IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME, IF I COULD FIND A WAY | 9/11 Remembered
September 12, 2016
HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE
|On Friday, the National Labor Relations Board asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether requiring employees to sign contracts waiving their right to bring class action lawsuits violates the National Labor Relations Act. It was the third petition of its kind filed last week.
IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME
|The Editorial Board for The New York Times notes Virginia Republicans are hoping to find a way to turn back time to the 19th century with voting laws aimed at keeping people with felony convictions away from the ballot box. The Board addresses a recent proposal from the state which it says was put forth to “protect a racist and vindictive practice that should have been considered history long ago.”
CONGRATURITOS
|The University of Louisville law school will honor JUSTICE ELENA KAGAN this week with the 2016 Brandeis Medal, so named for former justice and school namesake LOUIS BRANDEIS. Kagan will visit the school on Thursday to receive the medal and place a wreath at Brandeis’ gravesite.
"THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PAST"
|“The better prepared you are for the future.” A little known quote from a one Mr. Theodore Roosevelt. In that vein, it’s important we pause and consider that the weekend brought us a couple historical milestones. September 10 was the day in 1991 on which the Senate Judiciary Committee opened hearings on the nomination of JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS to the Supreme Court. As of Saturday September 10, 2016, we reached 177 days of Senate inaction since the nomination of JUDGE MERRICK GARLAND.
DESSERT
|The New York Times has what it calls “the most detailed map of gay marriage in America,” which has tracked same-sex marital unions since the Supreme Court deemed them constitutional. To note, as detailed as their map may be, no one has a definitive count of gay married couples in the United States.
BUCKLE UP
|Jennifer Rubin with The Washington Post is here to remind us that this grand adventure we call life is sometimes nothing more than one epic roller coaster ride. And so, she took stock of the up’s and the down’s we’re seeing in American politics right now…
"UP
|Chance of a lame-duck session
DOWN
|Republicans who think they will like a Clinton Supreme Court pick more than JUDGE MERRICK GARLAND
UP
|Number of times Trump’s claims to have been against the Iraq War have been debunked
DOWN
|Not realizing you are going on Russia propaganda TV
UP
|Split-ticket voting
DOWN
|Clinton coattails”
A FAR CRY FROM THE WEST WING
|Jill Serjeant with Reuters reports on the political television series that have swept the nation, with some headed for Emmy’s glory later this year. “House of Cards” and “Veep” have given politicos daily water cooler fodder, though she notes both are “a far cry from the idealism of the acclaimed political TV series ‘The West Wing.'” Serjeant also gives nod to KERRY WASHINGTON who got an Emmy nom for her roll playing ANITA HILL in the dramatization of the 1991 JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS Supreme Court nomination hearings and sexual harassment allegations.
OTHER NEWS
Why Hillary Clinton Refuses to Say Whether Merrick Garland Will Be Her SCOTUS Pick
Reason“Clinton probably sees no upside in reoffending the various constituencies that found Garland to be such a judicial pick in the first place.”
California's notoriously liberal '9th Circus' court of appeals is growing more centrist
Los Angeles Times“The past eight years of appointments by President Barack Obama could have set the court up for another generation of dual-barreled progressivism — and commensurate conservative loathing. But that’s not how it seems to be turning out. Instead, the 9th Circuit seems to be growing more centrist.”
The Future of Enhanced Damages After 'Halo'?
The National Law Journal“When should a willful patient be required to pay enhanced — essentially punitive — damages? Can enhanced damages be assessed even if the infringer is able to present a reasonable defense at trial?”