I read several great pieces over the weekend. Here are the best of them.
University of Chicago Professor Geoffrey R. Stone had this New York Times op-ed entitled “Our Untransparent President.” Mr. Stone alleges that: “While Mr. Obama has taken certain steps, notably early in his administration, to scale back some of the Bush-era excesses, in other respects he has shown a disappointing willingness to continue in his predecessor’s footsteps.”
Over at Slate, Dahlia Lithwick, Walter Dellinger, and Paul Clement discuss the Supreme Court term and a number of other nationwide legal developments. Ms. Lithwick notes that: “It’s looking like a low-carb finish to a quiet term, with Monday’s Wal-Mart decision and the Fred Phelps funeral protest case attracting the majority of the media attention this year.”
Randy Barnett at The Volokh Conspiracy discusses the ethical attacks on the conservative Supreme Court Justices. He argues that:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with criticizing the substance of decisions of the Supreme Court, and there is much to criticize. And there is nothing wrong with bringing genuine ethical lapses and conflicts-of-interest to light. But baseless politically motivated personal attacks on sitting justices are another matter entirely. Although nothing can stop these ad hominem attacks by activists from continuing, one way of muting their influence is simply to be more aware of their sources and motives.
And the New York Times chides a Nebraska law that bans abortions after the 20th week.