Case brought to Supreme Court by herring fishermen may gut federal rulemaking power

Source: scotusblog.com 1/16/24 The Supreme Court will hear oral argument on Wednesday in a case involving the deference that courts should give to federal agencies’ interpretations of the laws that they administer. From health care to finance to environmental pollutants, administrative agencies use highly trained experts to interpret and carry out federal laws. Although the case may sound technical, it is one of the most closely watched cases of the court’s current term, which is filled with blockbuster cases involving abortion, gun rights, and whether a former president is eligible…

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Supreme Court asked to decide the limits of violations of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on “unreasonable searches”

Source: usatoday.com 9/5/23 The problem for Nero the police dog began when he put his paws on the door of a car that had been pulled over after the driver swerved across three lanes.  By all accounts, the Belgian Malinois did his job, sniffing out a pill bottle and a plastic bag that contained meth residue – evidence that ultimately allowed police in Idaho to get a warrant and charge the driver, Kirby Dorff, with felony drug possession. But the paws Nero placed on the driver side door as he…

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Chief Justice John Roberts defends legitimacy of court

Source: news.yahoo.com 9/10/22 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday defended the authority of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution, saying its role should not be called into question just because people disagree with its decisions. When asked to reflect on the last year at the court in his first public appearance since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Roberts said he was concerned that lately some critics of the court’s controversial decisions have questioned the legitimacy of the court, which he said…

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Janice’s Journal: SCOTUS Made a Terrible Mistake

The U. S. Supreme Court made a terrible mistake 20 years ago.  As a result of that mistake, millions of Americans who are required to register and their families have been harmed, some even killed by vigilantes. The mistake to which I refer is the decision, Smith v. Doe, in which the Court found that the requirement to register was the same as applying for membership in Price Club.  That registration is an administrative requirement, not punishment, and therefore new sex offender laws could be passed and applied retroactively. The…

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Hawley’s cynical attack on nominee may be misguided

Source: ocregister.com 3/28/22 In a 1996 Harvard Law Review article, Ketanji Brown Jackson, then a law school student, noted the “climate of fear, hatred, and revenge” in which policies dealing with sex offenders are formulated. Before Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing began this week, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, objected to that observation, then proceeded to demonstrate its accuracy. Hawley’s misrepresentation of Jackson’s record in this area was typical of the criticism leveled at Supreme Court nominees, which often involves inflammatory, acontextual citations of a candidate’s statements and decisions. But it…

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The Trailer: How campaign rhetoric about child porn made it to the Supreme Court hearing

Source: washingtonpost.com 3/22/22 In this edition: Why Republicans are talking about pedophilia this week, how contempt is shaping Ohio’s U.S. Senate primary, and what’s happening in the race to replace Don Young. Treat a senator: Print out your favorite part of the newsletter and turn it into a big, scary poster. This is The Trailer. The White House dismissed it with a joke. A National Review columnist called it a “smear.” And the paid media campaigns against Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court have ignored it completely. And…

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Janice’s Journal: Future U.S. Supreme Court Justice: Friend or Foe?

Although it hasn’t happened yet, it is highly likely that Ketanji Brown Jackson will soon be confirmed as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.  The question is will Future Justice Jackson be a friend or a foe of the registrant community? It is clear that Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first African American woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.  It is also clear that Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first former public defender to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.  Both are…

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Supreme Court won’t review decision that freed Bill Cosby from prison

Source: kcra.com 3/7/22 WASHINGTON —The Supreme Court said Monday it will not take up the sexual assault case against Bill Cosby, leaving in place a decision by Pennsylvania’s highest court to throw out his conviction and set him free from prison. The high court declined prosecutors’ request to hear the case and reinstate Cosby’s conviction. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last year threw out Cosby’s conviction, saying the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor’s agreement not to charge Cosby. Read the full article  

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