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Supreme Court Preview Conferences, Events, and Lectures
2007
2007-2008 Supreme Court Preview: ContentsInstitute of Bill of Rights Law at The College of William & Mary School of Law
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SUPREMECOURT
PREVIEW
What to Expect
From the New Term
September 14-16, 2007
2007-2008 Supreme Court Preview
Institute of Bills of Rights Law
THE INSTITUTE OF BILL OF RIGHTS LAW was established at William & Mary in 1982 to supportresearch and education on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. One of the principal missionsof the Institute is to facilitate interaction between the professions of law and journalism.Through a discussion of key cases on the Supreme Court's docket at the start of each term, theannual SUPREME COURT PREVIEW provides in-depth education for journalists on the underlyingissues in order to enhance press coverage of the decisions.
STAFF
NEAL DEVINS, Goodrich Professor of Law, Director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law,and Professor of Government
LINDA QUIGLEY, Assistant Director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law
MELODY S. NICHOLS, Assistant Director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law
ASSISTANT EDITORS
JONATHAN HYSLOP ADRIENNE JOHNSON LINDSEY KAPLAN
TIMOTHY SLATTERY
HEATHER STANGLE BRIAN STERLING JASON WOOL
The Institute of
Law
WILLIAM & MARY SCHOOL OF LAWWILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA 23187-8795(757) 221-3810 +FAX (757) 221-3775
E-MAIL: IBRL@ wm.edu +Web: IBRL.org
2007-2008 Supreme Court Preview
Table of Contents
Schedule of Events p. i
Who's Who on the Panels p. n1
I. THE EXECUTIVE POWER AND THE WAR ON TERROR
In This Section:
Military Commissions and Enemy Combatants
"Justices Reject Gitmo Tribunals" p. 3Joan Biskupic and Laura Parker
"Analysis: Constitutional Issues, Post-Hamdan" p. 5Lyle Denniston
"What Rights for Terrorists? Hamdan v. Rumsfeld" p. 7Glen Sulmasy and John Yoo
"Will the Supreme Court Shackle New Tribunal Law?" p. 10Warren Richey
"Guantanamo Back in the Courts" p. 14Corine Hegland
"Circuit Puts Hamdan Case on Hold" p. 17Lyle Denniston
"Senate Committee Approves Bill for Detainee Hearings" p. 18Josh White
"Military Judges Dismiss Charges for 2 Detainees" p. 19William Glaberson
AL-Marri
"Judges Rule Against U.S. on Detained 'Combatant"' p. 22Carol D. Leonnig
"Government Calls Al-Marri Ruling a Threat to Security" p. 24Lyle Denniston
"Impunity for al-Qaeda: The Implications of aBad Ruling on 'UnlawfulEnemy Combatants"' p. 26David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey
"When 'Enemy Combatants' Aren't" p. 28Robyn Blumner
NSA Wiretapping
"Domestic Wiretaps Ruled OK" p. 30Henry Weinstein
"Wiretap Subpoenas Prod Administration" p. 33Josh Meyer
"Court to Oversee U.S. Wiretapping in Terror Cases" p. 36Eric Lichtblau and David Johnston
1I. MOOT COURT ARGUMENT:
The Guantanamo Detainees and the Military Commissions Act
In This Section:
New Case: 06-1195 Boumediene v. Bush; 06-1196 Al-Odah v. United States
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 40
"Justices to Weigh Detainee Rights" p. 56Robert Barnes
"Justices Reject Appeals at Guantanamo-For Now" p. 58Joan Biskupic
"Risking Testy Justices and Faulty Justice" p. 60Adam Liptak
III. THE ROBERTS COURT
In This Section:
The Court
"In Steps Big and Small, Supreme Court Moved Right" p. 64Linda Greenhouse
"Roberts Steers Court Right Back to Reagan" p. 70Joan Biskupic
"Newest Justice Tips High Court to Right" p. 73Robert Barnes
"Courting Controversy" p. 76Jeffrey Rosen
"Five to Four" p. 78Jeffrey Toobin
"The Bush Court" p. 81William Schneider
"How Conservative Is This Court?" p. 83Jonathan H. Adler
