Category: Politics

Congress, Courts, Politics

Republicans Obstruct the Judiciary

Submitted by Guest Blogger, Lawrence Rafferty

After a wonderful Christmas weekend spent with my family and my two Grandsons, and after celebrating the Bears victory over the Jets, it is time to get back to work.  I was not surprised to read that the Republican minority in the United States Senate have been trying to prevent President Obama’s nominations for the Federal Judiciary from receiving a vote on the Senate floor.  However, I was shocked to see the extent of the intentional obstruction.  The Obama Administration has the lowest judicial confirmation record since before the Carter administration.  Almost one of every nine judicial judgeships is currently without a Federal judge on the bench.  How could a minority in the Senate derail the nominations of so many judges to the Federal bench? 

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Military, Politics, Society

Bush Officials Praise Obama For Going Further Than Bush in Terror Crackdown

President Barack Obama has finally received praise for his terror policies . . . from Bush officials. Two of the officials commonly named as responsible for allegedly criminal acts during the Bush Administration, former National Intelligence Director retired Vice Admiral Michael McConnel and former Central Intelligence Agency Director Michael Hayden, are heaping praise on Obama for going even farther than George Bush in his policies. Now, there is an ignoble accomplishment.

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Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, International, Lawyering, Media, Politics

China Cuts Off Access Of Lawyers to Leading Human Rights Advocate

The Chinese government has cut off access of lawyers to leading human rights advocate, Liu Xianbin, 42. He was charged in June for subversion for “incitement to subvert state power” for his articles that included his reflections on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and the arrest of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.
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Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Religion, Society

For God and Country: England Now Non-Religious Nation For First Time in History

A survey conducted of people in England established this year that, for the first time, the majority of that nation are not religious. Fifty-one percent of those polled reported that they have no religion — a sharp contrast to the same poll conducted in 1985 when 67% said that they were Christians.
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Constitutional Law, Courts, Politics

Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

FAIR and its legal arm, Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), have been busy. FAIR and IRLI have been hopping state-to-state helping local governments craft anti-immigration ordinances, like  Arizona’s infamous SB 1070. Arizona’s legal fees have already exceeded $1 million.

Desperately needed tax payer funds are being used by local governments to fight legal challenges to the ordinances drafted with the assistance of IRLI.

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Politics

Fact Free Pawlenty

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

With the new year comes the beginning of the 2012 presidential race. Outgoing Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty is making his move. He’s written a book, and he’s written a recent op-ed article for the Wall Street Journal. That article is so devoid of facts that Pawlenty has been awarded the “Pants on Fire” rating on PolitiFact’s Truth-o-meter.

This should make him a shoo-in for the Republican nomination.

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Bizarre, Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Justice Delayed is a Judicial Vacation Denied: Judge Orders All-Nighter For Jury in Murder Case To Accomodate Her Vacation Plans

Some judges are lionized for their record of moving cases along. Nevada judge Valerie Vega, however, is being ridiculed when she pushed jurors to work through the night in a murder case so that the trial would not interfere with her vacation plans. It appears that things that happen with Vegas do not stay with Vega.
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Congress, Environment, Politics, Society

EPA Moves Toward Limits on Greenhouse Gases

In what could be one of the most significant regulatory changes since its founding, the EPA has moved toward imposing limits on greenhouse gases with a finding that such gases now present a “serious problem . . . for future generations.” The move could have widespread environmental benefits apart from climate change in forcing more fuel efficient cars and greater limitations on power plants and industrial sources.
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Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Religion

Reefer Madness: Rev. Pat Robertson Speaks Out Against Criminalization of Possession of Pot

Televangelist and one-time Republican presidential candidate Pat Robertson came out on his show “The 700 Club” in opposing the criminalization of marijuana. As someone who has historically preached about bringing down fire and brimstone on sinners, the concern over tokers came as something of a surprise and sent his handlers into a wild spin with the media.
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Constitutional Law, Military, Politics, Society

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Finally Repealed

In one of the great civil liberties victories of our age, President Barack Obama this morning signed the formal repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — an obnoxious policy of discrimination put into effect under President Bill Clinton. At the time, many of us criticized Clinton for not having the courage to reject discrimination against gays and lesbians — even if we lost the fight on principle. Instead, we have had this insidious and hypocritical policy in place — resulting in the discharge or rejections of thousands of brave citizens. It is now relegated to the dustbin of history with the other discriminatory policies once embraced by our nation.

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Bizarre, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Society

Misinformation Campaign Alleged in ABA Journal Competition

Well, our friend Lottakatz has certainly stirred up a hornet’s nest. Various posters on the blog have contacted me about the sudden surge of over 100 votes on Legal Satyricon to take it from just 15 votes to the lead in the ABA competition. There was a surge of over 100 votes in less than an hour. I have discouraged (and even deleted) a few postings on the issue to keep the matter civil. After all, this is just a fun distraction for bloggers and we tend to have more fun than most. However, with some sleuthing, Lottakatz appears to have found a campaign of misinformation on pro-gun sites where an alleged regular on LS claims that I am a leading anti-gun advocate. The false representation promptly made opposition to our blog as cause celebre for gun rights advocates. Given the emails from our regulars, I wanted to address the controversy.
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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Politics, Religion, Society

Federal Reserve Bank Examiners Demand Removal of Crosses and Merry Christmas Buttons at Oklahoma Bank

There is an interesting case out of Perkins, Oklahoma where Federal Reserve officials reportedly ordered a small bank (The Payne County Bank) to remove religious Christmas displays. I fail to see the authority of Federal Reserve officials to limit the free speech to a bank, particularly religious-based speech. If the bank wants to marginalize non-Christian customers through sectarian displays, I think it has a constitutionally protected right to do so. What it cannot do is actually discriminate in the establishment or handling of accounts.
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