Tuesday round-up

By Marissa Miller
on Aug 9, 2011 at 12:45 pm

In the New York Times, Robert Pear reports that Democratic Congressional leaders have filed an amicus brief in Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California, which will be argued next Term. Their brief argues that the Supremacy Clause permits Medicaid recipients to challenge state payment rates in court. Pear notes that this amicus brief represents “an unusual break with the White House,” as Democratic lawmakers are concerned that the federal government’s position “would undermine the effectiveness of Medicaid.”

Briefly:

• As a local Fox News affiliate reports, the board of commissioners in Forsyth County, North Carolina plans to appeal a recent decision by the Fourth Circuit holding that it could not open its meetings with a sectarian prayer.

• The New Yorker discusses the Justices’ writing styles and publications, as well as the prospect of a book by Justice Kagan.