Free Republic

Senate Democrats are set to hold a vote Tuesday on breaking a GOP filibuster against a district judge first nominated by President Barack Obama for a seat on the federal appeals court eight months ago. Indiana Judge David Hamilton - Obama's first judicial nominee - was tapped to fill a vacancy on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March. His nomination cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee in June, but leading Republicans have since prevented a final vote, arguing that Hamilton is too liberal. Congressional Democrats have expressed growing unease over what they argue is a slow pace of...

Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Monday he plans to filibuster President Obama’s first judicial pick, Judge David F. Hamilton.

Despite a solid Democratic majority in the Senate, President Obama is on pace to set a record for the fewest judges confirmed during a president's first year in the White House. So far, only six of Obama's nominees to the lower federal courts have won approval. By comparison, President George W. Bush had 28 judges confirmed in his first year in office, even though Democrats held a narrow majority for much of the year. President Clinton put 27 new judges on the bench in his first year. The slow pace of approving judges has gotten little attention while Democrats and...

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...

Ten months into Barack Obama's presidency, Democrats are accusing Republicans of creating "a dark mark on the Senate" by delaying confirmation of his federal court nominees. The mark might not be as dark as Democrats make it seem. Of the 27 judicial nominations Mr. Obama has made so far, all five brought up for votes in the Senate have won relatively quick confirmations, including new Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. So what is this "dark mark" that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, talks about? It's primarily two federal judges - one from Indiana, the other Maryland...

In the not too distant future, a sign that says "Palin for President 2012" could pop up along Highway 101 in San Carlos. That's because a federal judge this week ordered the city to stop enforcing part of its sign ordinance, in response to a lawsuit that contends the law violates free speech rights.

Several years ago, all of the county’s probate and conservatorship cases were moved to Redlands Courthouse and most of these cases were subsequently heard by Judge Welch. Recent documents obtained by the Sentinel point to suspicious financial activity by Welch, who at one point in time was the presiding judge of San Bernardino County. Welch was featured in an article in the Sentinel on June 12th of this year in a lengthy exposé regarding questionable business practices by Melodie Z. Scott, a professional fiduciary and conservator for the elderly. Scott is President of C.A.R.E., Inc., located at 25 E. State...

link only per restrictions

After World War II, the U.S. government invested an enormous amount of money in medicine; medical research, medical procedures and medical technologies. This investment made contemporary scientific medicine into American medicine, characterized by a continuing flow of new treatment possibilities. These advances raised all kinds of ethical questions. Some were personal and individual, others were social and political. Both type questions are addressed by a new academic discipline called bioethics. The first attempt to develop a scientific medicine took place in Greece in the 5th century B.C. It was called Hippocratic medicine. Closely linked with this first scientific medicine was...

[Alderman- Democratic Committeeman Edward] Burke is informed that Ryan has not yet arrived so he goes on to the first candidate for circuit court, assistant city attorney Linda Pauel. With a slight Jamaican accent, Pauel describes her unique background: "I was born and raised in Jamaica, I happen to have mixed-race parentage. My mother is half black and half Chinese. My father is a Dutchman who adopted my sister who is half Venezuelan, so we really are a little bit of a melting pot just in our own home." And she's gay. One committeeman calls her a "four-fer." She'll have...

There has been suprisingly little reportage of the actual details of would-be shopping mall terrorist, Mr. Talib Abu Salam Ibn Shareef's mindset and intentions. So as a public service, here the FBI agent's affidavit (pdf file) in easy to read format. Talib Abu Salam Ibn Shareef STATE OF ILLINOIS)) COUNTY OF COOK)AFFIDAVIT1. I, Jared Ruddy, Federal Bureau of Investigation, being duly sworn, state as follows: I am a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and have been so employed for more than two years. I am currently assigned to an FBI Counterterrorism squad as well as the...

