The Supreme Court wrestled in often emotional terms Monday over whether sentencing juvenile criminals to life in prison without parole is "cruel and unusual" punishment, especially when their crime is not murder.
The Supreme Court voiced deep free speech concerns Tuesday about a law designed to stop the sale and marketing of videos showing dog fights and other acts of animal cruelty.
Many have noted Judge Sonia Sotomayor's personal story -- from being raised by a single mother in a public housing project in the Bronx to top honors at Princeton and Yale and now, potentially the Supreme Court -- will give her a perspective that other justices lack.
An English-language immersion class failed Miriam Flores, her mother contended.
Even before President Obama chose Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, he let it be known that he was looking for a justice with, among other things, something called "empathy."
Turning a federal judge -- even one like Sonia Sotomayor, who has gone through Senate confirmation hearings before -- into a Supreme Court nominee ready for prime time takes a lot of preparation, mock hearings and coaching.
President Obama has started arming for the possibility of a major Supreme Court nomination battle, pulling a longtime Democratic power player into the White House to help run the confirmation process, senior administration officials told CNN.
Though no one would ever pigeonhole U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter as having been a pro-business judge, the announcement this month that he'll be stepping down in June has some top appellate advocates for the business community expressing some separation anxiety.
On the prickly subject of immigration raids, the judicial branch is moving in the right direction. And the executive branch is moving in all directions.
The star of the show did not appear -- and the film in question was not shown -- but Hillary Clinton's big-screen moment was all the talk Tuesday at the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court wrestled in often emotional terms Monday over whether sentencing juvenile criminals to life in prison without parole is "cruel and unusual" punishment, especially when their crime is not murder.
The Supreme Court voiced deep free speech concerns Tuesday about a law designed to stop the sale and marketing of videos showing dog fights and other acts of animal cruelty.
Many have noted Judge Sonia Sotomayor's personal story -- from being raised by a single mother in a public housing project in the Bronx to top honors at Princeton and Yale and now, potentially the Supreme Court -- will give her a perspective that other justices lack.
An English-language immersion class failed Miriam Flores, her mother contended.
Even before President Obama chose Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, he let it be known that he was looking for a justice with, among other things, something called "empathy."
Turning a federal judge -- even one like Sonia Sotomayor, who has gone through Senate confirmation hearings before -- into a Supreme Court nominee ready for prime time takes a lot of preparation, mock hearings and coaching.
President Obama has started arming for the possibility of a major Supreme Court nomination battle, pulling a longtime Democratic power player into the White House to help run the confirmation process, senior administration officials told CNN.
Though no one would ever pigeonhole U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter as having been a pro-business judge, the announcement this month that he'll be stepping down in June has some top appellate advocates for the business community expressing some separation anxiety.
On the prickly subject of immigration raids, the judicial branch is moving in the right direction. And the executive branch is moving in all directions.
The star of the show did not appear -- and the film in question was not shown -- but Hillary Clinton's big-screen moment was all the talk Tuesday at the Supreme Court.
A small religious group has lost its fight before the Supreme Court to erect a granite monument in a Utah park next to an existing Ten Commandments display.
Republican Sen. John McCain likes fellow conservative justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Democratic Sen. Barack Obama does not think much of Clarence Thomas.
The Supreme Court has struck down a provision of a federal campaign finance law that allowed opponents of wealthy candidates to exceed strict campaign spending limits.
A majority ruling allowing terror suspects to challenge their detention provokes fierce criticism from conservative justices and politicians
Most of the Supreme Court justices piled up a lot frequent flyer miles in 2007, jetting to such exotic locales as Austria, India and Hawaii, according to financial disclosure reports released Friday.
The Supreme Court threw out a Louisiana man's murder conviction and death sentence on Wednesday, citing the prosecutor's exclusion of blacks from the jury.
