The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, the circuit responsible for hearing appeals from Federal District Courts in the Virginias, the Carolinas, and Maryland, just ruled on a case involving the regulation of semi-automatic assault weapons. The Court sided with the state of Maryland, upholding its ban on such weapons, “reasoning”: that the banned assault weapons […]
From Lincoln’s Address before the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, a speech well worth reading in full: At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! All […]
Scalia was possibly the best writer on the Supreme Court–ever. Kagan, almost his political polar opposite, will likewise rank as one of its best writers. These are generous, kind thoughts and a worthy example to emulate when we speak of someone we may otherwise disagree with.
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer delivered the court’s majority opinion today in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, a case in which the plaintiff challenged the “admitting-privileges” and “surgical-center” requirements that were part of legislation enacted by the Texas Legislature in 2013. Those requirements, the Legislature said, were to ensure safer practices by Texas abortion providers and […]
The 9th Circuit rules against concealed carry in California. The court said there was no constitutional right to concealed carry. I’m guessing we haven’t heard the last of this case. And for what it’s worth, the 9th Circuit hasn’t fared too well in the Supreme Court: The Justices [of the Supreme Court] have long had […]
David Koppel’s got it if you want it: a complete review of federal circuit court jurisprudence on the 2nd Amendment post Heller and McDonald. Here’s the abstract: “The Supreme Court decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago left lower courts with the responsibility to flesh out many aspects of Second Amendment […]
The headline in the March 22, 2016, Washington Post article says it all: “Unanimous pro-Second-Amendment stun gun decision from the Supreme Court.” Unanimous as in every justice apparently agreed with the following sentiment expressed in the per curiam opinion by the nation’s highest court. The Court has held that “the Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to […]
Betty Hutton, as Annie, couldn’t get a man with a gun. Some are worried that they won’t be able to even use their guns if President Obama gets to appoint a new justice to the Supreme Court now that Justice Antonin Scalia has died. I don’t know if that’s a worry worth worrying about, even […]
An intriguing article on the aging judiciary on our federal courts, including our Supreme Court. I’m actually not sure where I stand on this issue. I’ve listened to many Supreme Court arguments and read my share of Supreme Court opinions over the last 40 years, and the justices impress me as pretty with it, even […]
So when I began this blog post about this guy, I had to look up the spelling of the word “twitterpated” for the title to the post, which led to this: And now that I’m done with that, let me return to writing about the guy I began with, Don Willett. He’s apparently on the short […]