Chicago (AP) -- A white supremacist blogger was arrested at his New Jersey home Wednesday and charged with threatening to assault or murder three Chicago-based judges who refused to overturn local ordinances banning handguns. Hal Turner, 47, a former Internet radio talk show host, was taken into custody by FBI agents who went to his North Bergen home with a search warrant, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Prosecutors quoted a Turner Internet posting as saying: "Let me be the first to say this plainly: These judges deserve to be killed."

The march away from a credible, accountable judiciary took another leap yesterday, as a 5-4 Supreme Court majority gave federal judges unprecedented oversight of state court recusal standards. This is more damaging than it sounds. West Virginia's Massey coal company CEO Don Blankenship spent some $3 million in 2004 on the judicial election of Brent Benjamin to the state Supreme Court of Appeals, including donations to outside groups. When a case involving Massey later came before Judge Benjamin's court and he ruled in favor of Massey, the loser sued and claimed a denial of due process because the judge didn't...

The risk -- and look -- of bias is too great, the Supreme Court decides in a 5-4 ruling. Chief Justice Roberts dissents along with Scalia, Thomas and Alito. The U.S. Supreme Court put elected judges on notice Monday that they must step aside from deciding cases involving big-money donors who helped them win their jobs. The decision comes after a decade in which corporate interests and trial lawyers have waged increasingly costly campaigns for 21 states' supreme court seats. Most are in the Great Lakes region or the South. The justices said Monday that there is a real risk...

Video "Out of Order", a 2000 Chronicle (WCVB-TV) program, presents the injustice faced by men and fathers and the destruction caused to normal personal relationships today due to domestic abuse laws nationwide such as the MGL 209a restraining orders. Interviews of The Fatherhood Coalition leader Mark Charalambous, Harry Stewart, Dennis Watts and others.

Republicans temporarily blocked Senate committee action on President Barack Obama's first judicial appointment, attacking the nominee for rulings based on separation of church and state. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned the fitness of U.S. District Judge David Hamilton of Indiana to be promoted to a federal appeals court in Chicago.

Video: http://blip.tv/file/2067272 "Out of Order", a 2000 Chronicle (WCVB-TV) program, highlights the injustice still faced by men and fathers and the destruction caused to normal personal relationships due to the MGL 209a restraining orders. Interviews of The Fatherhood Coalition leader Mark Charalambous, Harry Stewart, Dennis Watts and others.

"Out of Order", a year 2000 Chronicle (WCVB-TV) video program, highlights the injustice against men and fathers by 209a-type restraining orders around the country. Interviews with The Fatherhood Coalition leader Mark Charalambous, Harry Stewart, Dennis Watts and others.

President Barack Obama said in Turkey : "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values." Do you know the Preamble for your state? Alabama 1901, Preamble We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution. Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land......

Michael O'Brien over at The Hill reports that Senator Jeff Sessions (R, Ala.) told Fox News recently that he had no litmus test on abortion for judicial candidates and that a judge that had pro-abortion views could get his vote for confirmation. This might alarm anyone that is vehemently anti-abortion. It should also alarm all those conservatives that pushed for Senator Sessions to be made the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. ...but hold your outrage for just a minute. Let's more closely look at what he said. Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...

News that Supreme Court Justice David Souter will be stepping down after the conclusion of the current session has sparked widespread speculation on who the President will nominate to replace him. While declining to name names, President Obama did say that the key factor that will guide his choice is empathy. “Those on the right have a vision that a judge should be an arbiter of the law, a sort of ‘umpire’ of life to make sure everyone abides by the rules,” Obama said. “That’s not how I see it. The rules aren’t always fair. We need judges who will...

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch believes the president has used code words indicating he wants to appoint an activist to the Supreme Court, who will push a liberal agenda. Hatch zeroed in on Obama's use of the word empathy in describing what he will look for in a new justice. In announcing Souter's retirement on Friday, Obama said: "I view that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles, as an essential ingredient for arriving at just decisions and outcomes." Hatch said that statement translates into a partisan on the bench instead of an impartial arbitrator. "He...