Legal correspondent Jeffrey Toobin talks about his new book, Roe v. Wade and what to expect from the new Supreme Court
The Supreme Court began the term last October with renewed calls for unanimity from the chief justice, but it ended the session Thursday with the latest in a series of two dozen closely divided rulings.
One Supreme Court justice says his fellow conservatives are "too dismissive" of government efforts to ensure racial diversity in schools. Another more liberal member says those on the right did "serious violence" to a high school student's free speech rights.
The court's ruling puts a chink in campaign finance law, but it also shows the ideological limits of the Roberts Court
The Supreme Court Monday upheld the legality of an internal White House office that forcefully pushes federal aid for religious charities, a case with an unusual nexus of constitutional, financial and political implications.
The Supreme Court limited workers' ability to sue for pay discrimination Tuesday, ruling against a Goodyear employee who earned thousands of dollars less than her male counterparts but waited too long to complain
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a law that banned a type of late-term abortion, a ruling that could portend enormous social, legal and political implications for the divisive issue.
The Supreme Court appeared sharply divided Wednesday over what role the federal government should play in regulating carbon dioxide emissions from new cars.
The morning after the closely fought midterm elections, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear its first major abortion case in six years.
See Chief Justice John Roberts dressed as Groucho Marx. See Roberts cook Mickey Mouse waffles for his wife and children.
Abortion and race: The two most divisive social issues of recent decades will get high-profile hearings this fall before the U.S. Supreme Court.
In just five months, Justice Samuel Alito has lived out two lifelong dreams. He sits on the highest court in the land, and last month took the mound to throw out the first pitch at a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game.
A sharply divided Supreme Court limited the reach of federal regulators to block private development that might affect water quality, in an important property rights dispute that exposed deep divisions among the justices.
The Supreme Court has accepted a second case testing the constitutionality of a federal law banning a specific, controversial late-term abortion procedure critics call "partial birth" abortion.
Ruling in an important property rights dispute, a divided U.S. Supreme Court limited the reach of federal regulators to block private development that might affect water quality.
A split Supreme Court ruled Thursday that drug evidence seized in a home search can be used against a suspect even though police failed to knock on the door and wait a "reasonable" amount of time before entering.
A divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that government workers who blow the whistle on alleged illegal conduct do not deserve First Amendment protection that would automatically shield them from discipline from their bosses.
A usually harmonious Supreme Court showed signs of public friction Thursday in a police-search case that could limit the use in court of evidence seized from criminal suspects.
The Supreme Court heard debate Tuesday on whether free-speech protections apply to government employees at their jobs.
A raw political dispute with the potential to affect this year's mid-term congressional elections goes before the Supreme Court Wednesday, and the views of the newest justices could prove crucial.
The Supreme Court wasted little time jumping back into the contentious abortion issue, agreeing Tuesday to review the constitutionality of a federal law banning a controversial late-term procedure critics call "partial birth" abortion.
Sandra Day O'Connor may be officially retired from the Supreme Court, but do not expect her to ride off into the Arizona sunset. The former justice is keeping a hectic schedule.
In his first day on the job, Justice Samuel Alito broke ranks Wednesday night with the Supreme Court's conservatives by refusing to allow Missouri to execute death-row inmate Michael Taylor.
Forget the proposal -- a repeat of one he made three years ago -- to move toward hydrogen-powered automobiles, an idea that might blossom into reality around 2020 and does nothing before then to reduce America's junkie-like addiction to fossil fuel.
Samuel Alito was sworn in as the nation's 110th Supreme Court justice Tuesday after being confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 58-42.
Judge Samuel Alito stands just one step away from a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court after a spirited ninth-inning campaign by some Democratic senators to block his nomination fizzled Monday evening.
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has urged his Democratic colleagues to unite and filibuster Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court, but senators from both sides of the aisle said Friday that isn't going to happen.
