U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court Stops TX Execution

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a stay of execution for a Texas death-row inmate in a move that suggests it may agree to halt lethal injections in additional cases. The court yesterday agreed to block the execution of Carlton Turner Jr., convicted of killing his adoptive parents, the New…

Sep 28, 2007 3:45 PM CDT

WaPo: Recusing Is Confusing

U.S. Supreme Court justices should reveal the reasons for their recusals, the Washington Post concludes in an editorial. The newspaper notes that reporter Tony Mauro of Legal Times recently said what two justices did not: The probable reason they recused themselves in Stoneridge Investment Partners v. Scientific-Atlanta was because they…

Sep 28, 2007 11:06 AM CDT

Supreme Court Beefs Up Argument Calendar

The U.S. Supreme Court bolstered its thin argument calendar when it accepted 17 new cases yesterday. The action followed Monday’s “long conference” in which justices review cert petitions received during the summer, Legal Times reports. Before accepting the new cases, the court had scheduled only 26 hours of oral arguments.…

Sep 26, 2007 11:25 AM CDT

Pending Case May Halt Executions

When lethal injection was adopted in the 1980s, supporters said it was a better alternative to the electric chair. Now judges in the 37 states that use the procedure may block its use until the U.S. Supreme Court decides a Kentucky inmate’s challenge to its constitutionality, the New York Times…

Sep 26, 2007 11:07 AM CDT

Cert Accepted in Voter ID Case

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether voter ID laws are constitutional. The court will consider an Indiana law that requires voters to show photo identification before they can cast a ballot, the Associated Press reports. The en banc 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld…

Sep 25, 2007 6:05 PM CDT

Court Accepts Supply-Chain Patent Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether a patent holder can seek royalties from multiple companies involved in the computer manufacturing process. LG Electronics acquired several technology patents and then negotiated a license deal with Intel Corp. giving it the unrestricted right to “make, use and sell” products using the…

Sep 25, 2007 4:05 PM CDT

Lethal Injection Before High Court

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the constitutionality of lethal injection procedures used in Kentucky. Two death-row inmates, Ralph Baze and Thomas Clyde Bowling Jr., claim the procedure amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, the Associated Press reports. Their lawyer, public defender David Barron, calls the appeal “probably…

Sep 25, 2007 3:42 PM CDT

Court Accepts Diabetes Drug Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether Michigan plaintiffs may sue the maker of the diabetes drug Rezulin despite a state law that restricts pharmaceutical suits. The Food and Drug Administration asked that the drug be removed from the market after concerns arose that it caused liver damage in some…

Sep 25, 2007 3:21 PM CDT

Cert Granted in Drug Evidence Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether courts may consider cocaine evidence seized as a result of an illegal arrest for driving on a suspended license. Five federal appeals courts and four state supreme courts allow consideration of evidence seized in violation of state arrest laws. But the Virginia Supreme…

Sep 25, 2007 3:06 PM CDT

‘Troubling Partisan Divide’ in Voter ID Judicial Split

Voter ID laws are dividing lawmakers and the judiciary, who tend to split along partisan lines when considering the measures. As many as 22 million Americans of voting age don’t have photo identification, which means they can’t vote if they live in a state that requires such ID before a…

Sep 24, 2007 2:50 PM CDT

Thomas Outpaces Colleagues With Book Advance

The $1.5 million advance that Justice Clarence Thomas is receiving for his new book outpaces the amount received by other justices for writing ventures. The late Justice William H. Rehnquist got a $48,412 advance for his last book in 2004, McClatchy Newspapers reports. And former Justice Sandra O’Connor received $12,500…

Sep 24, 2007 11:24 AM CDT

Roberts ‘Unrecuses’ in Stoneridge Case

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has apparently sold his stock in Cisco Systems Inc., the parent company of a litigant in a case that could increase liability for law firms. Roberts and Justice Stephen G. Breyer had earlier indicated they would recuse themselves in the case, Stoneridge Investment Partners…

Sep 21, 2007 1:11 PM CDT

Dead, Cautious Clients May Spoil High Court Appeals

One client whose balloon catheter burst later died, but his lawyer sought a U.S. Supreme Court appeal without knowing it. Another client who sued the administrator of a 401(k) plan withdrew his money from the account at issue. And now Supreme Court appeals filed in their names could be tossed.…

Sep 20, 2007 11:59 AM CDT

Roberts Links Judicial Independence, Free Speech

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. told students at Syracuse University yesterday that the First Amendment is only as strong as the judges who uphold it. Roberts read words ensuring free speech protections, then revealed they were from the Soviet Union’s 1977 constitution, the Associated Press reports. “All lies,” he…

Sep 20, 2007 11:08 AM CDT

Toobin Dishes Dirt on Supreme Court

Many reviewers have already commented on one of the big revelations in Jeffrey Toobin’s new book, The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. The book claims that Justice David H. Souter wept and seriously considered resigning after the U.S. Supreme Court decided the election in favor of…

Sep 18, 2007 12:10 PM CDT