The opinion (PDF) handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court today in the case of Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co. et al sounds like a no-brainer, yet the court split 5-4 on ideological lines (Roberts, Thomas, Alito and Scalia dissented). The question was simple: Is it unconstitutional for a state supreme court justice to sit on a case which involves the … Read More
Court Opinion of the Day: Sugawara v. Pepsico
The plaintiff: A class action brought by Janine Sugawara, on behalf of all buyers and eaters of "Cap'n Crunch With Crunchberries" The defendant: Pepsico, the owner, marketer, and distributor of "Cap'n Crunch With Crunchberries" The allegations: Pepsico engaged in fraud, breach of warrenty, false advertising, as well as unfair and deceptive trade practices, by making and selling cereal with "crunchberries" … Read More
Reasonable vs Unreasonable Voices
I’ve written recently about the inflammatory rhetoric of Fox News, Bill O’Reilly, etc., and how it can lead to events like the murder of Dr. George Tiller this weekend. Some people get it. This is a thoughtful post from Rod Dreher, a conservative, at Belief.net: Unsurprisingly, on this blog’s comboxes and elsewhere, some are blaming the entire pro-life movement for … Read More
Goldstein’s Sotomayor Analysis Complete
I referenced this before: Over at SCOTUSblog, Tom Goldstein notes all proverbial ink being spilled over Sotomayor's race, along with the implicit and explicit statements that her supposed bias will prevent her from judicating equally and fairly. So he decided to do something novel… read her decisions. Goldstein is done with his analysis, and the results should put to rest any claim … Read More
Remember That DHS Report?
Michelle Malkin apparently doesn't think the killer of Dr. Tiller is a "terrorist". He's an "extremist". She adds: Interesting how the t-word has been rediscovered. She has the memory of a moth. It was only back in April when the Department of Homeland Security issued a report equating right-wing extremism as a possible breeding ground for terrorist acts. The right wing … Read More
The Dr. Tiller I Knew
From a Daily Kos diarist: Like many in this community, my heart is heavy today. There have been many great diaries that talk about Dr. Tiller's years of service to women, and the threats he has endured throughout the last years of his life. My story is a bit more personal and I want to share it with all of … Read More
Profile Of The Killer
They've caught the guy who shot and killed Dr. Tiller. According to KWCH-TV: Deputy Chief Tom Stolz w/ Wichita Police Dept. says Dr. Tiller died of a single gunshot wound. The Associated Press says the man detained in the Kansas City area is 51-year-old Scott Roeder of Merriam, Kansas, according to Law Enforcement authorities in the area. Roeder has not been formally … Read More
Right Response, Wrong Response
National Right To Life Committee: WASHINGTON – The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the nation's largest pro-life group, today condemned the killing of Dr. George Tiller. The following statement may be attributed to NRLC Executive Director, David N. O'Steen, Ph.D.: National Right to Life extends its sympathies to Dr. Tiller's family over this loss of life. Further, the National Right to … Read More
This Is Terrorism
Ann Friedman: Dr. George Tiller, an outspoken advocate for abortion rights and one of the few late-term abortion providers in the country, was shot dead in church this morning.Cara Kulwicki writes at Feministe: This is the first time an abortion provider has been murdered in over a decade. I have friends who work in abortion clinics. This is terrorism. And right now, I just don't … Read More
Ugly America
By now, you may have heard about the killing of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas this morning. It took place in (of all places) a church. Dr. George Tiller has long been a target (literally and figuratively) of the religious right, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, and others because he performs late term abortions. As Amanda Marcotte wrote: [Tiller] is … Read More
Tom Goldstein Reviews Sotomayor’s Decisions
Over at SCOTUSblog, Tom Goldstein notes all proverbial ink being spilled over Sotomayor's race, along with the implicit and explicit statements that her supposed bias will prevent her from judicating equally and fairly. So he decided to do something novel: It seems to me that there is an infinitely simpler and more accurate way of figuring out whether Judge Sotomayor decides cases … Read More
Jon & Kate and Child Labor Laws
First, a disclosure: I hate reality TV. And I never even heard of "Jon & Kate Plus 8", the popular TLC reality series, until a week ago. Apparently, it is a reality show about Jon and Kate Gosselin, a Pennsylvania husband and wife, as they raise their eight young children, including 8-year-old twins and sextuplets who just turned 5. An interesting legal … Read More
Ending This Once And For All
Rich Tucker at Townhall, saying succinctily what many on the right are saying about Sonia Sotomayor: “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” she said back then. Oh? She seems to be saying a person’s … Read More
In Honor Of Sonia Sotomayor
Rita Morena and a cast of racists put their bigotry to music… Meanwhile, a small chorus of conservatives are coming out urging that Republican opposers of Sotomayor show restraint, and get away from the silly "racist" name-calling. Even the Wall Street Journal is saying, "Republicans, Let's Play Grown-Up", to which John Cole responds: Does anyone honestly think they can dial … Read More