Why in the world did Wendy Vitter refuse to declare her allegiance to that constitutional holy of holies, Brown v. Board of Education? U.S. Supreme Court Justices of the 1953 session Harris and Ewing/Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division During Vitter’s confirmation hearings this week, Senator Richard Blumenthal asked the federal district court nominee … Continue reading Dancing Away From Brown
Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens made headlines recently with his comments calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment. In his March 27th op-ed in the New York Times, the 97-year-old ex-justice dismissed the amendment a “relic of the 18th century.” He noted that for most of the amendment’s history, it was understood … Continue reading Repeal the Second Amendment?
On this day in 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Wiley B. Rutledge to the Supreme Court. Rutledge was President Roosevelt’s eighth and final appointee to the Court. At the time of his appointment, he had been serving on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 1939. The Senate confirmed … Continue reading On This Day in Supreme Court History—February 11, 1943
In a recent interview at the Sundance Film Festival with NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg, viewable in its entirety here, Justice Ginsburg reflected on the#metoo movement. “Well, I think it’s about time,” she said as she received thunderous applause from the crowd. “For so long, women were silent, thinking there was nothing you could … Continue reading Justice Ginsburg and the #metoo movement
On this day in 1898, Justice Joseph McKenna took his oath of office to serve on the Supreme Court. President William McKinley nominated McKenna to the Court on December 16, 1897, to fill the seat of Justice Stephen J. Field, who had retired. McKenna was serving as President McKinley’s Attorney General at the time. The … Continue reading On This Day in Supreme Court History—January 26, 1898
Last Friday, Justice Sotomayor’s day started with a health scare when paramedics were called to her house to treat her for low blood sugar—a complication of the Type 1 diabetes that she has been living with since she was a child. She recovered quickly after receiving treatment and went to work as usual. Type 1 … Continue reading Justice Sotomayor on Living with Diabetes
On this day in 1801, President John Adams nominated John Marshall to be the Chief Justice of the United States. The vacancy in the Court arose when Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth resigned on December 15, 1800. Ellsworth was in France, where Adams had sent him to negotiate a treaty to end the 1798-1800 “quasi-war” between … Continue reading This Day in Supreme Court History—January 20, 1801
Like many of us, Justice Samuel Alito loves his coffee. In fact, he even has his own blend. In 2000, when he was a judge on the Third Circuit, his clerks decided to give him a surprise birthday present by getting a local coffee company, T.M. Ward Coffee, to come up with a special blend … Continue reading Spilling the Beans on Justice Alito
The Genesis Prize Foundation announced on Wednesday November 15 that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be the first recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award, which they are awarding to mark the fifth anniversary of the Genesis Prize. According to the Foundation, the prize has been marked “the Jewish Nobel” by Time Magazine. Justice Ginsburg will … Continue reading Justice Ginsburg Wins the Genesis Prize Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award
On this day in 1811, the Senate confirmed, by voice vote, two of President James Madison’s nominees to the Supreme Court, Joseph Story and Gabriel Duvall. [Joseph Story] At 32, Story was the youngest Supreme Court appointee in history. The two men received their commissions that same day. (Once they arrived at the Court, Duvall … Continue reading This Day in Supreme Court History—November 18, 1811