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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 someone who has written several books and dozens of major articles on judicial interventions in our politics, and who has covered literally hundreds of campaigns in every state of the country, I have made no secret about my sense that the best response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to let corporations spend freely on campaigns is a constitutional amendment to protect our democracy from being overwhelmed with corporate cash.

February 11, 2010

My colleague and friend John Nichols' new post appropriately lauds Rep. Donna Edwards' proposed legislation to redress the damage done by the Supreme Court in its decision in the case of Citizens United v. FEC to abandon long-standing precedent with the purpose of permitting corporations to dominate the political discourse.

February 2, 2010

Maryland Congresswoman Donna Edwards turned to Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis for guidance in framing the Constitutional amendment she proposed Tuesday as the right and necessary response to the decision by Chief Justice John Roberts and a high court majority to abandon law and precedent with the purpose of permitting corporations to dominate the political discourse.

February 2, 2010

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee when he said he would not bring a political agenda to the high court, became the unexpected "star" of State of the Union night by playing the part of the sullen teenager.

January 30, 2010

My January 24 column on the role of the AFL-CIO in the Citizens United v. FEC case highlighted the concerns of some unions regarding the federation's decision to file an amicus brief in support of Citizens United in its case against the Federal Elections Commission. The piece stirred a tremendous response and a great discussion about the Supreme Court's removal of limits on corporate campaign spending. In preparing the piece and since its publication, I've heard from heads of national unions that are affiliated with the AFL as well as leaders of state and regional labor federations and lots of individual union members. Today, I'll highlight a very critical response from a top lawyer for the AFL-CIO.

January 29, 2010

Some union leaders think that the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Citizens United v. FEC -- which essentially takes the limits off campaign spending -- will give them the same flexibility and freedom to influence the process as it does corporations. What are the leaders of the labor federation thinking?

January 24, 2010

What to do about the decision by U.S. Supreme Court to -- in the words of Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold -- "(ignore) important principles of judicial restraint and respect for precedent" in order to make corporations the dominant players in American politics?

January 21, 2010