Ex-Justice John Paul Stevens Chats with Stephen Colbert About His Citizens United Dissent

Marking the two-year anniversary of a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision that opened the door to so-called Super PACs, former Justice John Paul Stevens appeared last night on comedian Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report to discuss his dissent in the Citizens United case, among other topics. In a clip from…

Jan 20, 2012 8:13 PM CST

U.S. Supreme Court Overturns Judge-Drawn Legislative Maps in Texas

Acting just 11 days after oral arguments, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned legislative district maps drawn by a federal court in Texas. The unanimous opinion said the court’s interim maps were drawn without proper deference to legislators who drew their own map, according to the New York Times Caucus…

Jan 20, 2012 3:44 PM CST

Judge Finds No First Amendment Violation in Denied Permit for Occupy the Courts Rally

A federal judge in New York has upheld a decision by the General Services Administration to deny a permit for a protest today outside the federal courthouse on Pearl Street in New York City. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said the plaza outside the courthouse is not a public forum…

Jan 20, 2012 1:12 PM CST

Permit Denied for Occupy the Courts Protest at New York Federal Courthouse

An Occupy the Courts protest is planned outside more than 110 courthouses across the country on Friday, but the federal courthouse in Manhattan won’t be among them. The General Services Administration denied a permit for the protest at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse, according to Thomson Reuters News & Insight…

Jan 18, 2012 3:09 PM CST

10th Circuit Says Federal Judge Got It Right, Correctly Blocked Okla. Voter Ban on Shariah Law

A federal appeals court in Denver today gave a green light to a lawsuit over an Oklahoma voter initiative that approved a state constitutional amendment banning state courts from looking to Islamic religious law in their rulings. Executive director Muneer Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations had standing to…

Jan 10, 2012 8:59 PM CST

Is Supreme Court Summary Affirmance a Retreat from Citizens United?

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday summarily affirmed a decision upholding a ban on foreign nationals donating money to political candidates. The case was viewed as a possible sequel to the controversial Citizens United decision finding corporations have a First Amendment right to support political candidates, according to the Christian…

Jan 10, 2012 1:26 PM CST

NC Bar to Revisit Suspension Order for Former AG and Governor Mike Easley

A lawyer convicted of a felony often loses his or her law license. But a former governor and attorney general of North Carolina had his suspended for two years after a federal campaign-finance reporting violation. That will make Mike Easley eligible to practice again at the end of this year,…

Jan 10, 2012 12:07 AM CST

Critic Calls Montana Ruling on Corporate Campaign Contributions an ‘Act of Defiance’

The Montana Supreme Court has ruled the controversial Supreme Court decision Citizens United doesn’t require it to overturn a state law that bars corporations from making independent campaign expenditures for or against candidates. The Montana high court cited several reasons why the law survived a First Amendment challenge, report the…

Jan 4, 2012 7:53 PM CST

Lawsuits Challenge Three Key Campaign Finance Bans

Although many challenges have arisen in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 landmark decision regarding campaign finance bans, three key cases have captured the national attention of campaign-finance reformers and their opponents. U.S. v. Danielczyk—considered the most significant challenge to regulating big money in federal elections—is now being…

Jan 3, 2012 9:29 PM CST

Chemerinsky on 3 Texas Election Cases with Potential for ‘Enormous’ Consequences

Three election cases from Texas, with potentially enormous legal and political consequences, will be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 9. The immediate issue in Perry v. Perez, Perry v. Davis and Perry v. Perez is: which plan should be used to delineate voting districts in races for the…

Jan 3, 2012 2:40 PM CST

Co-Equal Opportunity: Legislators Are Out to Take Over Their State Judiciary Systems

Jan 1, 2012 11:00 AM CST

January 30, 1976: Buckley v. Valeo Decided

Jan 1, 2012 6:30 AM CST

LA City Attorney Sues to Block Ballot Measure Requiring Condom Use in Porn

Los Angeles city officials have filed suit to block a proposed ballot initiative requiring porn actors to wear condoms during film shoots. City officials contend that the proposed measure is unnecessary and will waste taxpayer money, the Associated Press reports. The suit, filed Thursday, says state laws mandating workplace safety…

Dec 12, 2011 6:57 PM CST

Supreme Court to Hear Texas Redistricting Case; Outcome Could Affect US House Control

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide a redistricting case that could affect control of the U.S. House of Representatives. The court agreed to hear the case on Friday and scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 9, report the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.…

Dec 12, 2011 3:09 PM CST

Former NC Gov Mike Easley Faces State Bar Complaint After Taking Plea in Campaign Finance Case

Last year, former North Carolina governor Mike Easley disappeared from the attorney roster of McGuireWoods and took an Alford plea after being accused of violating campaign-finance reporting law. His law license was temporarily suspended in December 2010 after his criminal conviction on a single felony count, and now the state…

Dec 7, 2011 7:01 PM CST