I cannot rid from my mind the name Alioto, Judge Samuel Alioto. That is the name of Judge Samuel Alito as pronounced by the delightful Sen. Edward Kennedy, or is it Eduardo Kennedino? No, it is simply Teddy, and he is as entertaining as any U.S. Senator since the days of the soused Southerners, who would tipple their way through the dreamy days on Capitol Hill, rousing themselves for histrionic oratory in the mid-afternoon and then slumping back into their seats, awaiting the late afternoon hour when they would all gather in one or another's chambers for a "restorative" -- then on to dinner.
The Senate's top Republican decided Thursday to force a showdown on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito early next week, with the two Democratic senators from Massachusetts pushing to block a vote.
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito received approval from a Senate panel Tuesday on a 10-8 party-line vote, setting up a potentially contentious floor fight later this week.
I watched the demonstrations this weekend marking the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade and wonder at their familiarity; the candlelight vigil in front of the Supreme Court, the masses on the mall and in cities across the country, the urgent hope that protesters express as they see the fight breaking in their favor: John Roberts. Sam Alito. New laws in multiple states that are bound to wind up being challenged, so that the next battle is bound to be waged before a more sympathetic High Court.
A majority of Americans said the Senate should confirm federal appellate judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court, with just 30 percent opposing his confirmation, according to a poll released Monday.
Embattled White House adviser Karl Rove vowed Friday to make the war on terrorism a central campaign issue in November and said Democratic senators looked "mean-spirited and small-minded" in questioning Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
Three Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday that they would vote against President Bush's Supreme Court nominee.
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has the confirmation vote of at least one Senate Democrat but several other Democrats said Wednesday they had lingering questions about the nominee and will vote against him.
The Senate Judiciary Committee won't vote on Judge Samuel Alito until next week, but it seems pretty clear he will be the next Supreme Court justice and will move the court to the right compared with the woman he's replacing, Sandra Day O'Connor. Well, why not?
Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to serve on the Supreme Court will be voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 24, according to Senate leaders. The full Senate is expected to begin debate the following day.
The Samuel Alito hearings are over--but some Democrats were left wanting more. Things went badly from the start: few Americans watched, and those who did saw Alito and his supporters calmly parrying suggestions that as a Supreme Court Justice, he would threaten America's balance of power, civil liberties and citizens' right to privacy. "He's rope-a-doping them," said a frustrated Democratic aide. Any points the Dems scored were erased by Alito's wife Martha-Ann, who broke down in tears as the questioning of her husband grew increasingly personal. Her emotional reaction sealed her husband's victory--but the Dems had other reasons to fight on.
President Bush on Saturday asked the U.S. Senate to confirm Judge Samuel Alito, who underwent a five-day confirmation hearing this week, to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.
Ahead of her trip to witness the inauguration of Africa's first elected female president, first lady Laura Bush said Friday that the United States could elect a female president in the next few terms, and said she would like to cast a ballot for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
For Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, it may be all over but the waiting as his confirmation hearings wrapped up Friday with Democrats mustering little momentum to block his Senate confirmation.
As the fourth day of sometimes-contentious hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito came to a close Thursday, Democrats expressed concern over an unusual move in which seven of Alito's fellow judges on a U.S. appeals court testified on his behalf.
With four days of sometimes-contentious hearings behind Samuel Alito, only two Senate votes lie between him and a seat on the Supreme Court.
Years ago, senators didn't even question presidential nominees to the Supreme Court. Now they do, of course, and Judge Samuel Alito may wish this week, as the questions flood over him, that he'd lived in that quieter time.
During a break in the Supreme Court nomination hearings of Judge Samuel Alito, CNN's Wolf Blitzer asks Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, whether Democrats intend to block Alito's nomination.
Emotions ran high Wednesday as the Senate Judiciary Committee continued to question Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, and the top Democrat cited concern over what he called "inconsistencies" in the judge's testimony.
OK, one day of nomination hearings are enough. Clearly, we're not going to learn anything remotely useful about the legal philosophy of Judge Samuel Alito.
