Recent Updates
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Oil spill continues to demand President Obama's time
Legal News Feed 06/07/2010White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs's briefing, which normally comes in the afternoon, takes place at 10 a.m., and will be conducted by Adm. Thad Allen, the national incident commander in charge of the response to the Gulf of Mexico disaster. Th...
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Kagan: No need for court review of rogue juror
Legal News Feed 06/01/2010A federal judge warned jurors in a death penalty trial 41 times not to discuss the case with anyone, not even each other, until they were sent off to deliberate on a verdict. That didn't stop Cynthia Wilson, the jury foreman, from calling five news o...
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Kagan gets boost from potential GOP allies
Legal News Feed 05/28/2010Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan got a boost from potential GOP supporters Thursday, when two Republican senators who will vote on her confirmation both said her lack of experience as a judge is no obstacle to elevating her.Sens. Lindsey Graham of S...
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Mass. AG argues against federal gay marriage ban
Legal News Feed 05/27/2010The Massachusetts attorney general asked a judge Wednesday to strike down a federal gay marriage ban, arguing it interferes with the right of states to define marriage and have those marriages acknowledged by the federal government.The challenge to t...
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Judiciary chairman defends Kagan against GOP fire
Legal News Feed 05/25/2010The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is defending Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan against Republican criticism.Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont says the GOP should set aside its "overheated rhetoric" questioning the qualifications and integr...
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Maine Sen. Snowe lauds high court nominee Kagan
Legal News Feed 05/21/2010Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan criticized a campaign finance ruling in a case she argued for the Obama administration and considers abortion rights to be settled law, according to a GOP senator who met with her Thursday.Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, a...
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Senate panel advances liberal appeals court pick
Legal News Feed 05/13/2010President Barack Obama's liberal pick for a San Francisco-based appeals court, Goodwin Liu (Loo), has survived his first Senate test but still faces strong Republican opposition.The Judiciary Committee voted 12-7 on Thursday to recommend confirmation...
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Wash. Supreme Court rules Internet filters OK
Legal News Feed 05/07/2010The Washington state Supreme Court has ruled that public libraries can use Internet filters to block content.In a 6-3 ruling Thursday, the court says public libraries have discretion about which Internet content to allow, just as they decide which ma...
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Perry: Don't speculate about oil spill
Legal News Feed 05/05/2010Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday it's not wise to speculate about what caused an explosion and massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and he defended his use of the term "act of God" to describe the disaster.Perry said Tuesday the phrase — which ...
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Lawmakers call for restrictions on political ads
Legal News Feed 04/29/2010Lawmakers are urging Congress to move swiftly to put restrictions on corporate and union sponsorship of political campaign ads.They are seeking to counteract a January ruling by the Supreme Court which upheld the First Amendment rights of such groups...
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Obama counsel on court choice: firmness, finesse
Legal News Feed 04/25/2010White House counsel Bob Bauer, President Barack Obama's point man in the search for a new Supreme Court justice, manages to get credit both for an even temperament and his finesse with a sledge hammer.The combination is evident in one of Bauer's favo...
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Senate confirms Asian-American for appeals court
Legal News Feed 04/23/2010The Senate has voted 98-0 to confirm Judge Denny Chin to fill an opening on a New York-based appeals court. He will be the only Asian-American currently serving on a U.S. Court of Appeals.Chin is a U.S. district judge in New York. He will serve on th...