THE HOT BENCH WITH BOB EGELKO | DC Circuit Joins 21st Century | On West Coast, Justice Unseen Is Justice Denied
May 24, 2018
THE HOT BENCH
|That’s right…the Hot Bench is BACK and it’s better than ever today with BOB EGELKO from the San Francisco Chronicle talking about his life’s work covering courts in California, the Supreme Court, and the State Bar. We discuss everything from the Trump administration’s impact on the Ninth Circuit, to ways in which the Supreme Court could (and should) improve access and transparency. Egelko at one point said, “It’s hard for me to see how our government and democracy is strengthened by more darkness.” Read the full interview and get to know one of the greats.
TURN ON THE LIGHTS
|Speaking of transparency, the second most powerful court in the country just announced that it plans to get with the program and join the 21st Century. Wednesday, CHIEF JUDGE MERRICK GARLAND announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will start livestreaming audio of oral arguments in all of its cases. GABE ROTH, Executive Director of Fix the Court, praised the decision and said, “The D.C. Circuit has presented a logical roadmap for other appeals courts, including the Supreme Court, to follow that will make their work more accessible to the public.” Lydia Wheeler with The Hill reports.
LIVE FROM DC, IT'S MERRICK GARLAND!
|Who needs SNL? The D.C. Circuit just announced that it’s ready to go live with audio for any American interested in following the court’s proceedings. Michael McGough with the Los Angeles Times hopes the new policy will nudge the Supreme Court justices to follow suit. However he adds, “If the Supreme Court is really looking for a model, though, it should consider the precedent of the San Francisco-based U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. That court livestreams not only audio but also video of its oral arguments. On the West Coast, justice unseen is justice denied.”
TOP-ED
|Linda Greenhouse with The New York Times describes in her latest what she’s calling the Supreme Court’s next chapter on abortion. “If it seems as if the noose is tightening around women’s access to abortion, that’s because it is,” she writes. She covers all the pending cases that threaten a woman’s right to the procedure and notes that many are likely to make their way to the Supreme Court.
SCHOOL'S (ALMOST) OUT FOR SUMMER
|AP’s Jessica Gresko and Mark Sherman write in this week’s Supreme Court Notebook that even though thirty-two cases remain undecided, it isn’t too soon to start thinking about summer. Some of the justices are participating in commencement ceremonies, with JUSTICE BREYER scheduled to speak at New York Law School’s commencement and JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR scheduled to participate in the commencement at the UC Davis School of Law. And once all is said and done, some of the justices are headed abroad before the next term begins, with plans to teach in Austria, Rome and Italy. Rough life.
OTHER NEWS
Liberals Get A Dose Of Reality Thanks To The Supreme Court's Decision On Unions
USA Today“Of course, across the media, the decision was treated as a victory of ‘business interests’ over ‘workers.’ This ignores the fact that unions are, in fact, a very powerful ‘interest’ of their own — an interest that sought to break millions of contracts in order to further their own economic ends. Fortunately, the Supreme Court kept the traditional firewall between the Arbitration Act and the NLRA, allowing businesses like Epic to grow their workforces and the economy. It’s a decision even a liberal should love.”
How The Supreme Court Is Invoking A 1925 Law To Restrict Workers' Rights Today
Los Angeles Times“In 1925, at the behest of New York merchants, Congress passed the Federal Arbitration Act to uphold as ‘valid, irrevocable and enforceable’ the contracts they had negotiated for shipping and delivering goods. They agreed to settle disputes through private arbitration, which was seen as quicker and cheaper than going to court.”