"Few See Balance in Court's Decisions" p. 86Robert Barnes and Jon Cohen
"Conservative Justice: Forget the Promises-Roberts and AlitoDelivered High Court Ideology" p. 89Erwin Chemerinsky
Justice Kennedy's Role
"The Fragile Kennedy Court" p. 91The New York Times
"Supreme Court Tilt to Right Has Its Limits" p. 93Warren Richey
"The Impact of Fervent Dissent" p. 96Lyle Denniston
"Justice Kennedy's Remarkable OT06" p. 98Jason Harrow
"5-4 Decisions in OT06" p. 99Ben Winograd
"The High Court's Danish Prince: Whether to Be or not to Bea Liberal or Conservative Majority, Kennedy Decides" p. 100David Savage
"Supreme Leader-The Arrogance of Justice Anthony Kennedy" p. 103Jeffrey Rosen
IV- INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
In This Section:
New Case: 06-984 Medellin v. Texas
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 109
"Supreme Court to Hear Appeal of Mexican Death Row Inmate" p. 125Linda Greenhouse
"New Claim of Presidential Power" p. 127Lyle Denniston
"CCA Plurality Says Bush Exceeded His Authority" p. 130Mary Alice Robbins
"Texas Appeals Court Takes Bush to Task for Stepping in forForeign-Born Death Row Inmate" p. 133Michael Graczyk
"Appeals of Mexicans on Death Row Rejected" p. 135Hope Yen
"Justices Consider Rights of Foreigners" p. 136Charles Lane
"Bush Orders Hearings for Mexicans on Death Row" p. 138David G. Savage
"Mexicans on Death Row Win Review" p. 141Charles Lane
"Death Term Upheld for 5th in Gang" p. 143Associated Press
New Case: 06-694 United States v. Williams
Synopsis and Question Presented p. 144
"Justices Agree to Revisit Child Pornography Laws" p. 156Linda Greenhouse
"Court First to Strike Pandering Provision of Child Porn Law" p. 158Alyson M Palmer
"Struggle Continues to Write Laws that Protect Children Online" p. 161Stephen V. Treglia
New Case: 06-1322 Federal Exp. Corp. v. Holowecki
Synopsis and Question Presented p. 166
"FedEx Case Goes to Supreme Court-Justices Will HearDiscrimination Suit in October" p. 175Associated Press
"2nd Circuit Rules Filing of EEOC Questionnaire Satisfied ADEAExhaustion Requirement" p. 176Lawyers Weekly USA Staff
New Case: 06-637 Board ofEducation ofNew York v. Tom F.
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 177
"'Unilateral' Placements Face Review" p. 188Education Week
"Private Schooling for the Disabled, and the Fight Over Who Pays" p. 191Joseph Berger
"Court Rejects Limit on Payment of Tuition for Disabled Students" p. 193Tom Perrotta
"Special-Ed Ruling Benefits City" p. 195Julia Levy
"Ex-MTV Big Takes on Schools" p. 197Erin Einhorn
New Case: 06-856 LaRue v. DeWoff Boberg, & Associates
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 199
"401(k) Case Could Boost Plan Fiduciaries' Liability" p. 205Sally Roberts
"Invitation Brief in No. 06-856, LaRue v. DeWolff Boberg & Associates" p. 206Amy Howe
"Dismissal of Granted ERISA Case Urged" p. 207Lyle Denniston
New Case: 06-1221 Mendelsohn v. Sprint/United Management Company
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 209
"Workplace Bias Evidence Draws Supreme Court Scrutiny" p. 218Greg Stohr
"Job Bias and "Me, too" Evidence" p. 219Lyle Denniston
V. BUSINESS
In This Section:
New Case: 06-666 Dept. ofRevenue ofKY v. Davis
Synopsis and Question Presented p. 224
"Supreme Court to Address State Tax Breaks for Bonds" p. 229Linda Greenhouse
"Ky. Ruling Would Lift Tax on Out-of-State Bonds" p. 231Tedra DeSue
"Tax Report: Kentucky Suffers Setback in Muni-Bond Tax Case" p. 233Tom Herman
"Treasurers' Group Urges Supreme Court to Hear Kentucky Case" p. 235Andrew Ackerman
"Muni Bonds and the Commerce Clause After United Haulers" p. 237Ethan Yale and Brian Galle
New Case: 06-179 Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc.
