UPDATED: George Toca has now been released, his lawyers said in a public statement. ——— A Louisiana prison inmate whose life sentence is under review by the Supreme Court was on the verge of being released on Thursday, according to news accounts in New Orleans. George Toca, convicted of second-degree murder nearly thirty years ago when… Read More
Jan 28 2015
Ouster of state judge Moore sought
A liberal legal advocacy group on Wednesday filed an ethics complaint against Alabama Chief Justice Roy S. Moore, seeking his removal from the bench. The challenge by the Southern Poverty Law Center was based upon the judge’s public protests about federal courts’ rulings on same-sex marriage.
Jan 28 2015
Oklahoma executions put off
This post appeared originally on scotusblog.com Without a noted dissent, the Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon delayed the scheduled execution of three Oklahoma death-row inmates, whose case the Justices will hear in late April. The executions were put on hold, but only so far as the state would use a specific drug in the procedure —… Read More
Jan 27 2015
Court allows Georgia execution
This post originally appeared on scotusblog.com UPDATE 8:20 p.m. Georgia completed the execution of Warren Hill, with death pronounced at 7:55 p.m. In two brief orders allowing the state of Georgia to execute a man whose lawyers claim he is intellectually disabled, the Supreme Court gave a strong signal on Tuesday evening that it is not… Read More
Jan 27 2015
Court docket on lawyer discipline to be public
Beginning on February 1, the Supreme Court will publicly disclose documents on actions it is considering or taking to discipline lawyers who are members of its bar, long shielded in privacy, the Court announced on Tuesday. Currently, that file is treated as confidential, although final disciplinary actions are made public along with regular orders on pending… Read More
Jan 27 2015
State judge sees “tyranny” in same-sex marriage rulings
Alabama’s state Chief Justice, Roy S. Moore, on Tuesday urged the governor of his state to join with him in stopping “the judicial tyranny” of federal courts ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. In a three-page letter to Governor Robert Bentley, the state’s highest judicial officer argued that state courts are not bound by rulings by… Read More
Jan 27 2015
Breyer turns down generic firms’ plea
Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer on Tuesday refused to order a quick release of the Court’s new ruling in the Copaxone drug patent case, but he left open the option for the generic companies to ask another Justice to take the step. Breye…
Jan 26 2015
New dispute over Copaxone patent (FURTHER UPDATED)
FURTHER UPDATE Monday 4:52 p.m. The generic companies have now filed their reply brief, arguing that Teva has not actually taken any significant step — and may not be able to do so — in the trial court, so the Supreme Court should go ahea…
Jan 26 2015
Oklahoma takes next step on executions (UPDATED)
The state of Oklahoma will ask the Supreme Court on Monday to delay three executions by lethal drugs while the Justices weigh a new test case, but it will also seek the option of resuming executions if the officials put together a new drug protocol, l…
Jan 21 2015
Argument analysis: Scalia versus Scalia on housing law?
Analysis
An observer who left the Supreme Court chamber halfway through Wednesday’s argument in a major civil rights case could easily have concluded that Justice Antonin Scalia is ready to give the law in that case a much broader scope to protec…
