Opinions and Orders of the Court
Stevens v. Mississippi, 10-10390, May 10th
The Court declined to stay the execution of Benny Joe Stevens, a convicted quadruple murderer. Later that day, Mississippi executed Stevens.
As noted in Crime & Consequences and SCOTUS Blog, Stevens had claimed that Mississippi unlawfully changed its execution procedures, substituting thiopental for pentobarbital (due to a shortage of the former), without adhering to the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act.
Law Blogs
A one-stop-shop for all your Obama-care lawsuit questions, this site has everything from the text of the legislation, to the briefs of the parties in the thirteen separate lawsuits challenging the Affordable Care Act, and even a handy spreadsheet tracking the status of each case, all accompanied by the running commentary of contributors Brad Joondeph and Brandon Douglass.
Bill Araiza in PrawfsBlawg, Wednesday, May 11th, Asking for the World
Recently a group called Our Children’s Trust filed a series of law suits seeking judicially-imposed greenhouse gas limits under the common law theory of public trust. Araiza gives a brief outline of that doctrine, and promises more analysis to come.
ACS Blog, Monday, May 9th, Holder Calls for “Sustained and Serious Effort” to Resolve Vacancy Crisis
Last week, reports ACS Blog, Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee warning that the Senate’s failure to confirm Obama judicial appointees could push the federal judicial system to the breaking point.
Law in the Media
Joel Rose on NPR’s Morning Edition, Friday, May 13th, This Is the Police: Put Down Your Camera
Rose looks at the debate and litigation between videophone-wielding citizens and law enforcement officials who are concerned about the challenges police face in a ubiquitous recording environment.
Andrew Cohen in The Atlantic, Thursday, May 12th, Justice Clarence Thomas and the Wounds That Don’t Heal
Next Wednesday, Justice Thomas will speak at the dedication of a new courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, named for the pioneering black lawyer and jurist, John Ruffin, Jr. Noting the coverage of this controversial invitation in the BLT, and the Augusta Chronicle here and here, Cohen examines Thomas’s contentious relationship with minority communities and their leaders.
Brad Joondeph in ACA Litigation Blog, Tuesday, May 10th, More Analysis of Today’s Arguments
Joondeph provides a great list of mainstream media sources analyzing the Obama-care oral arguments before the 4th Circuit.