush Administration Target Liberal Blogger?
The NYT reports that a former CIA official is alleging that the Bush Administration sought damaging information on liberal blogger Juan Cole, a University of Michigan professor who had been quite critical of the Bush Administration’s foreign policy.. From the story: In an interview, [former CIA officer Glenn L.] Carle said his supervisor at the […]
Buying Conservative Endorsements on Talk Radio
Why is it that some conservative talk radio personalities always seem to cite the same sources as authority over and over again? Is it because each one, after carefully considering the work of various think tanks and policy shops, has concluded that one outfit in particular is really the best and most reliable? Or could it […]
Will “Master of Disaster” Be Disbarred?
The WSJ law blog reports that the board of governors of the Kentucky Bar Association voted to disbar noted plaintiffs’ attorney Stanley Chesley for alleged misconduct in a case that produced a $200 million settlement against a diet pill manufacturer. Chesley allegedly convinced a judge to approve awarding the attorneys 49 percent of the settlement […]
Wisconsin Unions File Federal Suit Against Collective Bargaining Limits
The Journal-Sentinel reports that several union organizations in Wisconsin have filed suit in federal court seeking to overturn the controversial limits on collective bargaining by public sector unions enacted in Wisconsin. A Wisconsin AFL-CIO release explains the basis for the suit: The lawsuit charges that the Budget Repair Bill violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments […]
A War Over War Powers?
By Jonathan H. Adler on June 15, 2011 6:13 pm in Executive Branch, Separation of Powers, War on Terror
GWU law professor Jonathan Turley has filed suit against the Obama Administration on behalf of several members of Congress, including Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and Walter Jones (R-NC). The complaint alleges that President Obama acted unlawfully by going to war in Libya without Congressional authorization and seeks, among other things, an order that the military […]
Dallas Mavericks Made “Honorary Ohioans”
No, this is not a joke. The official proclamation from Ohio Governor John Kasich is here. Does this make Ohio the Schadenfreude state?
Defanging Fang (Again)
Think Progress blogger Lee Fang’s obsession with the Koch brothers is really quite something. It seems there is no charge, however ridiculous, unfounded, or false, that he will not repeat — if he’s not simply making stuff up. John Hinderaker dissects the latest example. (Note that even after Fang’s post is “corrected” it is still […]
Ethanol Subsidies Survive
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) forced a vote on eliminating an excise tax credit for ethanol. Something like this should be a no-brainer. Tax subsidies for ethanol are economically wasteful and environmentally destructive. Yet the vote failed, 59-40. This could have been a tough vote for Republicans, as some conservatives consider the repeal of tax credits […]
New Screening for Sunscreens
The Food and Drug Administration has announced new testing and labeling rules for sunscreens. More here.