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The Kennedy Factor on the Roberts Court
NY Times ^ | 12.31.06 | LINDA GREENHOUSE

Posted on 01/05/2007 9:57:19 PM PST by Coleus

THE Supreme Court, having decided only four cases since the term began in October, has not exactly been living in the fast lane. But the pace is about to pick up. The coming months will be a testing time for the young Roberts court, including decisions due by early summer on abortion, school integration and environmental policy, with an unusually large emphasis on cases of significance to the business community.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has spoken often of the virtues of a court that speaks modestly and unanimously. Those goals may well prove elusive. The court’s conservative bloc reached out to hear challenges to voluntary integration plans put in place by the public school systems of Louisville, Ky., and Seattle, which had been upheld by lower courts.  If the Dec. 4 arguments were any indication, a majority will overturn student assignment plans that seek to maintain racial balance in systems that struggled for years to achieve it. The outcome is likely to prove divisive both within the court and outside it.

The Nov. 8 arguments in two cases on the constitutionality of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 did not provide such a clear basis for prediction. Instead, they served to showcase Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s position at the center of a court that is closely divided in cases that Justice Antonin Scalia has described as battles in the culture war. Before she retired a year ago,


(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: chiefjustice; constitution; government; johnroberts; roberts; scotus; scotuslist

1 posted on 01/05/2007 9:57:22 PM PST by Coleus
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To: Coleus

The Times' agenda is clear: you are the conscience of the Court, Anthony, and a good person. We will glorify you in the press unless you throw in with that awful Roberts. Five will get you ten it works, too. Kennedy is spineless and his eager-to-please-the-liberal-press opinions are absurd and unsupportable by precedent or the Constitution.


2 posted on 01/05/2007 10:01:49 PM PST by Zebra
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To: Zebra

"The Times' agenda is clear: you are the conscience of the Court, Anthony, and a good person. We will glorify you in the press unless you throw in with that awful Roberts. "

Bingo.


3 posted on 01/05/2007 10:09:21 PM PST by NinoFan
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To: Zebra

If Kennedy votes to uphold murdering unborn babies, the Catholic Church should excommunicate him.


4 posted on 01/05/2007 10:58:52 PM PST by ZULU (Non nobis, non nobis Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam. God, guts and guns made America great.)
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To: 2ndMostConservativeBrdMember; afraidfortherepublic; Alas; al_c; american colleen; annalex; ...


5 posted on 01/11/2007 8:28:11 PM PST by Coleus (Woe unto him that call evil good and good evil"-- Isaiah 5:20-21)
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To: Zebra

Just so. Linda Greenhouse is the Times's very special Supreme Court reporter, so her approval is very important to someone like Kennedy.

Even more important, he wants to be lionized on the DC cocktail party circuit.


6 posted on 01/11/2007 8:32:18 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Coleus; nickcarraway; narses; Mr. Silverback; Canticle_of_Deborah; TenthAmendmentChampion; ...
Pro-Life PING

Please FreepMail me if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.

7 posted on 01/11/2007 10:27:59 PM PST by cpforlife.org (A Catholic Respect Life Curriculum is available at KnightsForLife.org)
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To: ZULU
After which he should be excrementiated by everyone.
8 posted on 01/12/2007 5:17:45 AM PST by F.J. Mitchell (Only cannibalistic Muslims eat pork.)
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