LIBERAL LION DIES AT 87 | Politics Of Justice Recusals | Upcoming Tax Case Could Make Amazon Not So Prime
March 30, 2018
THE LIBERAL LION
|Yesterday, JUDGE STEPHEN REINHARDT of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit died at the age of 87. He was known for being a liberal champion, having authored major decisions on issues spanning abortion, marriage equality, assisted suicide and immigration. In 1996, after several of his decisions were reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court, he was asked if he was upset. He replied, “Not in the slightest! If they want to take away rights, that’s their privilege. But I’m not going to help them do it.”
A CHECK OF POWER
|Lydia Wheeler in The Hill reports Fix the Court sent a letter to Senators BEN SASSE and RICHARD BLUMENTHAL asking them to look into whether Congress needs to intervene to ensure Supreme Court justices are properly recusing themselves from cases when they have a conflict of interest.
NO TAKE BACKS!
|Not everything is permanent over at 1 First. Mike Scarcella with The National Law Journal reports JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO “unrecused” himself in an upcoming patent infringement case set to be argued April 16.
TEA LEAVES OF TAX CASE
|Pete Williams with NBC News previews next month’s Supreme Court case that strikes at the heart of what the president has recently been bemoaning. “PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S claim Thursday that Amazon pays ‘little or no taxes to state and local governments,’ while short on the facts, touched on an issue that has long been a sore point for the states.”
PRIME TIME TO GET PRIME
|Lawrence Hurley with Reuters also reports on the upcoming case and notes, “Amazon is not involved in the case but the eventual ruling could have consequences for the online retailing behemoth and other e-commerce businesses. Amazon has already agreed to collect sales taxes in all 45 states that impose them on items it sells directly.”
PODCAST DU JOUR
|On NYT’s The Daily, Michael Barbaro goes behind the scenes of the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling to remember the girl at the center of it all, LINDA BROWN. The podcast remembers Brown, who died on Sunday, and uncovers what exactly has changed in the nearly 64 years since the case was decided.
REST IN POWER
|Tony Mauro with The National Law Journal compiles reflections of LINDA BROWN including tributes to her contribution to civil rights and other remarks on her passing.
TODAY IN HISTORY
|On this day in 1959, a narrowly divided U.S. Supreme Court, in Bartkus v. Illinois, ruled that a conviction in state court following an acquittal in federal court for the same crime did not constitute double jeopardy.
SCOTUS VIEWS
No, Justice Stevens, We Don't Need To Repeal The Second Amendment
Slate“News flash: No politically significant gun-violence-prevention organization in America is advocating for ‘banning all firearms.’ What do they advocate instead? Criminal background checks before purchasing any firearm. Raising the age limit of assault-weapon buyers to 21. ‘Red flag’ laws that allow law enforcement to seek a court order to disarm dangerous people before they hurt themselves or others. All these policies and more have sky-high public approval. And they are all likely to pass constitutional muster, even with the Second Amendment in place.”
Advocating For Repeal Of The 2nd Amendment Is A Gift The NRA Doesn't Deserve
Los Angeles Times“A call to repeal the 2nd Amendment is a gift the NRA doesn’t deserve. It gives cover to the false notion that gun control advocates want to ‘take our guns.’ We should fight, instead, for the true reading of the Constitution: We can have freedom and safety at the same time.”
OTHER NEWS
Justice's Term Illegal 'Alien' Sends Message
San Francisco Chronicle“By my count, Alito used ‘alien’ or ‘aliens’ 132 times in a 31-page decision allowing the government to keep immigrants locked up indefinitely, without bail, while awaiting a hearing on their possible deportation or right to political asylum.”
How DraftKings Is Prepping For The Supreme Court's Sports Betting Decision
CNN Money“It’s a radical change for a company that spent years separating itself from gambling, but Robins said he thinks sports betting could become one of the biggest parts of DraftKings’ business if the Supreme Court rules in favor of wagering on games.”