Mr. President, Lady Justice wears a blindfold for a reason. She is not to know of strife. She is not to know of circumstance. She is not to know of wealth or poverty, strength or weakness, education or illiteracy, gifted oratory or bumbling foolishness. Obviously, Mr. President, you know not the role of the judiciary. Your remarks today showed complete ignorance as to the designated function of two of the three branches of the very government you lead. You say that "justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook," but it is. That "abstract legal theory,"...

1. Energy: Obama’s “cap and trade” plan will mean higher energy bills for all Americans. 2. Taxes: Obama has already proposed $2.4 trillion in new taxes. Expect more tax increases as the deficit widens. 3. Inflation: With the government printing presses covering trillions in deficits, expect inflation to come roaring back. 4. Judges: It’s only a matter of time before a Supreme Court seat opens up. Do NOT expect another John Roberts or Samuel Alito. 5. Health care: Obama won’t stop until we have universal health care. Good luck getting a doctor’s appointment, especially if you’re over 50. 6. Debt:...

Hamilton is the worst of Obama's 15 new liberal appeals court appointees. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals covers Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois. Since most cases never reach the Supreme Court, the federal appellate circuits often provide the last word on cases affecting life and liberty. READ THE FACTS: The Judicial Confirmation Network quickly opposed Hamilton's nomination, stating that "President Obama's first nominee to the federal appeals courts -- specifically the appeals court based in Chicago -- is an ultra-liberal named David Hamilton who is a former fundraiser for ACORN and former leader of the Indiana chapter of the ACLU....

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania told a Republican lawyers group Friday their party should take the filibuster off the table as an option against President Obama's judicial nominations. The word filibuster should not come out of the lips of Republican senators," Santorum told a gathering of the Republican National Lawyers Association in Washington. He said "any idea of a filibuster is folly" given the slim chances of success....

[A] series of studies have found indications that liberal nominees do better in the [American Bar Association ratings] process than conservative ones. The latest, to be presented next month at the Midwest Political Science Association, found evidence consistent with ideological bias. “Holding all other factors constant,” the study found, “those nominations submitted by a Democratic president were significantly more likely to receive higher A.B.A. ratings than nominations submitted by a Republican president.” The differences matter, said Amy Steigerwalt, a political scientist at Georgia State and an author of the study, along with Richard L. Vining Jr, of the University of...

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed two attorneys to Superior Court judgeships in Alameda and Marin counties. -- Each judge will receive an annual salary of $178,789.

Be sure to tune in TONIGHT at 10 p.m. EST as ABC’s ‘20/20’ investigates former Luzerne County judges Mark Conahan and Mark Ciavarella, who ordered sent countless children to prison in exchange for kickbacks from the owners of the private correctional facility. As Juvenile Law Center deputy director Marsha Levick states on tonight’s program: “I think what we have here in Luzerne County is probably the most egregious abuse of power in the history of the American legal system." We cannot let such corruption go unchecked. The one-party Democrat system in Luzerne County has led to ineffective government and has...

Controversy over the American Bar Association's ratings of potential judicial nominees is likely to continue with the announcement that the bar group will resume its role of evaluating candidates before their nominations. In fact, a soon-to-be-released study by political scientists concludes what conservative groups have long charged: The ratings are biased against potential conservative nominees. Political scientists Richard Vining of the University of Georgia, Amy Steigerwalt of Georgia State University and Susan Smelcer, an Emory University doctoral candidate, will present their findings next month at the Midwest Political Science Association's 67th Annual National Conference. The three academics, all of whom...

