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Nation Topics - The Courts

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Proposition 8 opponents

Gay rights advocates were hoping that the Court would issue a broad ruling, but the justices seem most concerned with issues of standing.

Clarence Earl Gideon

In its historic decision, the Supreme Court ruled that poor people have a right to a lawyer. But today, our system of indigent defense is shameful.

Weldon Angelos

Cases like that of Weldon Angelos, who was given a fifty-five-year sentence for selling marijuana, cry out for mercy. But calls for clemency have fallen on deaf ears.

President Obama

Republicans have been blocking Obama's nominations—but the president’s refusal to fight back is part of the problem.

manning

News organizations thrilled to exploit the information Manning uncovered are deeply afraid of being associated with the brave whistle-blower himself.

The time has never been better to stop this colossal waste of money, resources and, most importantly, lives.

The 1 Percent Court

A Court for the money power, and our democracy is at stake.

'Citizens United' and the Corporate Court

Giving corporations the inalienable right to buy elections.

The Way Forward

Fight for a Court that speaks of and for the rest of us.

The Fourth Amendment was designed to guard against arbitrary governmental authority. That shield has been shattered, leaving our liberty and personal integrity subject to the whim of jail officials and cops on the beat.

Blogs

As Supreme Court Justice nominee Elena Kagan prepares for her confirmation hearings this week, it's an appropriate time to revisit—and retire—the famous "justice as umpire" analogy that Chief Justice Roberts trotted at his own confirmation hearings.

June 29, 2010

An “opposition in search of a rationale" goes after Supreme Court nominee for her youthful opposition to the draft and no-questions-asked militarism. The problem is that Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and Robert A. Taft all said pretty much the same thing for pretty much the same reason.

June 28, 2010

Lawrence Lessig and Glenn Greenwald debate Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court nomination.

May 12, 2010

Melissa Harris-Lacewell explains why Elena Kagan’s decision to deny military recruiters equal access to Harvard Law School was the right one.

May 12, 2010

Katrina vanden Heuvel describes Kagan as a careful choice, who needs to be pressed about her views on executive power.

May 11, 2010

The Solicitor General is a (very) "safe" pick, but observers raise doubts about whether she is committed to putting the brakes on the imperial presidency.

May 10, 2010

Ari Melber explains why Obama dropped Dawn Johnsen as a nominee for the Office of Legal Counsel.

April 14, 2010

A bold and unapologetic guardian of the Constitution and the rule of law will step down, making way for Obama to appoint a replacement.

April 9, 2010

With official denials of incident involving U.S. pilots in Iraq called into question, shouldn't Congress seek all the facts, accountability?

April 5, 2010

It's time for the naysayers to wake up and smell the Bill of Rights.

April 2, 2010