The Leader Board
FLASHBACK: Elena Kagan’s Career As A Political Operative
Kagan Worked "14 Hours A Day" On A Liberal Senate Campaign, Conducted Opposition Research For A Democrat Presidential Campaign, And Worked "To Score Points Against The Republican Congress" Sen. Franken voted to confirm Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. (PN1768, Elena Kagan Nomination, Nomination Confirmed 63-37, 8/5/2010) 1980: Worked On Senate Campaign Of Noted Liberal Rep. Elizabeth Hotzman When Democratic Rep. Holtzman Lost In 1980, Kagan Believed "The World Had Gone Mad, That Liber… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Judge Gorsuch ‘Understands The West’
SEN. GARDNER: He's 'Somebody Who Understands The West, Our Water Laws … Our Resources Laws, Somebody Who Understands Indian Laws' SEN. BENNET (D-CO): 'As A Person And As A Lawyer, Judge Gorsuch Exemplifies Some Of The Finest Qualities Of Colorado' SEN. CORY GARDNER (R-CO): "Judge Gorsuch is a fourth generation Coloradan, skier, fly fisher, serving on a court that represents 20 percent of our nation's landmass; whose family roots reflect the grit and determination that built the West. … Continue Reading
03.21.17
FLASHBACK: ‘We Are All Originalists’
MYTH: 'It Has Been 25 Years Since An Originalist Has Been Nominated To The Supreme Court' SEN. PAT LEAHY (D-VT): "…originalism I believe remains outside the mainstream of moderate constitutional jurisprudence. It has been 25 years since an originalist has been nominated to the Supreme Court." (U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee, Hearing, 3/20/17) FACT: ELENA KAGAN: 'We Are All Originalists' ELENA KAGAN: "We are all originalists." (U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee, Hearing On Elena Kagan … Continue Reading
03.21.17
Judge Gorsuch: ‘Everyone Who Comes To Court Deserves Respect’
Judge Gorsch: As Judges, 'Sometimes The Answers We Reach Aren't Ones We Would Personally Prefer. Sometimes The Answers Follow Us Home And Keep Us Up At Night. But The Answers We Reach Are Always The Ones We Believe The Law Requires.' JUDGE NEIL GORSUCH: "I've been stuck on the highway in Wyoming in a snowstorm. I know it's involved. I don't make light of it, I take it seriously. But, Senator, this gets back to what my job is, and what it isn't." (U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee, Hearing, 3… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Chevron Doctrine & Separation Of Powers
Judge 'Gorsuch Has Questioned …Agencies' Expansive Interpretations Of Their Own Powers' NOAH FELDMAN: "Liberals and conservatives alike have deployed Chevron over the years …the truth is that Chevron deference isn't inherently liberal or conservative. The real issue at stake is whether the judiciary should have the last word on the meaning of the law." (Noah Feldman, Op-Ed, "Get Ready, Supreme Court Fans. Brush Up On Your Chevron Doctrine," Bloomberg, 2/3/17) 'Judge Gorsuc… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Citizens United: Elena Kagan & Pamphlet Banning
Solicitor Elena Kagan's Office Argued The U.S. Government Could Ban Books Before She Personally Revised The Position… To Argue The Ban Would Only Apply To Pamphlets FLASHBACK: "It isn't often that a government lawyer stands before the Supreme Court and acknowledges that yes, it would be constitutional to ban a book. But that is what happened on Tuesday, as Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart defended a campaign-reform law that treated an anti-Hillary Clinton movie in 2008 as an elec… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Sen. Feinstein’s Signing Statement Confusion
'Judge Gorsuch… Pushed Strongly For A Signing Statement … Because It Could Make Clear The Bush Administration's View That The New Torture Ban Was "Best Read As Essentially Codifying Existing Interrogation Policies"' SEN. FEINSTEIN: 'According It E-Mails… You Were Involved In Preparing That Signing Statement' SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA): "When President Bush signed the detainee treatment act, he issued a statement that basically said he would only construe the law consis… Continue Reading
03.21.17
The Difference Between An Advocate & Judge
ELENA KAGAN: 'I Want To Make A Clear Distinction' JUDGE GORSUCH: "As a lawyer, that's all I was, I was a lawyer for a client, right? I was advising them on how to go about doing that legally in conjunction with Senator Graham's office, and others." (U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee, Hearing, 3/21/17) ELENA KAGAN: 'I Want To Make A Clear Distinction Between My Views As An Advocate And Any Views That I Might Have As A Judge' ELENA KAGAN: "I want to make a clear distinction between my views a… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Sen. Schumer’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act Key Law At Issue In Hobby Lobby
Senator Schumer Said His Law Aimed To Allow 'Maximum Religious Freedom' The Religious Freedom Restoration Act Was Sponsored By Then-Rep. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): 'The American People Today Know That Religious Freedom Is No Luxury, But Is A Basic Right Of A Free People' RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT OF 1993: "FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION PROTECTED: (a) In General.--Government shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applica… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Judge Gorsuch In The Rocky Flats Case: ‘Pretty Stirring Stuff’
Homeowner: 'It's Been A Long Time… I Was Thinking We No Longer Had Justice In This Country' 'Writing For The Panel, Gorsuch Lamented The "Staggering Delay And (No Doubt) Equally Staggering Expense The Parties Endured" As Well As "Injustice In The Human Costs"' DAVID C. FREDERICK, Board Member, Liberal American Constitution Society Who Specializes In Supreme Court Practice: "Anyone who sees Gorsuch as automatically pro-corporation should talk to the officers at Rockwell International a… Continue Reading
