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August 9, 2010 9:50 pm | By Miranda Blue
First Boehner Billboard Up, Second On the Way
Last month, PFAW Voters Alliance joined up with the AFL-CIO and Blue America PAC to host a contest to choose a billboard to grace a busy highway near House Minority Leader John Boehner’s home district. The winning concept is now a…
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August 9, 2010 2:51 pm | By Brian
Target apologizes, but will stay in politics
Why would two companies that received 100% ratings from the Human Rights Campaign's 2010 Corporate Equality Index give a combined $250,000 to a group backing a candidate with extreme anti-gay views? According to Target's CEO, the company was only trying…
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August 6, 2010 9:11 pm | By Drew Courtney
The Wrong Lesson To Learn From the Kagan Confirmation
Over at The Atlantic, Max Fisher draws some conclusions from the Kagan confirmation, and I think he’s pulled together a pretty good summation of what folks in Washington are thinking—but that doesn’t mean they’re right.Fisher argues that since 37 votes…
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August 6, 2010 8:34 pm | By Marge Baker
Celebrating Elena Kagan’s Confirmation
I'm just back from a reception at the White House celebrating the confirmation of Elena Kagan to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The mood was truly upbeat, with everyone thrilled at the reality of three women sitting…
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August 6, 2010 4:16 pm | By Miranda Blue
The Party of No Lives Up to Its Name
Last night, in the latest episode of their passive-aggressive crusade to keep President Obama’s judicial nominees off the bench, the Senate GOP put on a mind-boggling display of obstruction. As the Senate confirmed Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court nomination, 21 other…
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August 6, 2010 3:03 pm | By Deborah Liu
Conservatives Against Religious Tolerance
Recently the right wing, including Sarah Palin and other prominent Republicans, has been loudly protesting the proposed construction of an Islamic center and mosque in the vicinity of Ground Zero. The center is intended to help build an interfaith community…
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August 5, 2010 8:49 pm | By Rhee-Soo
Back to the Future?
Why, asked Senator Chuck Schumer of New York before Elena Kagan's confirmation today, were so many conservatives opposed to the nominee, despite her record of achievement and mainstream credentials? Because conservatives are attached to right-wing judicial activism, and see Kagan…
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August 5, 2010 8:27 pm | By Miranda Blue
Fiorina’s Supreme Court Extremism in Disguise
Is this the best impression of a political moderate that Carly Fiorina can do?The California senatorial candidate announced yesterday that if she were currently a member of the Senate she would not vote to confirm Elena Kagan to the Supreme…
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August 5, 2010 8:06 pm | By Miranda Blue
Senate Sends Kagan to the Supreme Court
The Senate just confirmed Elena Kagan to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The vote was 63-37, with five Republicans voting to confirm her, and one Democrat (Ben Nelson of Nebraska) opposing her. People For’s President, Michael Keegan,…
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August 5, 2010 5:41 pm | By Rhee-Soo
Empathy vs. Sympathy
As the Senate debate continues on Elena Kagan’s confirmation, Republicans have used this opportunity to blast Obama for previously stating that judges should have the empathy to understand the lives of ordinary Americans. Republicans argue that possessing “empathy” is synonymous…
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August 5, 2010 5:15 pm | By Paul Gordon
Proposition 8: Just the Facts
Yesterday afternoon, federal Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Proposition 8 violated the United States Constitution. This is an important milestone. One reason it is so important is the factual record that was compiled for the case. Judge Walker developed an…
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August 5, 2010 3:53 pm | By Miranda Blue
A Win for Fact Over Prejudice
California federal judge Vaughn Walker’s opinion yesterday in the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger—in which he struck down the state’s ban on gay marriage—was a strong defense of the values embodied in the Constitution. But it was also something more.…
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August 4, 2010 10:47 pm | By Miranda Blue
Federal Judge Rules Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
A federal judge in California today ruled Proposition 8, the state’s ban on gay marriage, unconstitutional. Judge Vaughn Walker’s opinion declares the marriage ban a violation of the Constitution’s equal protection and due process clauses, and debunks the arguments of…
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August 4, 2010 8:44 pm | By Miranda Blue
McCain Recites the Harvard Argument
Sen. John McCain just used his time on the Senate floor to speak extensively about Elena Kagan’s actions involving military recruitment when she was dean of Harvard. A dean who reveres the military, McCain said, would not put up with…
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August 4, 2010 6:39 pm | By Rhee-Soo
GOP Obstructionists turn on 9/11 Victims
This video of Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) losing his temper on the House floor has been making the rounds in the blogosphere recently. What I find most compelling about the story, though, isn’t that Weiner raised his voice; it’s that…
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August 4, 2010 6:21 pm | By Rhee-Soo
Senate Republicans: Just Say No to Participating in the Legislative Process
A well-researched, provocative piece in The New Yorker this week explores the increasingly dysfunctional nature of the US Senate. In particular, the article draws attention to the unprecedented obstructionism of the current Republican minority: Under [Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell, Republicans…
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August 4, 2010 3:26 pm | By Miranda Blue
Hatch: Defense of Thurgood Marshall is “Offensive”
Watching the Senate debate on Elena Kagan’s nomination yesterday afternoon, I wasn’t sure I heard correctly when Sen. Orrin Hatch called the backlash against the GOP’s anti-Thurgood Marshall campaign “offensive.” I heard correctly. Here’s the transcript:While Ms. Kagan has not…
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August 3, 2010 9:50 pm | By Rhee-Soo
The Far-Right Agenda Rolls On In the Courts
Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson refused to dismiss a lawsuit, filed by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, challenging the constitutionality of the recently passed healthcare reform bill. This procedural ruling will likely lead to years of litigation surrounding…
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August 3, 2010 9:48 pm | By Rhee-Soo
A true non-partisan
During her confirmation hearing, Elena Kagan promised not to go into any case rooting for one “team” or the other.But as Senator Dorgan pointed out today, it sometimes seems that the current court is inappropriately divided into “teams” – and…
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August 3, 2010 9:28 pm | By Rhee-Soo
A Justice Who Listens to Ordinary Americans
Senator Mikulski, herself a groundbreaking pioneer for women’s place in politics, re-affirmed Elena Kagan’s qualifications today. The current Court, noted Senator Mikulski, is increasingly out of touch with the majority of the American people. Elena Kagan, meanwhile, has spent her…