A HISTORY ON SCOTUS & PRESIDENTIAL IMPEACHMENTS | An Issue That Cries Out For Fixing | Lady Hale And Her Fabulous Brooch
September 26, 2019
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY REPEATING
|Tony Mauro with The National Law Journal reports on the impeachment inquiry that is heating up and how the Supreme Court fits into the handling of such unique inflection points in our nation’s history. He writes, “Seven years after he wrote a book about impeachment, then-U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist presided over one: the trial of President Bill Clinton in 1999, which resulted in acquittal. The book, and the experience, made Rehnquist an unparalleled expert on impeachment. As the U.S. House moves forward with its impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, one of Rehnquist’s former clerks, now-Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., would be poised to preside over any trial in the U.S. Senate. Of course, only if the process gets to that point.”
ED BOARD OVERTURE
|“Disappointed partisans say the Supreme Court is a political body, with five conservative justices gleefully voting one way, and four liberals wistfully dissenting. Balderdash, replies CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS—to paraphrase him slightly.” That’s the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal responding to recent comments from Roberts in which he rebuffed criticisms of the high court. The Ed Board: “These days, the judiciary seems to be the only branch of government that is working well. So cheers to the Chief’s latest defense of judicial ideals. Americans left and right should join him with concurring opinions.”
TOP-ED
|In an editorial in the Daily Journal, Dylan Hosmer-Quint describes “an issue that cries out for fixing — both in Sacramento and in Washington D.C.” He points to at least half a dozen judges who have been credibly accused of crimes, and yet been able to avoid misconduct proceedings and collect on their pensions. He suggests, “A few simple fixes would help hold state and federal judges responsible for their actions.”
THE END OF A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE
|“The Supreme Court could gut the constitutional right to an abortion, and all it has to do is sit on its hands.” That’s the sub-head from a new piece by Ian Millhiser with Vox. “The constitutional right to an abortion is almost certainly coming to an end — the only question is how long the Supreme Court’s new majority will take to kill it off. It’s not likely to be very long. On Monday, the Supreme Court will meet to decide whether to hear a case that could leave little, if any, of this right standing.”
LUCK BE A LADY
|We’ve always known that Supreme Court style is definitely a thing here in the U.S. (hello, RBG and her collars), but now the British Supreme Court is getting some attention for one of its members making her own bold use of accessories. Vogue reports on the social media frenzy over LADY HALE, U.K. Supreme Court president, and her brooch collection. Hale announced on Tuesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s move to suspend Britain’s parliament was unlawful, but it was her spider brooch that “struck a particular chord due to the defiant nature of the verdict Hale delivered while wearing it.”
OTHER NEWS
Homeless People Could Lose The Right To Sleep On Sidewalks If Western Cities Have Their Way
Los Angeles Times“On Wednesday, the city of Los Angeles will join L.A. County and dozens of other municipalities in submitting an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to Martin vs. City of Boise — a landmark lawsuit involving seven homeless people who were cited for camping on public property in Boise, Idaho. If the court were to take up the case, which is far from certain, it could reverse a decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that has prevented cities and counties from sending law enforcement to enforce ordinances to shoo away homeless people or to clear their encampments.”
Do Food Trucks Have Fourth Amendment Rights? Supreme Court Could Decide In Chicago GPS Tracker Case
Forbes“One of the nation’s longest-running food fights could soon be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Under an ordinance meant to protect restaurants from competition, Chicago banned food trucks from vending within 200 feet of any restaurant, grocery store, and other brick-and-mortar establishments that sell food. In order to enforce that proximity ban, Chicago requires all food trucks to physically install a GPS tracker. Whenever a truck is on the clock, their location is transmitted to a third-party servicer, which retains the data for at least six months. City regulators can then access those records without a warrant.”