FEATURED SPONSORS
No quiet time for new justice
Tony Mauro
As Sotomayor wraps up her second full argument cycle as a Supreme Court justice, it has become clear that she is a prolific and fearless questioner. She can be tenacious and direct, bordering on harsh. She knows her stuff and clearly loves the give and take. All of which is to say, she fits right in.
Use these tools to search all U.S. Circuit and Supreme Court decisions from the past year.
Enhanced High Court Coverage
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and The National Law Journal have teamed up to bring you enhanced coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
News
Justices sympathetic to applying headquarters standard to corporate jurisdiction
Tony Mauro
For a corporation, the U.S. Supreme Court's axiom may soon be: Home is where the headquarters is. Oral arguments heard Tuesday raise a seemingly simple but vexing question crucial for corporations: For purposes of diversity jurisdiction, where is a company's principal place of business? The answer will be crucial in determining whether a corporation can be sued in federal court or in plaintiff-friendly state courts.
Justices greet Bilski arguments with doubt, disdain
Tony Mauro
U.S. Supreme Court justices from across the spectrum voiced skepticism Monday in the long-awaited argument in Bilski v. Kappos, touted by some as the most important patent case in decades.
Justices grapple with constitutionality of juvenile sentences
Marcia Coyle
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared divided on Monday over whether states violate the Constitution by imposing a sentence of life without parole on juveniles who commit nonhomicide offenses.
Marriage equality opponents ask U.S. Supreme Court to shield their identities
Amanda Bronstad
Protect Marriage Washington has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to block the public release of the names and other personal information of 138,000 people who signed a petition the goal of which was to strip gay and lesbian couples of the same domestic partnership rights enjoyed by married heterosexual couples in Washington state.
Recent Decisions
Wong v. Belmontes
U.S. Sup. Ct.
November 16, 2009
Failure to introduce additional mitigating evidence during penalty phase of capital trial not prejudicial (per curiam)
Bobby v. Van Hook
U.S. Sup. Ct.
November 9, 2009
Sixth Circuit erred in finding capital counsel's penalty phase representation inadequate based on professional guidelines issued many years after trial (per curiam)
Corcoran v. Levenhagen
U.S. Sup. Ct.
October 20, 2009
Seventh Circuit erred in disposing of capital petitioner's habeas claims without either remanding to district court or offering any explanation (per curiam)
Docket Watch
Docket Watch: Upcoming Arguments at the Supreme Court
Cases that are scheduled before the U.S. Supreme Court in the next two weeks. "Docket Watch" appears at the beginning of each argument cycle when the high court hears cases.
Commentary
The juvenile damned
Lara Bazelon
It is time the Supreme Court put an end to the shameful practice of sentencing children to life without parole.
Will the justices rule on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act?
Nick Akerman
Two recent cases raise the prospect that the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually interpret its "without authorization" language.
Setting boundaries for property rights
Timothy Sandefur
The Supreme Court will decide whether Florida ran roughshod over beachfront landholders.
It's predictable: Supreme Court gunning for McCain-Feingold
Melvin I. Urofsky
Over the years, efforts at campaign finance reform followed a familiar pattern: Scandal ratcheted up public outrage, and then Congress would enact a "reform." The author predicts that come Sept. 9, one or more sections of McCain-Feingold will be declared unconstitutional.
The chamber of secrets
Arlen Specter
In the era of the shrinking Supreme Court docket, denying petitions for certiorari may seem strategically expedient. But, in the end, the justices should not shirk their responsibility to say what the law is. Similarly, retaining the majesty and mystery of the Supreme Court as an institution may, at first blush, counsel against admitting television cameras. Yet it is only through observation of that venerable institution that an educated public can truly appreciate its significance.
