GOLDEN WEEK WON’T RETURN TO OHIO | Backpage Has to Turn Over Pages | RBG on the Blame Game

September 13, 2016

This morning at the Supreme Court the justices doled out some serious refusals in the day’s decisions. First up, the justices refused a request from the state of Ohio to restore Golden Week voting procedures in which people can register and cast ballots in the same week. The Democratic Party of the swing state wanted to reinstate the practice while they appeal a 6th Circuit Court ruling that upheld a 2014 law imposing new voting restrictions in the state.

Justices this morning also refused to block a congressional subpoena seeking information on how the classified ads on Backpage.com screens ads for possible sex trafficking. Their refusal now means the website has to turn over documents that a Senate panel has been pursuing for more than a year.

For The National Law Journal, Tony Mauro reports on how PAUL CLEMENT’S surprise move to combine firms with Kirkland & Ellis has folks over at the Supreme Court bar all shook up over the shake-up.

On the road at Notre Dame University, JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG yesterday evening spoke frankly about her past experiences as a judge, mother and law student. She spoke specifically to what she sees as a “sea change” with more women and minorities present in the federal judiciary. When asked that same-old question of how many women on the Supreme Court would be enough, RBG gave her famous response: “When there are nine.”

During her visit to the Fighting Irish, JUSTICE GINSBURG also noted that if we’re going to play the blame game over the nomination of JUDGE MERRICK GARLAND, we should be pointing fingers at Democrats and Republicans alike. She said, “Some day there will be great representatives on both of the aisles who recognize that they are not representing the United States very well if they are constantly in conflict instead of trying to work in harmony.” Ginsburg also considered the state of capital punishment in America, opining the death penalty is most active in about six states so the practice may actually “end by attrition.”

“For the first time, a federal appeals court has ruled that it is unconstitutional, at least in non-violent cases, to automatically take away an individual’s Second Amendment right to have a gun after being convicted of a crime that the law treats as serious.” For Constitution Daily, Lyle Denniston/a> considers this federal decision which could be heading to the Supreme Court.

The polygamous family from the TV series “Sister Wives” filed a request yesterday for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case for legalizing polygamy. The family took the case to SCOTUS after the 10th Circuit denied a request to hear their case.

For TIME, Sam Frizell considers how the 2016 election is pushing the limits of the legal standard on corruption in America. Frizell: “The irony is what the lawmakers long feared would happen — corrosion of confidence in the democratic process — is now coming to pass. Faith in public institutions has plummeted, and CLINTON and TRUMP are among the least trusted presidential nominees in history. It is the first election in recent memory in which both sides have accused the other of illegal behavior.”