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Judge stops ACORN funding ban By Eric Zimmermann - 12/11/09 06:21 PM ET A federal judge today issued an injunction preventing the implementation of a congressional ban on funding for ACORN. Judge Nina Gershon concluded that the ban amounted to a "bill of attainder" that unfairly singled out ACORN. "[The plaintiffs] have been singled out by Congress for punishment that directly and immediately affects their ability to continue to obtain federal funding, in the absence of any judicial, or even administrative, process of adjudicating guilt," Gershon wrote in her decision. Gershon said ACORN had demonstrated "irreperable harm" from the ban,...

WASHINGTON — The federal government must continue to provide grant money to the national community organizing group Acorn, a federal court ruled Friday, saying that the House violated the Constitution when it passed a resolution barring the group from receiving federal dollars. A judge at the United States District Court in Brooklyn issued a preliminary injunction that nullifies the resolution and requires the government to honor existing contracts with the group and review its applications for new grants unless the Obama administration appeals the decision. The court ruled that the resolution amounted to a “bill of attainder,” a legislative determination...

A federal judge blocked U.S. officials from enforcing a funding ban on Acorn, the beleaguered community organizer. Congress cut off funding for Acorn -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- in September after Web sites and TV news outlets played secretly recorded videos in which employees of an affiliated organization offered advice on how to set up brothels and avoid paying taxes. Acorn sued the federal government in November, arguing Congress had violated the Constitution by singling out the group. It says it has fired employees suspected of wrongdoing. U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon in New York...

Federal Bench: Yet another judicial nominee seeks to impose the "empathy" standard on the courts. He thinks judges should base rulings on a plaintiff's status, legislate from the bench and amend the Constitution. Indiana federal judge David Hamilton stands poised to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to assume a seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals serving Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. He's a former fundraiser for Acorn and a former leader of the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. He is also another in a series of activist judges who believe the U.S. Constitution is not...

Judiciary: The nominee for a California federal district court is an ACLU activist and another advocate for the empathy standard of jurisprudence. He also has a problem with "America the Beautiful." The nomination of Edward Chen is the latest in a series of nominations of people who have no particular fondness for the traditions of law and justice. These nominees see racism everywhere, and believe the courts should be used as instruments of social justice and not to discern the intent of the Founding Fathers who wrote the U.S. Constitution. They believe their "life experience" should be the final arbiter...

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A White House spokesman said Tuesday that Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) decision to vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is "disappointing." White House press secretary Robert Gibbs criticized McCain, President Barack Obama's opponent last year, saying that Sotomayor is qualified to sit on the bench. "It's disappointing that Sen. McCain came to a different conclusion a day after talking about bipartisanship," Gibbs told reporters in his West Wing office.

Maverick senator should battle Supreme Court appointment. It's time for Sen. John McCain to step up to the plate on an issue he usually leaves to others. The Arizona Republican ought to fight hard against the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Mr. McCain is usually not a partisan warrior on the subject of judges. But that's a reason why his active involvement would be effective. As the Republican Party's most recent presidential standard bearer, he commands more attention than almost any other senator in his party. As a man with a reputation for principled independence, his...

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., drew praise from across the country Wednesday for his speech explaining his Senate Judiciary Committee vote for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Graham, a second-term senator and military lawyer from Seneca, S.C., was the only Republican to back President Barack Obama's high court pick Tuesday in the judiciary panel's 13-6 confirmation vote. "I gladly give her my vote because I think she meets the qualifications test that was used in (confirming Justices Antonin) Scalia and (Ruth Bader) Ginsburg," Graham said. Editorial writers from newspapers as diverse as the Greenville (S.C.) News and the Los Angeles Times...

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(snip) GRAHAM: Well, the speeches she gave, I think, bugged a lot of people, not just me. The idea that "a wise Latina woman" more often than not, because of her experience and background, would reach a better conclusion than a white male is not something I think most Americans want to embrace. I think Americans embrace the idea that diversity is good for the court.But I looked at her record and I put the speech in perspective. She's lived an incredible life. She's been a judge for 17 years. There's no indication that her speech drove way she judged....

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham says he'll vote for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, breaking with his party's conservative leaders. . . . . . Graham is generally conservative but has been known to flash a maverick streak similar to his mentor, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Sen. Susan Collins announced Tuesday that she would become the fourth Senate Republican to support Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court. The support from the Maine centrist is the latest sign that Sotomayor will be confirmed by a comfortable majority before the Senate adjourns for its summer recess on Aug. 7. "Judge Sotomayor has impressive legal experience, has excelled throughout her life and is a tremendously accomplished person," Collins said. "And based on my review of her record, my assessment of her character and my analysis of her adherence to precedent, Judge Sotomayor warrants confirmation to the high court."

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez's support of Sonia Sotomayor was never in much doubt, but he made it clear today that he will vote to confirm her to the Supreme Court. "Given her judicial record, and her testimony this week, it is my determination that Judge Sotomayor is well-qualified to serve as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court," he said in a statement. Judge Sotomayor is knowledgeable of the law, would be a fair and impartial judge, and seems to have a good understanding of the limited role the judiciary plays in our democracy.

WASHINGTON -- The nation's lawyers and law enforcement leaders gave Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor ringing endorsements Tuesday, even as Republicans tried to rally opposition. With Sotomayor's Senate confirmation hearing less than a week away, the American Bar Association announced that the 54-year-old appellate judge is "well qualified" to serve on the nation's highest court. The unanimous recommendation is the association's highest grade for a potential judge. "The only way she can get derailed is if she performs poorly next week," acknowledged Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Senate Judiciary Committee member. He said he was still undecided, but added, "I...