March arguments, day by day
on Jan 22, 2008 at 10:49 am
The Supreme Court, releasing Tuesday its calendar of oral argument for the session beginning March 17, set Tuesday, March 18, as the day for oral argument in the Second Amendment case — a test of what the Constitution means when it guarantesd a “right to keep and bear arms.” The argument is the only one scheduled for that day; the case is District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290). The March calendar includes a total of 12 cases, with one day to include three cases — Monday, March 24. The morning arguments are at 10 and 11 a.m.; the afternoon argument will begin at 1 p.m.
A link to the argument calendar is available here. Following are the cases, with a brief summary of the issues involved:
Mon., March 17
No. 06-1204, Republic of the Philippines v. Pimentel – on whether courts must dismiss interpleader actions involving foreign countries entitled to sovereign immunity.
No. 07-440, Rothgery v. Gillespie County – on whether criminal defendants brought before a magistrate have a Sixth Amendment right to counsel.
Tues., March 18
No. 07-290, District of Columbia v. Heller – on the constitutionality of the District’s firearms laws.
Wed., March 19
No. 06-1717, Richlin Security Service v. Chertoff – on the rate at which paralegal services should be compensated in the awarding of attorneys’ fees.
No. 06-939, Chamber of Commerce v. Brown – on whether the National Labor Relations Act preempts a pro-union California law.
Mon., March 24
No. 06-11429, Burgess v. United States – on enhanced federal sentences based on prior state convictions for possession of cocaine.
No. 07-308, United States v. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company – on whether a company may seek a tax refund directly under the Export Clause of the Constitution.
No. 07-77, Riley v. Kennedy – on whether a voting-related Alabama judicial decision must receive Justice Department pre-clearance before going into effect.
Tues., March 25
Nos. 06-1666, Munaf v. Geren, and 07-394, Geren v. Omar – on whether courts have jurisdiction to hear habeas petitions filed by U.S. citizens held by the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.
No. 07-455, United States v. Ressam – on whether federal sentencing law requires explosives to be carried in relation to the underlying felony.
Wed., March 26
No. 07-208, Indiana v. Edwards – on whether the Sixth Amendment grants a defendant found competent to stand trial the right to represent himself in a criminal proceeding.
No. 07-312, Florida Dept. of Revenue v. Piccadilly Cafeterias – on whether states may tax a court-ordered transfer of property from a chapter 11 bankruptcy estate to a third-party purchaser of the bankrupt party’s assets.
