Schumer Sees Link Between Citizens United Ruling and ‘Ethereal’ Justices

A Democratic senator says the Citizens United ruling on campaign finance shows the need for justices who have more real-world experience.

Sen. Charles Schumer of New York is among several…

Apr 14, 2010 2:17 PM CDT

Judge Admonished for Hugging Defendant, Allowing Tinfoil Hat in Court

A California judge has been admonished, in part because he hugged a defendant in open court after he had arraigned her on a charge of stabbing her boyfriend.

Judge Anthony…

Apr 14, 2010 1:07 PM CDT

Fight Over 9th Circuit Nominee Could Foreshadow Trouble for Supreme Court Pick

President Obama’s nomination of Goodwin Liu for the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is facing opposition from Republicans who say he is activist and outside the mainstream.

Apr 13, 2010 4:27 PM CDT

NC Judge Suspended; State Chief Justice Didn’t Say Why

North Carolina’s chief justice has indefinitely suspended a Mecklenburg County judge without giving a reason why.

The judge, John Totten, was elected in 2008 and has been on medical leave…

Apr 13, 2010 3:08 PM CDT

About 10 People Said to Be on Supreme Court Short List; Clinton Isn’t One of Them

The Supreme Court short list isn’t so short any more.

Earlier this week, the buzz centered on three people said to be on the short list to replace retiring Justice…

Apr 13, 2010 12:14 PM CDT

Pa. Justice’s Assistant, Her Sister, Is Suspended in Campaign Probe

A Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice’s assistant, who is also her sister, has been suspended after prosecutors charged her with campaign-related violations.

Janine Orie, the chief administrative judicial assistant for Justice…

Apr 13, 2010 11:42 AM CDT

New Name May Be on Obama’s Supreme Court Short List: Sidney Thomas

Amid speculation about which well-known potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees are on President Barack Obama’s short list, an unidentified senior administration official source tells…

Apr 12, 2010 10:01 PM CDT

Socially Awkward Judge Was ‘a Little Creepy,’ Asst. DA Tells Ethics Panel

An assistant Erie County district attorney says a Pennsylvania judge accused of harassing nine women was “a little creepy” and made her feel uncomfortable with his repeated invitations to lunch…

Apr 12, 2010 6:24 PM CDT

Russian Judge Shot to Death at Home in Possible Contract Hit Over His Work

A Russian judge was shot to death today on the stairwell of his Moscow apartment in what authorities are saying was a killing apparently linked to his work on the…

Apr 12, 2010 4:54 PM CDT

Only One of 3 Judges on Rumored Short List Would Bring Religious and Law School Diversity to Court

Justice John Paul Stevens is the only current member of the Supreme Court who is Protestant and who didn’t attend Harvard or Yale law school.

Stevens Apr 12, 2010 4:43 PM CDT

Drunken Driver Spared Jail Time Accused in New DWI Accident, and Judge Is the Victim

Maryland Judge Edwin Collier gave a drunken driver a break in 1998, imposing a suspended sentence even though the man had been arrested twice in three months on charges of…

Apr 12, 2010 3:36 PM CDT

How Justice Alito Would Vote on Hall of Fame

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has disclosed how he would vote on an important issue—steroids in baseball.

But he wasn’t referring to the way he would decide a Supreme Court…

Apr 12, 2010 2:17 PM CDT

Kagan Critics Focus On Her Gay-Rights Stance in Military Recruiting Suit

Solicitor General Elena Kagan, said to be one of three people under consideration to replace Justice John Paul Stevens, doesn’t have the same written track record as the two appeals…

Apr 12, 2010 1:49 PM CDT

As Justice John Paul Stevens Steps Down, Interest in His Potential Replacement Intensifies

The Los Angeles Times today, in a brief timeline, sums up the 90-year lifetime achievements of one of the nation’s renowned U.S. Supreme Court justices. It…

Apr 9, 2010 11:42 PM CDT

Fellow Justices Say Goodbye to Stevens, Citing His Intellect and Personal Strengths

Following accolades earlier today by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. after Associate Justice John Paul Stevens announced his impending retirement, his other seven colleagues also weighed…

Apr 9, 2010 10:36 PM CDT