When it comes to judicial nominations, Republican senators are finding themselves defending hills they sought to storm just a few years ago. Republicans sometimes ignored home-state senators' objections to nominees and threatened to change the rules to end filibusters on nominations when they held the majority and the presidency — but today, those same Republicans argue home-state consultation is sacrosanct and are promising their own filibusters if Democrats don't respect them. Republicans say they aren't making threats, but either way, their unified stand, expressed in a letter earlier this month, appears to be working: Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy,...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi judges met with Iraqi Police (IP) at the Mahmudiyah public library March 12 to learn proper investigative techniques in order to protect human rights and adhere to the rule of law. Brig. Gen. Abed, Mahmudiyah IP district commander, and Brig. Gen. Talib, IP battalion deputy commander, brought 40-50 IP to the conference with judges from the Mahmudiyah court house. The meeting was the first between the two groups. “This was a historic event for Mahmudiyah, and a true sign of progress that the IP and [Iraqi judges] were talking to each other,” said Capt. Jamie Rodriguez, Judge...

Today at The Heritage Foundation I had the opportunity to attend a panel hosted by former Attorney General Ed Meese. The panel was put in place to give President Barack Obama advice when he chooses his nominations for the Judicial system (the Supreme and Appellate courts). On the panel were Walter Dellinger, Stuart Taylor, and Jonathan Adler.

In a move that should give social conservatives great pause, Governor Sarah Palin has appointed a former board member of Planned Parenthood to the Alaska State Supreme Court. Palin appointed Anchorage Superior Court Judge Morgan Christen to the state’s highest court on Wednesday. Along with Christen’s former board member status with Planned Parenthood. There is no disputing Palin’s appointment of Christen will cause the Alaska Supreme to lean left and will ensure a more activist court when it comes to gay marriage, and abortion. The Christen appointment is key because she replaces justice Warren Mathews, one of the dissenting votes...

A governor’s councilor this week pilloried a judicial nominee who said he’d bend over backward to protect law-abiding residents - essentially accusing the would-be judge of being too tough on crime. Garry V. Inge, who was nominated by Gov. Deval Patrick to the Superior Court bench in Boston, withstood a withering line of questions by Councilor Tom Merrigan on Wednesday after writing in his application that judges should sentence criminals “to maximize the protection of the public.” Merrigan, a Democrat, quickly pounced on the statement. “You said something here that concerned me . . . about whenever possible to maximize...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 09-39 Governor Palin Pushes Parental Consent Legislation Joined by Rep. Coghill and Sen. Olson February 26, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today was joined by Representative John Coghill, Senator Donny Olson and other lawmakers who offered their support for legislation that would require parental notice and consent before a minor can have an abortion. The governor stressed the broad support for the family-oriented bill. “The most important thing at stake is the right of Alaska’s children to receive the support and input of their parents as they face a life-changing decision,” Governor Palin said....

At his desk in the Federal Hall in New York, President George Washington thought about the miracle of his new, independent nation. No longer must Americans pay exorbitant taxes to the British government in which they had no representation. No longer were Baptist pastors being flogged because they would not submit to the Church of England. Yes, liberty was in the air. With this pleasant thought, our first president drifted into an afternoon nap. He was awakened by an aide knocking at the door. "Mr. President, there is an attorney from the ACLU desiring to see you." "The ACLU?" "Yes...

(CNN) -- At a friend's sleepover more than a year ago, 14-year-old Phillip Swartley pocketed change from unlocked vehicles in the neighborhood to buy chips and soft drinks. The cops caught him. Hillary Transue was 15 when she appeared before a judge, accused of mocking a principal on MySpace. Hillary Transue was 15 when she appeared before a judge, accused of mocking a principal on MySpace. Click to view previous image 1 of 3 Click to view next image There was no need for an attorney, said Phillip's mother, Amy Swartley, who thought at most, the judge would slap her...

"There is outrage at the 35th police district in Philadelphia -- the district where fallen Officer John Pawlowski served. Officers in the 35th say Municipal Judge Craig Washington held court for two hours and deemed photos and flowers left in Pawlowski's memory as inappropriate for court."

