Law

President Bush Wants Dignified Confirmation Process for Court Nominee

06 July 2005
By Jim Malone

Washington -- [W] says he expects to have a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor by October when the court begins its next term. Justice O'Connor's retirement announcement last week has set off a major confirmation battle that will eventually play out in the U.S. Senate. At a news conference in Copenhagen, President Bush said he will look at the character of his nominee for a vacancy on the Supreme Court and will not choose a candidate based on their views on one or two controversial legal issues such as abortion or homosexual marriage.    » read more »

Posturing Begins Over Possible Supreme Court Nominee

03 July 2005
By Michael Bowman

Washington -- U.S. senators from both political parties are urging restraint on the part of activists and political interest groups, as the nation awaits President Bush's nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the retirement last week of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. In coming weeks, Americans can expect to be bombarded with advertisements by conservative and liberal groups attempting to shape the nomination and confirmation process for a new Supreme Court justice.    » read more »

U.S. Supreme Court Completes 2004-2005 Term

Justices rule on separation of church and state, death penalty, jail sentences

29 June 2005
By Michelle Austein
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The U.S. Supreme Court ended its last scheduled session for the 2004-2005 term on June 27 with several significant rulings, including two on separation of church and state. During the 2004-2005 term, the court issued rulings on use of the death penalty, medical marijuana, federal sentencing guidelines and property rights. Despite concerns that age or ill health might prompt retirements, none of the nine justices has announced intentions to do so. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who has been undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, is considered the most likely to step down.    » read more »

Hundreds Gather at Supreme Court to Commemorate One-Year Anniversary of Guantanamo Decision

Supporters Outline Next Steps to Implement High Court's Insistence on Due Process for Detainees

WASHINGTON, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Supporters gathered in front of the Supreme Court today to commemorate the first anniversary of the landmark decision by the High Court granting due process to prisoners detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- and to express concern that that June, 2004 ruling has not yet been implemented. Among the speakers, attorney Tom Wilner, who pleaded Al Odah v. United States before the Supreme Court last year, outlined the next steps that will be taken to ensure the government adheres to the ruling by granting full legal rights to all those held at GITMO.    » read more »

Struck Down - 10 Commandments Suffer Blow

U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against 10 Commandments Displays

WASHINGTON, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Supreme Court issued a devastating decision and ruled against the constitutionality of Ten Commandment displays on public property.    » read more »

10 Commandments Endure in Texas

U.S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of 10 Commandments Display on Government Property but Not in Courthouse

WASHINGTON, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Supreme Court issued its historic decision to uphold the constitutionality of a Ten Commandment display outside of a Texas courthouse. This is a bittersweet victory for religious freedom and advocates for the historic displays after a display in Kentucky was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court earlier this morning.    » read more »

U.S. Supreme Court: States Responsible in Fight for Domestic Violence Protections

WASHINGTON, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In the first ever domestic violence case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court ruled 7-2 against Jessica Gonzales, the Colorado woman whose three children were murdered by their estranged father, on her federal claim that the Castle Rock Police Department violated her right to due process by refusing to act on her distressed calls with any urgency. The majority opinion, authored by Justice Scalia, declares that there is no federal constitutional right to police protection, leaving to state governments the responsibility for enforcing restraining orders and protecting potential victims of domestic violence.    » read more »

Wurld Media Reaction To The U.S. Supreme Court's Ruling in MGM v. Grokster

Statement attributable to Gregory Kerber, chairman and CEO of Wurld Media:

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- "Today's ruling is terrific news for artists and copyright holders who want to harness the tremendous marketing potential of the Web while protecting their artistic rights.    » read more »

The Newspaper Guild Scores Federal Government for Journalists' Prosecution

WASHINGTON, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear the case of two reporters facing jail time for refusing to testify about confidential sources is a major setback to one of the nation's core democratic principles, the public's right to know, said Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA. New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Time Magazine reporter Matt Cooper are facing up to 18 months in jail and fines of $1,000 a day for refusing to identify sources regarding the disclosure of the identity of a CIA agent. Miller interviewed people but didn't write or publish a piece; Cooper wrote a story after the news broke in another publication.    » read more »

Supreme Court Hands Major Victory for Hollywood and the Recording Industry

Grokster Decision Empowers Entertainment Industry to Challenge Inducement of Copyright Infringement

CHICAGO, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Supreme Court today issued its opinion in the high-profile, peer-to-peer file-swapping case, Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer Studios, Inc. et. al. v. Grokster, Ltd., et al.: "The Supreme Court's decision involves peer-to-peer file sharing providers, but it will have much broader implications in the technology industry," says Joseph V. Norvell, Chair, Copyright Practice Group of Brinks, Hofer, Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the U.S. "Technology companies, including hardware manufacturers, software companies and data transfer providers, will need to review their products and policies to ensure that they are not exposed to potential liability for copyright infringement."    » read more »

Defense Attorney Calls Saddam Hussein's Detention Unlawful

21 June 2005
By Sabina Castelfranco

Rome -- One of Saddam Hussein's legal advisers says the former Iraqi leader has been held unlawfully and for too long. He also said the Iraqi government should refrain from making political statements about the former president. Lawyer Giovanni Di Stefano says the former Iraqi head of state cannot be tried because he has never been told what he is charged with. The lawyer says he belongs to Saddam Hussein's defense team.    » read more »

Credit Card Breach Exposes Limits of Current Privacy Legislation

LONDON, ON, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The widely-publicized security breach that exposed 40 million credit card accounts earlier this month highlights a previously under-identified security risk, namely what happens to confidential client data when third-party vendors are involved in transaction processing.    » read more »

New York Judge Dismisses Individual Smoking and Health Suit

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., June 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is pleased with today's decision by Justice Ute Wolfe Lally of the New York Supreme Court for Nassau County to dismiss an individual smoking and health case brought against the former Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, successor by merger to The American Tobacco Company (American).    » read more »

Planned Parenthood Calls for Pryor's Defeat

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Last week the Senate voted for cloture on the nomination of William H. Pryor to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, by a count of 67 to 32, ending debate. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) strongly urged the Senate to reject the former Alabama attorney general whose unyielding hostility to reproductive freedom would endanger women's health and safety. Pryor has repeatedly challenged the legitimacy of reproductive choice, calling Roe v. Wade "an abominable decision" that is "not constitutional law and gives almost no sense of an obligation to try to be."    » read more »

Justice Department Announces Resolution of Lawsuit with Regal Entertainment Group

WASHINGTON, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Justice Department today announced the resolution of a lawsuit with Regal Entertainment Group filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The lawsuit challenged the construction of stadium-style movie theaters that fail to provide persons who use wheelchairs seating and line of sight comparable to that of the general public. Regal is the largest movie theater chain in the country with 3,500 screens.    » read more »