SHOULD JUSTICES LOOK BEYOND HARVARD AND YALE FOR THEIR CLERKS? | Hawaii Withdraws Major Environmental Case From SCOTUS Docket
September 24, 2019
RIGHT OUT THE GATE
|“The Supreme Court has delivered a remarkable series of victories to the gay rights movement over the last two decades, culminating in a ruling that established a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. But in more than half the states, someone can still be fired for being gay.” That’s Adam Liptak with The New York Times reporting on an upcoming Supreme Court case that will be its first on LGBT rights since the retirement of JUSTICE ANTHONY KENNEDY. Liptak reports that on October 8 the justices will consider whether existing federal law “guarantees nationwide protection from workplace discrimination to gay and transgender people, even in states that offer no protections right now.”
THE BEST OF THE BEST
|On Law.com, Todd Peppers argues that Supreme Court justices should cast wider nets when looking for clerks. He kicks off his piece with an anecdote starring the late justice ANTONIN SCALIA. Peppers writes, “Fielding questions from an audience of American University law students, [Scalia] was asked whether it was likely that the law school’s students would be able to secure a clerkship at the nation’s highest court. His answer was characteristically blunt—not likely.”
ALOHA BRAH
|Ellen Gilmer with Bloomberg reports that local officials in Hawaii just withdrew a major environmental case from the Supreme Court’s docket. “The Maui County Council voted 5-4 on Sept. 20 to settle County of Maui v. Hawai’i Wildlife Fund, a case with big implications for the scope of the Clean Water Act. The panel directed county officials to retreat from the Supreme Court case, which is scheduled for Nov. 6 oral arguments, and follow a settlement agreement reached during an earlier stage of litigation.”
FIRE AWAY, SCOTUS
|Monday, the Supreme Court got a new case challenging an assault weapons ban. Marcia Coyle with The National Law Journal reports on the case out of Massachusetts that is the fourth gun-related petition asking SCOTUS for regulatory guidance in the new term.
EASY TIGER
|Also on Monday, JUSTICE ELENA KAGAN spoke before auditorium filled with UC Berkeley law students. During Q&A, one student noted to her that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe in the integrity of the Supreme Court…to which the justice replied, “I think your doubts are a little overblown.” Bob Egelko with the San Francisco Chronicle reports on the speaking engagement.
SCOTUS VIEWS
A Climate Change For Lawsuits
The Wall Street Journal“When National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr. was alive, the American Civil Liberties Union was a frequent target of his barbs. Once he even devoted an episode of ‘Firing Line’ to a debate on the proposition ‘Resolved: The ACLU is full of baloney.’ So give the ACLU credit for rising above policy differences.”