As I wrote yesterday, it looks like oil exceutives lied to Congess (not under oath, however). Well, today I can report that the story may have legs: Democrats asked the U.S. attorney general Wednesday to investigate whether top executives from big oil companies lied to Congress when they said their companies did not take part in Vice President Dick Cheney’s … Read More
The Truth About Alito
Well, no more tea leaf reading. The Washington Times has uncovered an Alito document which spells out his positions in black and white: Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee, wrote that "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion" in a 1985 document obtained by The Washington Times. "I personally believe very strongly" in … Read More
Badlands
Apparently, if I were home watching cable television news, I would be bombarded with the story about an 18 year old named Dave Ludwig, who killed the parents of his 14 year old girlfriend (Kara Borden), after which the two of them went fleeing in Martin Sheen/Sissy Spacek "Natural Born Killers" mode. Although it is unclear if she went voluntarily. … Read More
Wishful Thinking
L.A. Times: With the Supreme Court nomination process for Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. on hold until hearings in early January, the Senate Judiciary Committee changed course Wednesday to address whether sessions of the court Alito hopes to join should be televised. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the committee’s chairman, told a hearing that opening the Supreme Court to television coverage … Read More
Murderblogging
I don’t know why, but I always like reading the blogs of criminals. James Keown was a radio talk show host in Missouri. As the Boston Globe reports: James P. Keown talked regularly about killings and court cases. Every Tuesday, the radio talk show host would interview the local prosecutor about mid-Missouri’s most high profile crimes. But he was arrested … Read More
Younger Alito Liked Privacy Rights, Sodomy
Interesting thing uncovered by the Boston Globe: As a senior at Princeton University, Samuel A. Alito Jr. chaired an undergraduate task force that recommended the decriminalization of sodomy, accused the CIA and the FBI of invading the privacy of citizens, and said discrimination against gays in hiring ”should be forbidden." The report, issued in 1971 by Alito and 16 other … Read More
The Judicial Activism Myth
I’m fairly sure I blogged about this before, but it bears repeating in light of the Alito nomination. A few months ago, the New York Times had an op-ed discussing what "judicial activism" means: it connotes the willingness of a justice to overturn congressional legislation. Taking this definition as the metric, who are the worst "judicial activists" on the Supreme … Read More
My Obligatory Post on Samuel Alito
Busy day today for me, so I’ll just mention a few things about Bush’s nominee to the Supreme Court, and update this post (maybe) as the day goes on. Yes, Alito is a conservative. Yes, he’s a strict constructionist. Yes, his nomination helps Bush politically by bringing Bush’s base back into the fold. Yes, Alito has more experience than Miers. … Read More
Pleasing The Base
Conventional wisdom on Miers’ withdrawal is that Bush’s next nominee must be someone who shores up his fractured base. A "fundie wingnut". But Kargo X as the Next Hurrah makes an interesting point: Pat Robertson was for Miers. Jerry Falwell was for Miers. And as we all know, James Dobson was for Miers. So, what’s this "base" that needs appeasing? … Read More
Focus On The Fables
Dr. James Dobson reveals why he believes Harriet Miers is a good nominee for the Supreme Court and addresses the objections that have been raised about her. — Lead-in to radio show by James Dobson, on his Focus on the Family website, October 5, 2005 "I believe the president made a wise decision in accepting Harriet Miers’s withdrawal as a … Read More
Harriet Miers Officially Becomes A Question For “Trivial Pursuit – The 2000 Decade” Edition
Yup. She withdrew her nomination, and Bush "reluctantly accepted". Still no post about it on Harriet Miers’ blog, but I’ll update here when she updates her blog. For progressives like me, this is nothing to celebrate (the celebration comes later today when Fitzgerald announced indictments). I have a sinking feeling that the next Bush nominee will be something awful – … Read More
Hindrocket Wins Wanker Of The Day Award, Again
From Is That Legal, via Atrios: John Hinderaker, yesterday: Tomorrow may bring indictments of Karl Rove and Scooter Libby on charges that can charitably be described as trivial. Tonight, one of our readers urged us to link to President Bush’s great speech to the Joint Armed Forces Officers’ Wives’ group rather than being distracted by the minutiae of the day. … Read More
More Miers’ Bad Answer
Mier’s answer to the constitutional law question of her questionnaire is generating some press. I blogged about it two days ago (Miers Doesn’t Know Shit About Con Law). My law school prof chimes in here: At one point, Miers described her service on the Dallas City Council in 1989. When the city was sued on allegations that it violated the … Read More
Miers Doesn’t Know Shit About Con Law
I browsed through the Harriet Miers questionnaire submitted to Congress yesterday evening, pausing only to read matters that were interesting. I spotted this question: 17. Constitutional Issues: Please describe in detail any cases or matters you addressed as an attorney or public official which involved constitutional questions. For each case or matter, please describe in detail the constitutional issue you … Read More
Harriet Miers – Slumlord & Privacy Lover?
About the only good thing anybody could say about Bush’s No. 1 fan is that she was "a meticulous, detail-oriented attorney who is always well prepared." Except, perhaps, when it comes to being a landlord? The year Harriet Miers began work as a senior presidential aide in the White House, the city of Dallas slapped three liens in three months … Read More