Monday round-up
on Oct 1, 2012 at 9:10 am
With the new Term set to begin today, the weekend’s coverage includes previews of the Term’s most anticipated arguments, commentary on individual cases, and continued analysis of the Court in the context of the presidential election.
General previews of the Term and its likely highlights come from Robert Barnes of The Washington Post, Adam Liptak of The New York Times, Nina Totenberg of NPR, Mark Sherman of the Associated Press, Bill Mears of CNN, Michael Kirkland of UPI, Richard Wolf of USA Today, and Michael Doyle of McClatchy Newspapers. The weekend also saw a number of articles on the arguments scheduled for this week. Rebecca Hamilton of Reuters and Noah Feldman at Bloomberg View discuss this morning’s arguments in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, while USA Today‘s Matt Krantz and Brent Kendall at the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) preview today’s oral arguments in Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach. [Disclosure: The law firm of Goldstein & Russell, P.C., whose attorneys work for or contribute to this blog in various capacities, served as co-counsel on an amicus brief in support of the petitioners in Kiobel; the firm is also among the counsel for the petitioner in Lozman.]
Finally, discussion of the Court’s role in the upcoming presidential election and how the results of the election may shape the Court’s future also continues. As both David Savage of the Los Angeles Times and Bill Mears of CNN discuss, the results of the election – and in turn, the next President’s appointments – could well determine how the Court rules on issues in the future such as gay rights, gun laws, abortion, and money in politics. However, as Jeffrey Toobin of CNN and Robert Barnes of The Washington Post report, the presidential campaign has thus far contained virtually no discussion of the Court or its future. And Politico’s Josh Gerstein reports that the Court is poised to tackle a series of contentious issues that both candidates have avoided.
Briefly:
- At The New York Times, Garrett Epps reviews The Oath, Jeffrey Toobin’s newest book on the Court.
- In an op-ed for Politico, Carrie Severino argues that for the Court to retain its legitimacy, judicial nominees must have a record of commitment to the law and the Constitution as it was written and originally understood.
- Jeffrey Jones of Gallup reports on the party divide in the Court’s job approval ratings; fifty-seven percent of Democrats approve, while only thirty-six percent of Republicans approve.
- The Associated Press and CNN both have coverage of this year’s Red Mass, an annual service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in D.C., held the Sunday before the Court begins its new Term. Six of the nine Justices attended.
