Phantom 2,533 Posted February 14, 2016 Something else, I wonder if Scalia's increasingly irrational views in his final years were founded on bad health... If so, he was in poor health for at least 30 years 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Guest Posted February 14, 2016 U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dead aged 79! http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/us-world/article/Senior-Associate-Justice-Antonin-Scalia-found-6828930.php A Liberal majority in the first time in years. Boost for Bernie? not so fast ! republicans refusing to confirm a replacement till next president ie Donald Trump takes over ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Guest Posted February 14, 2016 U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dead aged 79! http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/us-world/article/Senior-Associate-Justice-Antonin-Scalia-found-6828930.php A Liberal majority in the first time in years. Boost for Bernie? How so? There was already a liberal majority at 5-4. Now it's 5-3 no it was a conservative majority 5-4 now its 4-4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phantom 2,533 Posted February 14, 2016 U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dead aged 79! http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/us-world/article/Senior-Associate-Justice-Antonin-Scalia-found-6828930.php A Liberal majority in the first time in years. Boost for Bernie? How so?There was already a liberal majority at 5-4. Now it's 5-3 no it was a conservative majority 5-4 now its 4-4 Ah thanks. Was suprised how Obama would have been able to get anything passed being outnumbered for the most part. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheBigBB 34 Posted February 14, 2016 Well the Supreme Court is generally more bi-partisan or party neutral than other parts of the government. You're more likely to get a conservative leaning justice to side with a more liberal cause in a Supreme Court case because the justices are supposed to just interpret the law rather than stand up for their party or special interests. The tricky part is just finding justices who have that kind of integrity, I suppose... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phantom 2,533 Posted February 14, 2016 Well the Supreme Court is generally more bi-partisan or party neutral than other parts of the government. You're more likely to get a conservative leaning justice to side with a more liberal cause in a Supreme Court case because the justices are supposed to just interpret the law rather than stand up for their party or special interests. The tricky part is just finding justices who have that kind of integrity, I suppose... Listening to those on the stage for the GOP debate tonight, you would think the contrary. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Magere Hein 1,400 Posted February 14, 2016 I can't say Justice Scalia's death means much to me. I remember his name, because he's the subject of Stephen Jay Gould's essay Justice Scalia's Misunderstanding. It's a rather dreary piece about the history of geology, principles of science and Scalia's dissent in Edwards v. Aguillard. Not just a conservative, not a bright one either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BrunoBrimley 86 Posted February 14, 2016 I can't say Justice Scalia's death means much to me. ........................... Not just a conservative, not a bright one either. Actually, quite the contrary. Mr.Scalia was an extremely intelligent man. He knew and understood the Constitution and that was how he formed an opinion and ruling. Even the more liberal minds of The Court found this to be the case. At any rate, he will be missed. May his replacement on the bench be at least half as fair-minded and wise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Magere Hein 1,400 Posted February 14, 2016 I can't say Justice Scalia's death means much to me. ........................... Not just a conservative, not a bright one either. Actually, quite the contrary. Mr.Scalia was an extremely intelligent man. He knew and understood the Constitution and that was how he formed an opinion and ruling. Even the more liberal minds of The Court found this to be the case. At any rate, he will be missed. May his replacement on the bench be at least half as fair-minded and wise. I know and understand little of the Constitution, nor am I deeply interested. I rather like the practice of published dissenting opinions, something Dutch procedural law forbids. I have no opinion of Justice Scalia's intelligence. For all I know he was a sharp legal thinker. I think he would have been a better justice if he'd applied more of his intelligence to the real world. Anyway. his death got an article on Dutch popular news site nu.nl, a rare distinction for a US lawyer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Whitehouse 872 Posted February 14, 2016 Good riddance to this loathsome toad piece of shit sad excuse for a human being. This turd face asshole brought misery to countless of people. Imposing his law of God on anyone. This death is a glorious day for progressive America. And those conservatives that assume that a lame - Duck president cannot name a judge in his last year are mistaken. It happened 5 times in the last 100 years. Including Saint Ronnie named one, as well as Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Zorders 1,271 Posted February 14, 2016 Good riddance to this loathsome toad piece of shit sad excuse for a human being. This turd face asshole brought misery to countless of people. Imposing his law of God on anyone. This death is a glorious day for progressive America. And those conservatives that assume that a lame - Duck president cannot name a judge in his last year are mistaken. It happened 5 times in the last 100 years. Including Saint Ronnie named one, as well as Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Wait a minute, I may have to check Wikipedia but weren't they respected? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Whitehouse 872 Posted February 14, 2016 This has the potential to be huge. The problem is that the US Senate, which confirms the judges, is currently dominated by republicans. But Obama is a Democrat. I do believe that the current majority is conservative, in spite of the Obamacare ruling (after all, Obamacare is mostly private health insurance). Obama's liberal nominee will have no chance to get through, unless he finds a first-class personality. The only possible candidate I can think of would be Bill Clinton (but for how long?). Obama might even nominate himself. And use this as a weapon in his campaign to make black people vote for Hillary/Bernie. I think it probably helps Clinton more than Bernie, because she is generally regarded as the more electable candidate. And now the Democrats know what's at stake. Republicans have already stated that they will block any nominee proposed by Obama. I don't see much chance of a new Supreme Court Judge being chosen until after the election. The more they obstruct, the more voters they will lose. It is so apparent and clear to anyone conservative don't want to lose their majority, that undecided voters will side with the opposition. Republicans are fucked, and as far as I think they can fuck themselves. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Whitehouse 872 Posted February 14, 2016 Good riddance to this loathsome toad piece of shit sad excuse for a human being. This turd face asshole brought misery to countless of people. Imposing his law of God on anyone. This death is a glorious day for progressive America. And those conservatives that assume that a lame - Duck president cannot name a judge in his last year are mistaken. It happened 5 times in the last 100 years. Including Saint Ronnie named one, as well as Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Wait a minute, I may have to check Wikipedia but weren't they respected? Whatever the outcome, records will not be broken. President John Tyler had a particularly difficult time filling vacancies. Smith Thompson died in office December 18, 1843. His replacement, Samuel Nelson, was in office starting February 14, 1845. That’s a vacancy of 424 days. Henry Baldwin died in office April 21, 1844. His replacement, Robert Cooper, was in office starting August 4, 1846. This vacancy lasted 835 days because Tyler could not get the Senate to work with him. During Tyler’s presidency, the Senate rejected nine separate Supreme Court nominations! Now that the USSC is shorthanded, decisions that end in a 4-4 tie means the decision of the lower court will stand, but there will be no national precedent set. At least 14 Supreme Court justices have been confirmed during election years Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RoverAndOut 4,746 Posted February 16, 2016 In reading about President Obama's nominations to the Supreme Court, I was shocked to discover John Paul Stevens didn't die in office as I thought but retired and is still going strong. This got me thinking about other justices that have retired but are still alive, so I thought I'd just comprise a short list or the living Supreme Court justices past and present. (Serving members are in bold, their numbers refer to their seniority on the court - Chief Justice and then Associates by order of appointment) John Paul Stevens, retired 2010 due to old age, b. April 1920 (aged 95) Sandra Day O'Connor, first woman on the court, retired to look after her sick husband, b. March 1930 (aged 85) 4. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, second woman on the court, b. March 1933 (aged 82) Antonin Scalia, first Italian-American on the court, b. March 1936, d. February 2016 (aged 79) 2. Anthony Kennedy, b. July 1936 (aged 79) 5. Stephen Breyer, b. August 1938 (aged 77) David Souter, retired 2009 to leave Washington and return to New Hampshire, b. September 1939 (aged 76) 3. Clarence Thomas, second African-American on the court, b. June 1948 (aged 67) 6. Samuel Alito, second Italian-American on the court, b. April 1950 (aged 65) 7. Sonia Sotomayor, first Hispanic-American on the court, b. June 1954 (aged 61) 1. John Roberts, Chief Justice, b. January 1955 (aged 61) 8. Elena Kagan, b. April 1960 (aged 55) Also worth special mention is Harriet Miers who, while White House Counsel, was nominated by George W. Bush in 2006 but asked to be withdrawn from consideration after criticism of her suitability for the role. She was ultimately replaced by Samuel Alito. She was born in August 1945, thus making her 70 years old. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Lurker Posted February 16, 2016 Also worth special mention is Harriet Miers who, while White House Counsel, was nominated by George W. Bush in 2006 but asked to be withdrawn from consideration after criticism of her suitability for the role. She was ultimately replaced by Samuel Alito. She was born in August 1945, thus making her 70 years old. In that vein, there's also Douglas Ginsburg, who was nominated by Reagan in 1987 after the Senate rejected Robert Bork, but he withdrew from consideration after it came out that he was a pot smoker. He was born in May of 1946, and is 69 years old (and is still serving on the Washington DC court of appeals). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phantom 2,533 Posted February 17, 2016 Here's a headline that's short n sweet. Partner at New York law firm is shot dead by police after stabbing his wife in the face and attacking his three children with a baseball bat at their $700,000 suburban Connecticut home Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Magere Hein 1,400 Posted February 17, 2016 Partner at New York law firm is shot dead by police after stabbing his wife in the face and attacking his three children with a baseball bat at their $700,000 suburban Connecticut home Did the lawyer have a motion denied? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phantom 2,533 Posted February 17, 2016 Partner at New York law firm is shot dead by police after stabbing his wife in the face and attacking his three children with a baseball bat at their $700,000 suburban Connecticut home Did the lawyer have a motion denied? Only indication of what happened is from this further down in the article Police are looking into the case as 'domestic violence' but are still trying to figure out the motive behind the attack. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Creep 7,070 Posted March 2, 2016 What the hell? Guy's been dead 2 days and no mention? Oh YOU all know him as Inspector Douglas Todd in three "Beverly Hills Cop" films. But he was above all a Detroit city police officer and head of homicide division. He also ran for Mayor and sadly didn't prevail, losing to federal prisoner Kwame Kilpatrick in a close race. So that's why I'm posting Gil Hill's obit here. SirC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 18,477 Posted March 2, 2016 What the hell? Guy's been dead 2 days and no mention? Oh YOU all know him as Inspector Douglas Todd in three "Beverly Hills Cop" films. But he was above all a Detroit city police officer and head of homicide division. He also ran for Mayor and sadly didn't prevail, losing to federal prisoner Kwame Kilpatrick in a close race. So that's why I'm posting Gil Hill's obit here. SirC A homicide cop lost a mayoral election to a prison inmate? That's got Best Supporting Actor Oscar written all over it, Scorcese. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungWillz 21,050 Posted March 3, 2016 Lord Coulsfield, Lockerbie bomber trial judge, dead at 81. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35715659 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phantom 2,533 Posted March 3, 2016 What the hell? Guy's been dead 2 days and no mention? Oh YOU all know him as Inspector Douglas Todd in three "Beverly Hills Cop" films. But he was above all a Detroit city police officer and head of homicide division. He also ran for Mayor and sadly didn't prevail, losing to federal prisoner Kwame Kilpatrick in a close race. So that's why I'm posting Gil Hill's obit here. SirC Never watched any of the Beverly Hills Cop films. Went to Detroit a couple of times back in the late 80s, never knew who any of the police officers were. Name didn't ring a bell, so didn't bother to post link. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Creep 7,070 Posted March 10, 2016 Robert J. Del Tufo, a former New Jersey attorney general and federal prosecutor who offered a lonely dissent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s corruption investigation known as Abscam, died on Wednesday in Princeton, N.J. He was 82. The cause was lung cancer. SC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Creep 7,070 Posted April 21, 2016 Former 10th Judicial Chief Circuit Judge William "Bill" Norris Jr., died of cancer on Friday. He was 81. Quick primer on the American judicial system. We have 12 circuits in the FEDERAL system, which is apart from the State courts. So being Chief Justice of one of th 12 made this dude one of the 12 biggest voices in federal law interpretation a step below the Supreme Court. So though we don't know or pay any attention to who these judges are, he was a pretty important robe. SC http://www.theledger.com/article/20160420/bruceanderson/160429929&tc=yahoo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ulitzer95 12,642 Posted April 21, 2016 Former 10th Judicial Chief Circuit Judge William "Bill" Norris Jr., died of cancer on Friday. He was 81. Quick primer on the American judicial system. We have 12 circuits in the FEDERAL system, which is apart from the State courts. So being Chief Justice of one of th 12 made this dude one of the 12 biggest voices in federal law interpretation a step below the Supreme Court. So though we don't know or pay any attention to who these judges are, he was a pretty important robe. SC http://www.theledger.com/article/20160420/bruceanderson/160429929&tc=yahoo No Wiki page = generally not important. Soz. This one on the other hand... Solomon Blatt, Jr. - a federal district judge in South Carolina appointed by Richard Nixon. Dead at 94: http://www.postandcourier.com/20160421/160429877/federal-judge-sol-blatt-jr-has-passed 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