Senators on the Judiciary Committee began questioning Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito on Tuesday. Click on a topic for excerpts of his answers on key issues.
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, the first day of confirmation hearings.
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito walked a careful line on abortion rights and other topics on Tuesday, drawing expressions of frustration from some Democrats and praise from Republicans.
Sam Alito wanted a bigger job, but he had a problem. The 35-year-old graduate of Princeton and Yale was working at the Justice Department in 1985 at the height of conservative euphoria over the re-election of Ronald Reagan. But he was not part of what was known as the "secret handshake" crowd -- the Administration's tight-knit cadre of Reaganite true believers. He had been one of the young lawyers from elite schools hired without regard to their political leanings by the Solicitor General's office. The Reaganauts suspected many of the career lawyers were liberals hoping to block Reagan's ideas. Worse, Alito had not even worked on the President's campaign or donated money, two tests of loyalty for high-level posts in any Administration.
A majority of Americans say President Bush's pick to fill Sandra Day O'Connor's seat on the U.S. Supreme Court should not be confirmed if his confirmation hearings reveal that he would vote to overturn a woman's right to have an abortion, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll released Monday.
It may have been a sly joke, or the idealistic dreams of a young man, but Samuel Anthony Alito made clear 32 years ago where he expected his career to take him: to the very top of the judicial profession.
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito said his 15-year record as a federal judge has shown he respects the rule of law, as the Senate Judiciary Committee began what could be contentious confirmation hearings.
Here are some rulings of Judge Samuel Alito from his service on the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals since 1990:
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has what his supporters say is the perfect legal background to become a leader on the Supreme Court bench: he has been a federal judge, a U.S. attorney and a top Justice Department official.
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has been given the American Bar Association's highest rating for professional stature and integrity, an important political legal barometer, as he prepares for confirmation hearings next week.
Up until a couple of weeks ago, George W. Bush's script to put the misery of 2005 behind him had seemed destined for a smooth rollout. Buoyed by the apparent success of the Iraqi elections, the President would score a quick confirmation victory with Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, follow it up with a soaring State of the Union address and then return to full campaign mode with a sweep around the country, talking about big issues like immigration and Medicare and throwing the spotlight on a resurgent economy. But the revelation that his Administration has been spying in this country without warrants -- illegally, critics say --may have put a crimp in Bush's plan to climb back on top of the agenda as the new legislative session begins. "When Congress comes back," warns a top GOP congressional aide, "domestic surveillance and privacy issues will be all over the front pages."
Miami lawyer Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. attorney and frequent CNN guest analyst, takes a wry look at the best and worst the legal world had to offer in 2005.
Is Judge Samuel Alito stumbling on the road to confirmation for the Supreme Court, instead of following Chief Justice John Roberts' smooth path to Senate approval? Not really, but pro-and-con Alito campaigns are hitting full stride in the holiday season prior to Senate hearings beginning January 9. The process becomes a debate over who this judicial nominee really is.
Worried Republican leaders from both the House and Senate cleared out staffers Wednesday for the first night of their three-day retreat on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to discuss their anxiety about the question of ethics.
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito had a private meeting with the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday as he sought to reassure lawmakers that he would respect legal precedent on abortion rights and put his personal views aside.
JUST HOURS after President Bush nominated Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the U.S. Supreme Court, the predictable rush to judgment began. Pro-life leaders called Alito a fast train to a world without Roe v....
Roughly two-thirds of the people questioned in a recent poll on abortion supported parental and spousal notification but opposed a constitutional amendment to ban the practice altogether.
Democratic senators from six red states returned home over the weekend for the Thanksgiving recess to confront television ads connecting critics of Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court with left-wing special interests. A simultaneous message intended ultimately to reach 10 million Americans made this same point.
