Plaintiffs Groups Mount Effort to Undo 'Iqbal'
The National Law Journal
September 21, 2009
On May 18, the U.S. Supreme Court gave corporate defendants a gift that keeps on giving: the Iqbal decision, which has made it easier than ever for defendants to shut down lawsuits before they get to the costly discovery stage. Now, four months later, civil rights and consumer groups and trial lawyers are beginning to push back. They met last week in Washington, D.C., to lay plans for a two-pronged battle to undo what they see as a devastating blow to their lifeblood litigation.
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Pro-Business Ruling Likely in High Court Campaign Finance Case
The National Law Journal
September 14, 2009
A majority of the Supreme Court appeared poised Wednesday to reverse or limit a line of precedents that have allowed the government to ban corporate and union expenditures in election campaigns. After an extraordinary 90 minutes of oral argument, it seemed likely that the Court, swayed by arguments in favor of First Amendment rights for corporations, may embark on a new course that critics say could unleash a flood of corporate wealth into elections that are already awash in more regulated kinds of campaign spending.
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Lots of Buzz Over Campaign Finance Case, but Does FEC Have a Shot?
The National Law Journal
September 8, 2009
All the atmospherics about the extraordinary oral argument on campaign finance reform at the Supreme Court this week scream "landmark!" The uniqueness of a September sitting. The first time new Justice Sonia Sotomayor will be on the bench at argument. The debut of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, matched up with other titans of the Supreme Court bar. But for the packed crowd of spectators, when will it be clear whether the case being argued, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, really is a big deal?
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Newly Released Documents Show Rehnquist's Private Side
The National Law Journal
August 25, 2009
Poignant letters from Chief Justice William Rehnquist's colleagues, written after his 2004 announcement that he was suffering from thyroid cancer, are among the latest Rehnquist papers to be released by the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University. The papers paint a picture of a Supreme Court under distress, even adrift, in the absence of his leadership after 18 years as chief justice. The archived materials also reflect a down-home style that won Rehnquist admirers across the political spectrum.
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In Divided Vote, Senate Confirms Sotomayor for High Court
The National Law Journal
August 7, 2009
In a 68-31 vote Thursday, the Senate confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, making her the first Hispanic and third woman on the high court. She will be sworn in Saturday at the Supreme Court by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. Administering the oath at the Court bucks a recent trend of having a White House ceremony. In changing the custom, the president is heeding some justices' concerns that a White House ceremony sends the message that justices are beholden to their appointing president.
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More Columns
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 Senate Confirmation Hearing Portrays 3 Versions of Sotomayor
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Sotomayor Explains Controversial Statements, Defends Rulings
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Roberts Court Takes Narrow Road to Right
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Sotomayor, Word by Word
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Sotomayor's Ruling in Child Porn Case Defies Liberal, Conservative Labels
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High Court Pick Stays on 'Real World' Message
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O'Connor on Judicial Elections, Civic Education and the High Court Vacancy
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What Old Sin Will Haunt the Next Supreme Court Nominee?
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Souter's Retirement Sets Stage for Nomination Fight
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Final Arguments of Supreme Court Term Filled With Big Cases
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A Low-Profile Ride to Top of High Court Bar
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Justice Stevens Holds On to Key Role at High Court
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Will New SG Lead to Sharp Turn at the Supreme Court?
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