legal briefs

The new term of the Supreme Court kicks off with a “deep docket.”  (NY Times)  Supreme Court watchers speculate how long Justice Ginsberg will remain on the bench (Washington Post), and Justice Scalia gets real…

Second phase of the BP civil trial begins, with each side arguing how much oil was spilled.  (NY Times) All you ever wanted to know about the Antideficiency Act, a law enacted in the late…

New Jersey judge rules that state is unconstitutionally denying federal benefits to same-sex couples.  (New Jersey) Court rules that a judge may not moonlight as a comedian. (NY Daily News) Egyptian court orders a ban…

The Senate Judiciary Committee approves a law defining what constitutes a “real” reporter; shielded journalists would be entitled to certain legal protections, such as being allowed to refuse to testify about sources.  (Christian Science Monitor)…

Montana Supreme Court rules that judge, who came under fire after he sentenced a former teacher who had sexual relations with a student to thirty days in prison, cannot review the sentencing.  (BBC News) After…

Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison for providing classified documents to WikiLeaks.  (Washington Post)  Manning’s announcement of a female identity named Chelsea Manning gives rise to new legal questions, including whether military prisons…

The Southern District of NY finds that the NYPD’s use of “stop and frisk” violates constitutional rights.  (SDNY) New California law allows transgender students to use bathrooms and join sports teams according to the gender they…