Ever get a gift that looks beautiful but comes with a long list of special-care instructions? That's what opponents of Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito got last week when his 1985 application for a job in the Reagan Justice Department surfaced in Washington. In it, Alito espoused the idea that "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion." With a solid majority of Americans in favor of legalized abortion, Alito's opponents thought they had finally found their cudgel. But the Senate Democrats, at least, did not seem prepared yet to use it bluntly: for Alito's nomination they have settled on a strategy that doesn't take abortion head on. "The tactic is going to be to frame it as a debate over broader rights, including privacy, civil rights and women's rights," says Jim Manley, the spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. This will avoid, Manley says, "the divisive debate over the word itself."
A member of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Tuesday that Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito had distanced himself from a memo he wrote 20 years ago that said "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."
Just hours after President Bush nominated Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the U.S. Supreme Court, the predictable rush to judgment began. Pro-life leaders called Alito a fast train to a world without Roe v. Wade. Liberals called him an opponent of fundamental rights and protections.
In a two-decades old document, Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito voiced his support of the Reagan administration's fight to show "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."
Like any half-decent, Hollywood thriller, every serious political brawl in Washington needs at least one good villain. It's not nearly as much fun or as easy to score points and hurl invective back and forth without a compelling one-dimensional character at the center of it all. Robert Bork played that role magnificently in his 1987 epic Supreme Court battle, as did Clarence Thomas in his more understated performance four years later. More recently, during the bloody conservative revolt over the Supreme Court nomination of White House counsel Harriet Miers, the real villain turned out to be her chief backer, a President who dared tell his loyal base to just trust him on this one.
Three Supreme Court justices expressed reluctance to allow cameras into their courtroom, citing the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial watched on television by millions.
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito said Thursday that there was no conflict of interest over his role in a 2003 ruling involving a financial giant where he had large amounts of money invested.
Like any half-decent Hollywood thriller, every serious political brawl in Washington needs at least one good villain. It's not nearly as much fun or as easy to score points and hurl invective back and forth without a compelling one-dimensional character at the center of it all. Robert Bork played that role magnificently in his 1987 epic Supreme Court battle, as did Clarence Thomas in his more understated performance four years later. More recently, during the bloody conservative revolt over the Supreme Court nomination of White House counsel Harriet Miers, the real villain turned out to be her chief backer, a president who dared tell his loyal base to just trust him on this one.
The abortion lobby faces an uphill battle to prevent a pro-life justice from replacing a pro-choice justice on the Supreme Court. That explains why abortion rights activist Kate Michelman cited her personal history to try to generate emotion against the nomination of federal appellate Judge Samuel Alito. The problem is that the example she cited is inappropriate and inapplicable.
President Bush -- who had wanted an up-or-down vote on his Supreme Court nominee, Samuel Alito, by the end of the year -- said Friday he was disappointed that hearings on his nominee will not begin until January.
Confirmation hearings are to begin in January for Samuel Alito, President Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court seat held by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday.
The conservative bent of judge Sam Alito, who President Bush nominated this morning to the U.S. Supreme Court, has prompted facile comparisons to Justice Antonin Scalia, arguably the most stridently conservative member of the court.
While Republicans and Democrats geared up for a potential confirmation battle over Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, one moderate GOP senator said Democrats didn't have the necessary ammunition to shoot down the nomination.
President Bush on Monday nominated Circuit Court Judge Samuel Alito to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Alito, a former U.S. attorney who has been a judge for 15 years, is considered a favorite of conservatives.
Samuel Alito, President Bush's latest nominee to the Supreme Court, has what many conservatives say is the perfect legal background to become a leader on the Supreme Court bench: he has been a judge, a U.S. attorney, and a top Justice Department official.
Political observers are bracing for a firestorm with President Bush's most recent nomination to the Supreme Court, but business groups are likely to back the candidate hailed for his staunchly conservative record.
Conservatives lauded President Bush on Monday for his choice of Judge Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court, while liberals signaled a contentious confirmation hearing is ahead for the nominee.
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