Tag Archives: SCOTUS

The effect of the “Citizens United” decision on judicial elections

Posted on February 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Republican attorney David Schenck makes the case in the Trib that the recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which basically said that corporations could spend money as they saw fit in political campaigns, signals the imminent death … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Farmers Branch single member Council district lawsuit appealed to SCOTUS

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A lawsuit on behalf of three Hispanic plaintiffs in Farmers Branch to force the creation of single-member City Council districts, which was filed last April and dismissed in November, will be appealed to the Supreme Court after the Fifth Circuit … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Takings

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Prop 11, which is the constitutional amendment to limit eminent domain takings that were allowed by the Supreme Court’s 2005 Kelo ruling. [It] would prohibit “the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property” for purposes of economic … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Link roundup on Todd Willingham

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Grits finds a bunch of links about Cameron Todd Willingham and the reaction that his case and the New Yorker article about it have generated, to which I added this Dahlia Lithwick article in the comments. Three things: 1. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

KBH to vote against Sotomayor

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody is surprised by this, right? Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says she will vote against confirming Sonia Sotomayor to be a Supreme Court justice. She said Tuesday she is concerned about Sotomayor’s views on the Second Amendment on the … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Cornyn to vote No on Sotomayor

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody should be surprised by this. The senator who runs the GOP’s Senate campaign arm says he’ll vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Texas Republican John Cornyn is siding with his party’s leaders and conservatives against President Barack Obama’s … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Murray on the Census and redistricting

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Professor Murray follows up an earlier post on the recent Supreme Court decision that narrowly upheld the Voting Right Act and considers the redistricting implications for Texas in 2011. The most interesting bit was this: Had the Supreme Court thrown … Continue reading →

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The Son of Sam

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Really interesting article about the correspondence between local crime victims’ advocate Andy Kahan and notorious serial killer David Berkowitz over “muderabilia” and other topics. In Kahan’s office, manila folders bulge with the stories of families ripped apart by murder. Files … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds Voting Rights Act

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. The Supreme Court ruled narrowly today in a challenge to the landmark Voting Rights Act, siding with a small Texas governing authority but sidestepping the larger constitutional issue. The court, with only one justice in dissent, avoided … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cornyn reverts to form

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when Big John Cornyn was rebuking the crazy wing of the Republican Party for making race-based attacks on Sonya Sotomayor? Apparently, he’s figured out that this put him in the minority of the GOP, because he’s now joined … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Big John versus El Rushbo and The Newt

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There’s just not enough popcorn in the world. As if to magnify what are already major differences between elected Republicans and conservative activists on the question of Sonia Sotomayor, check out what conservative senator (and chairman of the National Republican … Continue reading →

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“Just do the test”

Posted on May 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Grits points to this NYT article about the next phase of the battle between prosecutors and inmates over innocence claims and DNA testing. I agree with Grits – if some defendants are embarking on fishing expeditions, I say let them … Continue reading →

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