Monday, September 29, 2014


Adding a civics lesson to Nov. 4 election events [Cabinet Report, 9/29/14]: With a general election on the horizon, top voter and education officials are urging public school administrators to use the event as a teachable civics moment for their students – a subject lawmakers both here and across the country want to see brought back to life in K-12 curriculum.

New law limits student discipline measure [EdSource, 9/29/14]: Fewer than 11,000 of California’s 6.2 million students will likely be affected each year by a new law that limits the use of “willful defiance” as a reason to expel or suspend students. But Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on the bill signifies a growing commitment on the part of the state to find more positive approaches to disciplining students. 

Scalia has a secrecy problem: Hiding and hypocrisy at the Supreme Court [Salon, 9/29/14]: The court plays a growing activist role in our politics and lives -- yet all nine justices hide in the shadows.

Justice Ginsburg's Twisted Logic [Bloomberg View essay, 9/29/14]: What happens if conservative Supreme Court justices retire strategically (that is, their departure is timed so that like-minded replacements can be named and confirmed), and liberal justices don't? The answer is obvious, and depressing for liberals. And yet that appears to be the situation now, and there's not much anyone can do about it.

Who's Getting the Work at the Supreme Court? [Tony Mauro in The American Lawyer, 9/29/14]: An elite group of firms now argues a larger proportion of the court's shrinking caseload.

Cut by the Supreme Court [Slate, 9/28/14]: When the justices denied these cases, justice was underserved.

Audio: With The End In Sight, Holder Reflects On His Legacy [“Weekend Edition Sunday,” NPR, 9/28/14]: A day after Attorney General Eric Holder announced his resignation, he made a long-planned visit to Scranton, Penn. That's where he won his first big trial as a young public corruption prosecutor nearly 40 years ago. And he says coming to this federal courthouse now, returning to the site of his earliest legal success, makes sense.

Confirmation battles are back [Politico, 9/28/14]: Prepare for the return of the confirmation fight. If Republicans capture the Senate majority in November, their sway over prominent judgeships and Cabinet vacancies — potentially including a new attorney general — will become one of the GOP’s primary leverage points against President Barack Obama.

Obama's five closest allies [The Hill, 9/29/14]: With the announcement of Attorney General Eric Holder’s intention to resign earlier this week, President Obama is losing    not just a key political ally, but one of the few personal friends in his inner circle. 

Will the Supreme Court Take Up Mehanna? [Lawfare blog, 9/29/14]: Does translating “radical” Arab texts and videos amount to material support for terrorism? That is the question that would face the Supreme Court, should they decide to take up Mehanna v. United States

Obama administration’s latest effort to stonewall public involves torture hearing at Guantanamo [1st Amend. Coalition, 9/29/14]: The Justice Department is asking a federal judge to barricade a hearing at Guantanamo, keeping the press and public from learning about force-feeding practices of suspected terrorists at the prison.

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