Category: The Judiciary
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Ketanji Brown Jackson on Verge of Confirmation
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson seemed poised for confirmation to the Supreme Court after a week of grueling hearings in the U.S. Senate. Judiciary committee chairman Richard Durbin from Illinois scheduled a markup meeting for Monday which sets the timetable for confirmation in April. Despite the intense questioning from Republicans, Judge Jackson is expected to be […]
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A Historic Choice for the High Court
President Joe Biden announced Friday that he was nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson from the influential D.C. Circuit to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Jackson would make history as the first African American woman to serve on the nation’s high court and her nomination fulfills a campaign promise made by the president. Moreover, Judge Jackson […]
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Supreme Court Hears Abortion Challenge
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. The Court will be deciding whether Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks is constitutional or in violation of the precedent set by the 1973 Roe v. Wade case. Legal experts believe that the questions posed by the most […]
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Two Trials, Two Verdicts
Two polarizing court cases were decided within days of each other. In Georgia, a nearly all-white jury found three men guilty in the murder of Ahmad Arbery. Three co-defendants were found guilty of charges ranging from malice murder to false imprisonment and could face life in prison. In early 2020, the defendants pursued Arbery, while […]
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2020 Elections & The Supreme Court: Voting Rights
The Supreme Court had more work than usual dealing with elections in 2020 than it does in normal years. With the ongoing pandemic, many groups sought help in federal court to force states to make changes to voting procedures. Generally the Supreme Court rejected these requests. At the same time, other groups challenged voting procedure […]
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Transgender Ban and Supreme Court
The Trump administration has asked the United States Supreme Court to fast-track a ruling on its ban restricting transgender service members from serving in the military. According to NPR, “The proposed policy in question was sent to the president in February by Defense Secretary James Mattis. Those rules would disqualify service members ‘who require or have undergone […]
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Ford-Kavanaugh Hearings
The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court was again before the Senate Judiciary Committee as senators heard testimony from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. She has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were both in high school in 1982. Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use […]
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Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on the confirmation of federal judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to be the next Justice of the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. […]