The yakkity-yak over Clarence Thomas and all other matters relating to the possibly-soon-to-be-vacant Chief Justice's seat continues apace. Two of today's commentaries caught my eye.First, John Yoo (Berkeley law prof, former Thomas … [Read more...]
Dems need to clean up their act on Clarence Thomas
Well, the new year has brought lots of commentary on the ongoing Chief Justice derby. Law prof Steven Lubet opines here (hat tip: How Appealing) that Democrats should not filibuster Scalia for CJ, because (among other things) Scalia … [Read more...]
The Novak mystery … solved?
Somehow I missed the NY Times's latest article on the Valerie Plame affair (hat tip: MyDD) and the mysterious role of douchebag of liberty Robert Novak, who for reasons unknown has remained unscathed as other reporters face jail time, even … [Read more...]
Justice Thomas accepted tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts; ethicists balk
The odds on Clarence Thomas becoming the next Chief Justice may be getting longer (see our related posts here, here, and here). The LA Times reports here that Thomas has accepted over $40,000 in reportable "gifts" over the … [Read more...]
The CJ derby continues
Conservative guru Bill Kristol has predicted that 10th Circuit Judge Michael McConnell will be the next Chief Justice. (Hat tip: Volokh.) McConnell would be a savvy pick in many ways. He's very conservative, very … [Read more...]
JudComm update
The WaPo reports that Senator-elect Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who famously advocated the death penalty for abortion providers, will be joining the Senate Judiciary Committee. Excellent. Also joining will be Kansas Republican Sam … [Read more...]
Pressure building on Rehnquist
The Supreme Court's announcement that Chief Justice Rehnquist will not participate in some argued cases this term (unless the case would be tied 4-4 without him) appears to have changed the dynamics surrounding his tenure. For the … [Read more...]
Filibuster follies
This excellent column - by conservative scholar Norman Ornstein - thoroughly debunks the Senate Republicans' ridiculous claim that it's unconstitutional to filibuster judicial nominees, and that doing so has no historical precedent. … [Read more...]
Total incompetence
Predictably, Bernard Kerik's abrupt withdrawal as Bush's nominee for Director of Homeland Security, ostensibly for nanny-type problems (but see the New York Daily News in particular for Kerik's other "difficulties"), has led our … [Read more...]
There’s something about Harry
Senate Democratic leader-elect Harry Reid (D-Nev.) apparently could support Scalia for Chief Justice, but considers Thomas an "embarrassment." Liberal groups dutifully expressed outrage, as did pro-Thomas conservatives.Is … [Read more...]