Posted on 12/13/2004 10:56:13 AM PST by SmithL
The Supreme Court on Monday:
* Said ailing Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist will not vote in cases heard in November, unless the other justices are deadlocked. He intends to take part in deciding cases that were heard in December.
* Voted 7-2 to put restrictions on companies that want to voluntarily clean up their polluted land and sue former owners to share the costs. The decision goes against Aviall Services Inc., which in 1981 bought land in Texas.
* Ruled 8-0 that Florida death row inmate Joe Elton Nixon should not get a new trial, even though his lawyer conceded the man's guilt at trial without his explicit consent.
* Rejected an appeal from Texas death row inmate Troy Kunkle, whose execution had been stayed twice.
* Ruled 8-0 that police have authority to arrest suspects on charges that later fall apart, so long as officers had a second, valid reason for the detention. The decision sets aside a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in favor of Jerome Alford, who was arrested in 1997 by two Washington State Patrol officers.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
must've turned 12 or 13 years old...
RE: "They have to dissolve the 9th circuit court. Here in conservative Idaho we're under their thumb."
You are not alone. Here in Arizona and also in Utah, we are stuck with the 9th circus.
Senator Kyle has put forward some plans to split up the 9th, but they haven't gone very far.
Perhaps every 9th Circuit ruling should be automatically stayed and sent to the Supreme Court for review.
how can they slipt it up. Isn't each circuit court under a single Supreme court justice? I'm not sure but I think the 9th is under Clarence Thomas.
RE "how can they slipt it up. Isn't each circuit court under a single Supreme court justice?"
I don't know what the details were, so I don't know how they would handle the assignments of justices to different circuits. But, there aren't any constitution issues, so it's just a matter of deciding which justices would oversee more than one circuit.
Possibly they could have some of the Supremes take on more than one Circuit.
There are currently 12 circuits. This is the case now.
interesting. thanks for the input. I thought there were only 9.
Actually, there are 13 - the First through Eleventh Circuits, the DC Circuit, and the Federal Circuit.
"Possibly they could have some of the Supremes take on more than one Circuit."
Oops, fogot about the DC and Federal Circuits. Yup, there are 13 Circuits all told.
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