03.21.17
The Ginsburg Standard
'No Hints, No Forecasts, No Previews' And No Hypotheticals SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA): Judge Gorsuch "You're going to be asked to make promises and commitments about how you'll rule on particular issues. Now, they won't necessarily ask you that directly, for instance 'how will you rule on this issue, or that issue.' Instead, they'll probably ask you about old cases, whether they were correctly decided. Of course, that's another way of asking the very same question. They know that you can't answ… Continue Reading
03.20.17
Judge Gorsuch ‘Somebody Who Understands The West’
The Federal Government 'Has An Outsized Impact On Those Who Live In The West, And … That Is Evident In The Jurisprudence You See From Judge Gorsuch' SEN. CORY GARDNER (R-CO): Judge Gorsuch "does have the fact that he's a fourth generation Coloradan, avid flyfisher, expert skier, somebody who understands the west, our water laws, somebody who understands our resources laws, somebody who understands Indian laws, and somebody who's going to be a guardian of the Constitution and interpret… Continue Reading
03.20.17
Judge Gorsuch: ‘True Independence’
'Liberals Should Welcome A Nominee Like Gorsuch - Who Is Honest, Principled And Committed To Safeguarding The Rule Of Law' DAVID C. FREDERICK, Board Member, Liberal American Constitution Society, Specializing In Supreme Court Practice: "Over the course of his career, he has represented both plaintiffs and defendants. He has defended large corporations, but also sued them. He has advocated for the Chamber of Commerce, but also filed (and prevailed with) class actions on behalf of consumers. We s… Continue Reading
03.20.17
It’s The People’s Seat
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D-DE), Then-Judiciary Committee Chairman: "…it is my view that if a Supreme Court Justice resigns tomorrow, or within the next several weeks, or resigns at the end of the summer, President Bush should consider following the practice of a majority of his predecessors and not - and not - name a nominee until after the November election is completed." (Sen. Biden, Congressional Record, S.16316-7, 6/25/1992) MYTH: 'Republicans Stole the Supreme Court' RACHEL MADDOW: "Sen… Continue Reading
03.20.17
‘The Rule Of Law Isn’t Liberal Or Conservative’
SEN. SCHUMER: Putting The 'Rule Of Law Above Everything Else' More Important Than 'So-Called Sympathetic Litigants' SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA): "The judge's job, our nominee says, is to deliver on the promise that 'all litigants, rich or poor, mighty or meek, will receive equal protection under the law and due process for their grievances.' The nominee before us understands that any judge worth his salt will 'regularly issue judgments with which they disagree as a matter of policy-all because t… Continue Reading
03.15.17
Schumer’s Shifting Standards
SEN. SCHUMER: Putting The 'Rule Of Law Above Everything Else' More Important Than 'So-Called Sympathetic Litigants' NOAH FELDMAN, Liberal Harvard Law Professor, & Former Clerk To Justice David Souter: "I'm not sure who decided that the Democratic critique of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch would be that he doesn't side with the little guy. It's a truly terrible idea. … The rule of law isn't liberal or conservative -- and it shouldn't be." (Noah Feldman, Op-Ed, "Democrat… Continue Reading
03.14.17
Seema Verma: The Health Care Reformer America Needs
Her Deep Knowledge And Experience With Health Care, Especially With Medicaid, Makes Her 'The Ideal Candidate' To Oversee Reform "The Senate on Monday confirmed Seema Verma, a health policy expert from Indiana… By a vote of 55 to 43, the Senate approved the nomination of Ms. Verma to be the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which spends more than $1 trillion a year on programs providing health care to more than one-third of all Americans." ("Health Policy Ex… Continue Reading
03.13.17
The Magnificent Seven: The ‘Most Ambitious Regulatory Rollback Since Reagan’ Continues
'Republicans Are Moving Quickly To Dismantle Obama-Era Regulations' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "Regulations aren't issued in a vacuum; they have real economic consequences that can harm the middle class. They can kill jobs, raise prices, depress wages, and lower opportunities. And yet, the Obama Administration went on a regulatory rampage at a time when we should've been looking to do just the opposite. On its way out the door, the previous administration continued to push … Continue Reading
03.10.17
The ABA ‘Gold Standard’
Top Dems: 'The ABA Evaluation Has Been The Gold Standard By Which Judicial Candidates Are Judged' SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman: "The ABA's ringing endorsement is no surprise given Judge Gorsuch's sterling credentials and his distinguished decade-long record on the Tenth Circuit. Former Chairman Leahy and Minority Leader Schumer have called the ABA's assessment the 'gold standard' in evaluating federal judicial nominations. In light of Judge Gorsuch's impeccabl… Continue Reading
03.10.17
‘Obamacare Is Failing’
'Deductibles Are Going To Get Even Higher,' 'Markets Could Collapse,' Insurers 'Exiting States' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "It's clear to just about everyone that Obamacare is failing. Costs are soaring. Choices are diminishing. Insurance markets are teetering. It would be easy to just sit back and watch this partisan law collapse under its own weight. Pass the buck to the next guy. That seems to be the Democrats' strategy. But Republicans think the middle class deserves… Continue Reading