In only the third such ruling in the nation, a Sacramento judge has found to be unconstitutional a statute that makes it a federal crime for someone to fail to register as a sex offender and relocate from one state to another. U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton found that, in enacting the 2006 Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, "Congress overstepped its authority under the (Constitution's) commerce clause." Karlton made rulings this week in two prosecutions and threw them out, saying SORNA does not meet the U.S. Supreme Court's standard for congressional jurisdiction over interstate commerce. Federal prosecutors immediately...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq, Feb. 10, 2009 – Historically in Iraqi culture, police and judges didn’t work with each other to solve cases. That is beginning to change as the nascent police investigative branch in Iraq’s Wasit province is working hand-in-hand with the province’s investigative judges. Art Oates, a law enforcement professional from Houston, teaches soldiers how to enter data into handheld identity detection equipment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “Our relationship with the Iraqi police is good,” said the chief judge in Hayy, Iraq, whose name is...

A Connecticut Superior Court judge charged with drunken driving and using racial slurs while arguing with police officers was suspended Monday for 240 days by a judicial review panel. Judge E. Curtissa Cofield, who was confirmed as Connecticut's first black female judge in 1991, had apologized to the state Judicial Review Council earlier in the day, calling the night of her arrest "one of the worst experiences of my life." Cofield was arrested the night of Oct. 9 after her car hit a parked state police cruiser in a construction zone on Route 2 in Glastonbury, Conn. Police say she...

Reporting from Sacramento — A panel of three federal judges, saying overcrowding in state prisons has deprived inmates of their right to adequate healthcare, tentatively ruled Monday that the state must reduce the population in those lockups by as many as 57,000 people. The judges issued the decisionafter a trial in two long-running cases brought by inmates to protest the state of medical and mental healthcare in the prisons. Although their order is not final, U.S. District Court Judges Thelton Henderson and Lawrence Karlton and 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt effectively told the state that it...

By DON THOMPSON SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A special panel of federal judges has tentatively ruled that California must release tens of thousands of inmates to relieve overcrowding.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery today for pancreatic cancer.

Judge throws out $2 million worth of drugs, gun as evidence in case against Springfield man called 'big fish' drug trafficker SPRINGFIELD - Saying the actions of a veteran state trooper and a Holyoke police detective amounted to "lawlessness," a judge has refused to allow close to $2 million worth of cocaine and a loaded handgun to be used as evidence to prosecute a Springfield man described as a "big fish" in drug trafficking. The ruling by in Hampden Superior Court marks the third time in a month that judges have thrown out evidence in cases being prosecuted by the...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- For the pro-life movement, one of the biggest ramifications of the 2008 presidential election is a pro-abortion president who will appoint Supreme Court judges who will keep virtually unlimited abortions in place for decades longer. Now, a new poll suggests Americans are wary of such activist judges. Americans have long been concerned about judges making up the law from the bench, as the high court did in 1973 when it allowed abortion on demand via the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions. Anyone who is curious about the attitude Americans have about President Barack...

Iraq looks good compared to the Korea that Harry Truman left behind. In August 1951, with a little more than a year left to Harry S. Truman's presidency, historian Henry Steele Commager published an essay in Look magazine with this prediction: "By all normal standards, [Truman's] Administration has been one of almost . . . unparalleled success . . . the verdict of history will not be the same as the verdict of contemporary critics." At the time, Truman's popularity hovered in the low 20s and most Americans considered his presidency a failure. Today, President George W. Bush leaves office...

Although a teenager's obsession with a violent video game may have warped his sense of reality, the boy is guilty of murdering his mother and wounding his father after they took "Halo 3" away from him, a judge ruled Monday. "I firmly believe that Daniel Petric had no idea at the time he hatched this plot that if he killed his parents they would be dead forever," Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge said. Nonetheless, Burge rejected the defense attorneys' argument that Petric, 17, was not guilty by reason of insanity....

MADISON, Wis. -- U.S. District Judge John Shabaz said he's stepping down after 27 years on the federal bench in Madison.