Supreme Court bobbleheads
Tag: SCOTUS
SCOTUS Justice Scalia found dead at Texas hunting resort
The unexpected death of Justice Scalia has big repercussions for upcoming court cases and the race for the presidency.
Cartoons from the archives:
Can you hear me now?
The Supreme Court hears 2 arguments today about whether the police can search the cell phones of suspects they arrest before obtaining an search warrant. Since most people today own smartphones which contain all sorts of private information, what the justices eventually decide will impact us all. My first question is, how many justices actually use cell phones?
Supreme Court sexism?
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has had to deal increasingly with the question whether she’ll step down from the bench while a Democratic president is still in office. Yes, she is 80 years old- the oldest member of the Court- and there’s the danger of health issues forcing a resignation during a conservative presidency. But hey, but the life expectancy of women in the US is five years more than men. That means that Justice Scalia (77) should consider stepping down as well as Justice Kennedy (77) and Breyer (75), right? At least we should expect more interviewers asking them the question only posed to Justice Ginsburg…
13 years ago today
On Dec. 12, 2000 the Supreme Court issued a decision on Bush v. Gore, effectively deciding the presidential election. Here’s the cartoon I did about it, which was also part of my entry which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001:
Town of Greece v Galloway
Yesterday the Supreme Court heard arguments over the question of public prayers at town board meetings in Greece, NY. Chris Christie and other election results dominated the news but it will be interesting to see how the Court ultimately rules. Here’s a few photographs from outside the court:
The World of Justice Scalia
Here’s a well-informed Supreme Court Justice of the United States. According to a New York Magazine article, Justice Scalia only reads The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Times. He admits he gets most of his news from talk radio and his favorite host is Bill Bennett.
*update: Be sure to read Justice Scalia’s answer to why he became an avid hunter. Scalia recounts when his grandfather and namesake Antonino became too old to go out into the woods, he would sit on the back porch and shoot rabbits who ventured out in the vegetable garden. When the interviewer suggests this isn’t a very sporting way to hunt, Scalia excuses it because his grandfather was 85 at the time. I wonder if Justice Scalia will be metaphorically shooting defenseless things from the Court bench in his old age…
*update #2: “… the only heroic opinion I ever issued— was my statement refusing to recuse”, Justice Scalia said of his decision not to recuse himself from the case which involved former Vice-president Cheney, his hunting buddy. If I can find the cartoon I did about that case, I’ll post it soon.
Found it! From 2004:
Supreme Court back in session
It’s the first day of the Supreme Court’s 2013 term. Head over to SCOTUSblog to read about what’s coming up.
SCOTUS update
We’re down to the last week of the Supreme Court’s 2012 term and still no opinions on gay marriage, affirmative action, and voting rights. SCOTUSblog will begin live blogging Monday at 9am and expect opinions to start coming in at 10am. As I mentioned before, I’ll be doing live sketches of the action outside of the Court so check back here and at the Washington Post. 
Gay marriage cases before the Supreme Court
This week SCOTUS will hear two same-sex marriage cases this week; on Tuesday California’s Proposition 8 ban on gay marriages case and on Wednesday the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
Supreme Court will hear campaign finance case
This cartoon from my archives goes all the way back to 1997 but after reading the news that SCOTUS will consider lifting limits on individual campaign contributions I think it’s still relevant. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- money is not speech.
40th anniversary of Roe v Wade
Today is the 4oth anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade, which made abortion legal in all 50 states. Every year on this day the Pro-life groups descend on Washington DC to march around the Court. I live in the area so I’ve witnessed these over the years and it always strikes me how the majority of these protesters are very young children. 