Supreme court

The court's latest rebuke of Guantanamo Bay won't close the prison down. But it's a step toward curbing Bush's unilateral tactics.

Jun. 13, 2008 | For the third time in four years, the U.S. Supreme Court has slammed the Bush administration's detention policies at Guantánamo Bay – locking up terrorist suspects indefinitely and beyond the law.

Guantanamo protesters, London: Photo by Val Kerry (CC)    » read more »

13 June 2008 -- "The Carter Center and I welcome the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Boumediene v. Bush, restoring the constitutional rights of habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees. This hallmark decision represents a victory for the rule of law and will improve the United States' image as a champion for human rights and freedom across the world, as well as ensure that individuals in Guantanamo will be afforded an adequate treatment as guaranteed by our nation's Constitution.

It is my hope that this decision will mark an end to an era of indefinite detentions, torture, coerced evidence, and other egregious violations of civil rights in the name of the war on terror, and that compliance with the ruling will be expedited."

Source: The Carter Center

June 12, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - "Today's Supreme Court decision ensures that we can protect our nation and bring terrorists to justice, while also protecting our core values. The Court's decision is a rejection of the Bush Administration's attempt to create a legal black hole at Guantanamo - yet another failed policy supported by John McCain.

Barack Obama mural, Brooklyn: Photo by Shira Golding (CC)    » read more »

June 12, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement today after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Boumediene v. Bush, which held that Guantanamo Bay prisoners have the right to contest their detention in federal courts:

Guantanamo Bay protest outside US Supreme Court: Photo by takomabibelot (CC)

“Today, our nation’s highest court again rejected the Bush Administration’s expansive view of executive power.    » read more »

May 6, 2008 -- After weeks of pretending to be "a different kind of Republican," John McCain showed his true colors today in his speech about the kind of judges he would appoint as president. While he makes a show of trying to recast himself as a "moderate" for the general election, in reality John McCain is promising four more years of right wing judges bent on pushing a radical agenda from the bench.

In fact, in his 22 years as a Republican Senator, John McCain has never voted against a single judicial nomination by a Republican President. No matter how far outside the mainstream they have been, John McCain has been a loyal rubberstamp for their radical right wing agenda.    » read more »

May 6, 2008 -- “Senator McCain today chose to pander to those on the far right who prefer partisan fights designed to energize a political base during an election year. He ignored his own history in supporting filibusters against circuit court nominees, as well as his record of flip flops depending on which party holds the presidency.

Shredding truck parked by the US Supreme Court: Photo by Clarissa (CC)    » read more »

5/6/2008 -- Clinton Campaign Policy Director, Neera Tanden, made the following statement today:

"We won't take lectures on the right way to approach the Constitution from Senator McCain, who voted for extreme conservative judges like Justice Thomas.

In an effort to pander to conservative voters, Senator McCain has signaled his intention to appoint right-wing judges who are committed to rolling back women’s rights and civil rights, elevating the interests of big business over the rights of workers and consumers, affirming executive branch power grabs, and undermining our common core freedoms.    » read more »

May 6, 2008 -- Today, In North Carolina, John McCain Outlined His Judicial Philosophy And Vision. The proper role of the judiciary has become one of the defining issues of this presidential election. It will fall to the next president to nominate hundreds of qualified men and women to the federal courts, and the impact of these choices will reach far into the future.

John McCain: Photo by VictoryNH (CC)

As President, John McCain will look for accomplished men and women with a proven record of excellence in the law and a proven commitment to judicial restraint to serve on the federal bench.

John McCain's Judicial Philosophy:    » read more »

April 28, 2008 -- This morning, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling upholding Indiana's undemocratic and restrictive voter identification law. The Supreme Court acknowledged that "The record contains no evidence of any such [impersonation] fraud actually occurring in Indiana at any time in its history," and acknowledged the law's burden on the elderly, low-income voters and other classes of voters covering hundreds of thousands of Indiana citizens.

Yet this Court, ignoring the realities of life for the less affluent and powerful of the state's citizens, shrugged off these burdens and found that the law should stand. [New Republic Blog, 4/28/08]    » read more »

04/24/2008 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined with 11 other governors in sending a letter to President Bush expressing disappointment that the administration has chosen not to support the states' efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: Photo courtesy California Governor's office    » read more »

16 April 2008 -- The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the most common method of lethal injection used for executions by the federal government and 36 states. The unsuccessful constitutional challenge to the three-drug lethal injection was brought by lawyers representing two men sentenced to die in the state of Kentucky.

Lawyers for the two convicted murderers at the center of the case argued that death by lethal injection amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, which is prohibited by the U.S. constitution. The lawyers argued that the drugs are often administered by untrained officials who sometimes botch the executions, causing extreme pain and suffering.    » read more »

Nineteen States and Puerto Rico Urge The U.S. Supreme Court To Protect Employees From Retaliation

April 16, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and the attorneys general of 18 other states and Puerto Rico, today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that employers cannot retaliate against an employee involved in an employer’s investigation of sexual harassment.

The amicus, or “friend of the court,” filing supports a woman who was fired after participating in a company investigation of sexual harassment.

The case, Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, addresses whether an employer may fire or demote an employee for participating in an employer’s internal investigation of discrimination.    » read more »

States and environmental groups allege EPA ignores U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

April 2, 2008 -- Seventeen states including Iowa, and environmental advocacy groups are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to order the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take action related to regulating greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.

The petition asks the Court of Appeals to order the EPA to respond to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling exactly one year ago that required the EPA to make a decision on whether to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles under the federal Clean Air Act. One year after the Supreme Court ruling on April 2, 2007, the EPA has not issued a decision.    » read more »

State Air Resources Board Must Revisit Zero Emission Vehicles Standard, Science Group Says

April 2, 2008 -- BERKELEY (April 2, 2008) -- The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted last week to weaken requirements for automakers to produce ultra-clean cars under the state's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program. However, CARB asked its staff to begin overhauling the entire ZEV program so it can further California's air quality, global warming and oil use goals.

In addition, CARB agreed to review an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the Natural Resources Defense Council and five other groups that identifies nine loopholes in the program which allow automakers to avoid producing ultra-clean cars.    » read more »

Measure introduced on one-year anniversary of Supreme Court ruling in landmark Massachusetts v. EPA decision

April 2, 2008 -- Washington, DC – In the face of EPA’s failure to comply with the Supreme Court’s mandate in Massachusetts v. EPA issued one year ago today, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) introduced legislation to set a deadline for EPA to complete an endangerment finding on the public health threat from greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would require action within 60 days of enactment.

Gridlock at New York's Times Square: Photo by Jeff Daly (CC)    » read more »