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 241
"Supreme Court to Weigh Limits on Cases Involving Medical Devices" p. 255Stephen Labaton
"510(k) Premarket Clearance Could Land Some Devicemakers in Court" p. 257Device and Diagnostic Letter
"Second Circuit Review; News; Court Clarifies Right of Pre-Emptionin Medical Device Case" p. 259Martin Flumenbaum and Brad S. Karp
New Case: 06-43 Stoneridge v. Scientific Atlanta
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 262
"Court to Consider 'Scheme Liability' in StoneRidge Suit AgainstMotorola, Scientific-Atlanta" p. 268Christopher S. Rugaber
"US Lets Pass Deadline To Back Holders In High Court Case" p. 270Siobhan Hughes
"Supreme Court Appears Set to Finally Clarify Concept of PrimaryLiability in Private Securities Fraud Actions" p. 272Todd Gordinier and Damian Moos
"The Stoneridge Showdown-Securities Lawsuits" p. 274The Economist
"Scientific-Atlanta Gets Securities Win" p. 276Alyson M. Palmer
"Is 'Deceptive' Conduct OnlyMisstatements or Omissions" p. 279Jeff G. Hammel and Robert J. Malionek
§ 10(b) Secondary Actor Liability: High Court to Resolve" p. 283Sarah S. Gold and Richard L. Spinogatti
"Government Wants Securities Liability Limited" p. 286Lyle Denniston
New Case: 06-1265 Klein & Co. Futures, Inc. v. Board of Trade of the City ofNew York
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 289
"Court to Consider Commodities Futures Trading Question" p. 295Kevin Russell
"NYMEX Sues NYBOT Over Handling of Firm's Woes" p. 297Peter A. McKay
"Klein Sues NYBOT for $100 Million, Blaming Exchange for Firm's Collapse" p. 299Peter A. McKay and Enza Tedesco
New Case: 06-457 Rowe v. New Hampshire Motor Transport Ass'n.
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 301
"Court to Hear Web Cigarette Sales Fight" p. 315The Associated Press
"U.S. Supreme Court to Hear State's Appeal in Internet-Tobacco Sales Case" p. 316U.S. States News
"Invitation Brief in No. 06-457, Rowe v. New Hampshire MotorTransport Association & Final (?) CVSG Tally" p. 318Amy Howe
VI. CRIMINAL
In This Section:
New Case: 06-6330 Kimbrough v. United States
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 321
"Crack Sentences Questioned" p. 323David G. Savage
"'Crack' vs. Powder Cocaine: The Sentencing Dilemma" p. 324Lyle Denniston
"Commission Recommends Lighter Minimum Sentence for CrackCocaine Conviction" p. 327Kasie Hunt
"Lawmakers Consider Lessening Crack Penalties" p. 329Donna Leinwand
"Report to Congress on Federal Cocaine Sentencing Policy p. 331United States Sentencing Commission, 2007
"Justice Department Releases Report Analyzing Crack andPowder Cocaine Penalties" p. 335United States Department ofJustice, 2002
New Case: 06-7949 Gall v. United States
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 337
"U.S. Supreme Court Picks Up Replacements for St. Louis Man" p. 343Allison Retka
"A Possible Sentencing 'Safe Harbor in New Rulings" p. 344Marcia Coyle
New Case: 06-10119 Snyder v. Louisiana
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 346
"Batson and the 'O.J. factor"' p. 360Lyle Denniston
"Court Rejects Rehearing for Death Row Inmate" p. 363Paul Purpura
"Racial Currents May Drag Verdict Under" p. 364James Gill
"Court Ordered to Revisit Ruling" p. 366Paul Pupura
"Killer Gets Death in Slashing" p. 368Joe Darby
"Man Gets Death Penalty" p. 369Joe Darby
New Case: 06-8273 Danforth v. Minnesota
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 371
"Court Query on Teague Retroactivity" p. 378Lyle Denniston
"Judge Raises Repeat Pedophile's Sentence Because of His History" p. 380James Walsh
"Jury Ponders Sex Abuse Case Against Ex-Attorney" p. 381David Peterson
