MARCH 20 IS OUR DAY | Keep It 100 And Put Cameras In The Courtroom | Top-ed From Chuck Grassley
February 16, 2017
MARK YO CALENDARS
|The hearing on the nomination of JUDGE NEIL GORSUCH to the United States Supreme Court has been set for March 20. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY announced the date today, saying he’s setting a hearing timeline similar to those for BARACK OBAMA’S nominees. The hearing is expected to last three to four days.
CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOM
|Reflecting on the TV announcement of JUDGE JAMES ROBART’S decision which amounted to a nationwide injunction blocking DONALD TRUMP’S travel ban, Stephanie S. Abrutyn for CNN considers how that moment so clearly indicated the need for cameras in the courtroom. “It is critical for the public to be able to see and hear the workings of the third branch of government for themselves, and in real time. It is long past the day when Congress should mandate cameras in all federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.”
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG
|PRESIDENT TRUMP wants less federal regulation. NEIL GORSUCH wants less federal regulation. It’s a match made in heaven, right? Wrong. Buzzfeed’s Zoe Tillman explains how Gorsuch’s desire to rein in agency power could actually work against Trump.
TOP-ED
|From SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY himself, comes an op-ed in USA Today in which he asserts that Democrats are holding JUDGE GORSUCH to a double standard. He notes that the Republicans are keeping their promise to move forward with the nomination process, while Dems are not. “There shouldn’t be one set of rules for Republicans and another set of rules for Democrats. We won’t abide by such a double standard.” Oh how the tables have turned.
SAY SOMETHING I'M GIVING UP ON YOU
|Marcia Coyle with The National Law Journal reports on a new study from three political science scholars that echoes recent calls from legal academics for CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS to respond to DONALD TRUMP questioning the legitimacy of the federal judiciary.
FROM THE RUMOR MILL
|The notorious wife of JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS is apparently a fan of PRESIDENT TRUMP’S travel ban. A leaked email reveals Ginni Thomas seeking advice on how to organize in favor of the ban, which may make it even harder for the policy to survive if it gets to the Supreme Court. The email could be grounds for lawyers challenging the ban to ask Justice Thomas to recuse himself from the case. Betsy Woodruff with The Daily Beast reports.
OTHER NEWS
Supreme Court asked to take Arkansas birth certificate case
The Associated Press“Attorneys for two same-sex couples want the U.S. Supreme Court to review an Arkansas ruling preventing married gay couples from getting the names of both spouses on their children’s birth certificates without a court order.”
Civil Rights Groups Pressure Senate To Reject Trump's Supreme Court Nominee
The Huffington Post“A group of civil rights organizations is pressuring senators to reject President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, writing in a letter that Judge Neil Gorsuch ‘lacks the impartiality and independence the American people expect and deserve.'”
Conservative group pressures Democratic Senator Tester on Trump's Supreme Court pick
The Washington PostThe Judicial Crisis Network — a conservative organization helping Judge Gorsuch win confirmation to SCOTUS — launched a new ad Wednesday urging Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana not to oppose Gorsuch.