Tag: The Supreme Court

Here Comes the Judge.

As McCain-Feingold nears its day in court, advocates and opponents of reform look to Chief Justice Rehnquist as a major swing vote (along with Justice O’Connor). Hmmm…I have to say I don’t have much faith in Rehnquist’s jurisprudence at this point, but perhaps he’ll surprise me.

Here Comes the Judge.

With talk of Supreme Court vacancies opening up over the summer, the Post sits down with White House counsel (and prime contender) Alberto Gonzales. Good to hear that private sources find him “insufficiently conservative”…there might still be hope for the guy. In related news, Jeffrey Toobin surveys the judicial confirmation battlefield for the New Yorker.

Dollars and Sense.

In the longest and most complicated opinion in its history, the US District Court for DC struck down some of the McCain-Feingold bill yesterday, while still upholding some of its key legal premises. While this convoluted decision opens the door for the rapacious campaign days of yore, it also sets the stage for a definitive Supreme Court decision in the Spring. Looks like Rehnquist and co. will get a chance to atone at least partially for Bush v. Gore.

Kerrying a Torch.

Continuing with his newfound Chris-Rock-in-Head-of-State candor, John Kerry announces he will only appoint pro-choice Supreme Court justices if elected. (He also takes the time to differentiate between political “litmus tests” and the defense of constitutional rights.) Kerry’s really onto something lately with the whole anti-Gore, Straight-Talk-Express bit…let’s hope it continues.

Trial Balloons.

After the humbling defeat of Election Tuesday, Dem presidential hopefuls start taking tentative steps down a more combative course. First Daschle rightfully questioned the terrorism initiative in the wake of the recent Bin Laden tape, and now Gore is outwardly questioning the Supreme Court for its 2000 election decision. Speaking of which, anyone hoping beyond hope for a “new” Candidate Gore in 2004 should just take note of how loudly the gears are grinding here. The Gores have two books coming out – Joined at the Heart (as a friend of mine noted, a truly awful name that conjures up visions of Chang and Eng) and The Spirit of Family – aimed at resurrecting whatever national goodwill Al managed to muster by “The Kiss” at the Democratic Convention. As usual, Gore‘s making his points ham-fistedly.

Hey, buddy, who asked you?

Dahlia Lithwick surveys Ken Starr‘s recent paean to the Rehnquist Court. “Starr’s ideology seeps into the book in other ways — ways that make him sound like he’s sometimes channeling Ann Coulter. He calls Justices Breyer and Ginsburg ‘Clinton appointees’ three times in three pages, as if by invoking their champion he might tar them as philandering perverts as well. So anxious is Starr about ‘liberals,’ the ‘cultural elites,’ and the ‘New York Times editorial pages,’ that the words are frequently thrown out, Coulter-fashion, to stand as self-explicating negatives.” Ok, thanks Ken…now please crawl back into your hole.