"Former Attorney Practices Self-Defense in Child Sex Abuse Case" p. 383John McIntyre
"Child Sex Abuser Given Prison Sentence" p. 385Larry Oakes
VII. ELECTION LAW
In This Section:
New Case: 06-766 Lopez Torres v. New York State Board of Elections
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 390
"Judge Selection To Be Reviewed By U.S. Justices" p. 405Linda Greenhouse
"2nd Circuit Rejects N.Y. Judicial Conventions: Court Says SystemViolates Rights of Voters and Candidates Alike" p. 407Daniel Wise
"Citizens' Group and Others Sue New York State Over Systemfor Selecting Top Trial Judges" p. 4 10
William Glaberson
"Questioning Conventional Behavior" p. 412Mark Hansen
New Case: 06-730 Washington v. Washington State Republican Party
Synopsis and Questions Presented p. 415
"High Court to Rule on State Primary" p. 422Susan Gilmore
"State to Contest Ruling on Primaries" p. 424David Ammons
"Parties Take Primary Down Slippery Slope" p. 425Peter Callaghan
"Judges Hear Arguments on Primary" p. 427Gene Johnson
"Judge Tosses State's New Primary" p. 429Susan Gilmore
"Initiative 872: Top 2 Primary" p. 432Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Looking Back: FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life
"Justices Loosen Ad Restrictions in Campaign Law" p. 434Linda Greenhouse and David D. Kirkpatrick
"Shackles Off 'Issue Ads' Naming Candidates, but Who Benefits up for Debate" p. 437Richard Wolf and David Jackson
"FEC to Write a 'WRTL Rule"' p. 439Lyle Denniston
"The Right to Spend" p. 440Jeffrey Rosen
"Polarizing Campaign Finance Law" p. 442Stuart Taylor Jr.
Voter Identification
"Seeking Cert in Voter ID Suit" p. 445Michael W Hoskins
"No Court Consensus on Voter ID Laws" p. 448Joan Biskupic
"Appeals Court Upholds Law Requiring a Photo ID to Vote" p. 450Henry Weinstein
"Democrats Predict Voter ID Problems" p. 4 52
Amy Goldstein
VIII. JUDICIAL MODESTY
In This Section
"Adam Cohen on 'Conservative Judicial Activism"' p. 457Ilya Somin
"Bowing to Precedent" p. 459Robert F. Nagel
"Roberts, Alito and the Rule of Law" p. 462Geoffrey R. Stone
"In Praise of Judicial Modesty" p. 464Stuart Taylor, Jr.
"Last Term's Winner at the Supreme Court: Judicial Activism" p. 467Adam Cohen
"Confirmation Report" p. 469Dahlia Lithwick
"Originalism, Stare Decisis and the Promotion of Judicial Restraint" p. 471Thomas W. Merrill
"Narrow Victories Move Roberts Court to Right: Decisions Ignore Precedent,Liberal Justices Contend" p. 474Charles Lane
"The Intrinsically Corrupting Influence of Precedent" p. 477Michael Stokes Paulsen
"Precedents Begin Falling for Roberts Court" p. 4 7 9
Linda Greenhouse
"Process Makes Perfect" p. 481Roger Citron
"Split Decision" p. 484Cass R. Sunstein
"So, Do You Believe in Superprecedent?" p. 487Jeffrey Rosen
"Supreme Confusion" p. 490Charles Fried
"Supreme Humility" p. 492Michael W. McConnell
"The Assault on 'Faux Judicial Restraint"' p. 495Lyle Denniston
"The Roberts Court and the Role of Precedent" p. 497Nina Totenberg
Excerpt from "The Power of Precedent" p. 500Michael Gerhardt
IX. LOOKING AHEAD
In This Section.
Second Amendment
"D.C. Wants High Court to Hear Gun Case" p. 502David Nakamura
"District of Columbia Set Back in Fight Over Its Gun Law" p. 504Adam Liptak
"D.C.'s Ban on Handguns in Homes Is Thrown Out" p. 505David Nakamura and Robert Barnes
"Plaintiffs Reflect on Gun Ruling; Residents Suing D.C. Explain Motivation" p. 508Elissa Silverman and Allison Klein
"The Second Amendment: Is the Court Interested?" p. 511Lyle Denniston
"A Liberal Case for the Individual Right to Own Guns Helps Swaythe Federal Judiciary" p. 514Adam Liptak
"Gun Advocates Worry About D.C. Case" p. 517Tony Mauro
"Bearing Arms in D.C." p. 520Robert A. Levy