• The Heritage Network
    • Resize:
    • A
    • A
    • A
  • Donate
  • judicial nominations

    Morning Bell: The Next President and the Supreme Court

    Every vote counts. And this year, it could count double. One vote could decide both the immediate election and the course of constitutional law for decades to come. Just ask the senior federal officials responsible for our security immediately after 9/11 who were sued years later by Javaid Iqbal. During … More

    Harry Reid Reverses Course on Judges; Political Stunt Backfires

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) decided his political stunt on judicial nominees wasn’t working. He abandoned the plan Wednesday, agreeing to a deal with Republicans to schedule votes for 12 district-court nominees and two circuit-court nominees before May 7. The deal ensures President Obama’s nominees will received an up-or-down … More

    Harry Reid Threatens to Back 90 More Unconstitutional Appointments

    Livid at delays in the confirmation process for 90 of the president’s nominations, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said on Friday that he would encourage President Obama to make even more unconstitutional non-recess appointments if Republicans did not accede to his demands. “Virtually every one of these nominees could … More

    Meese Weighs in on Souter’s Retirement and What’s Next

    The Heritage Foundation released the following statement yesterday by former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III concerning the announcement of Justice David Souter’s pending retirement from the Supreme Court. Meese is chairman of Heritage’s Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. “Justice Souter’s decision to retire presents President Obama and the … More

    Obama’s Empathy Standard

    President Barack Obama outlined his criteria for appointing a replacement for retiring-Justice David Souter today. In Obama’s world, justice should not blind, instead: I will seek …. someone who understands justice and isn’t about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a case book, it is also about how our … More

    Obama’s Outcome Based Jurisprudence

    Following the news that Justice Souter will be retiring this summer after the Supreme Court’s present term ends, President Obama dropped into the White House briefing room this afternoon and commented on how what he will be looking for in a replacement. Unfortunately, his remarks were in keeping with his … More

    Not a Zero-Sum Game: Replacing Justice Souter Risks a More Activist Court

    Though certainly no originalist, Justice David Souter is not a complete judicial activist, either. On a number of cases and issues, he has rejected the activist “empathy” standard promoted by President Obama to instead cast votes and write opinions that are in accord with the demands of the Constitution and … More

    A Supreme Court Vacancy: What’s at Stake, What’s Required

    The news that Justice David Souter will be resigning from the Supreme Court has left some conservatives momentarily confused. It should not. As much as Justice Souter disappointed those faithful to the Constitution, and those disappointments are legion, he was reasonable or even sound in several key areas (more will … More

    The Specter Defection Policy Ramifications

    Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the longest serving Senator in Pennsylvania history, has made some history today by switching from the Republican to the Democrat Party. Specter’s switch will have policy ramifications for conservatives. As of today, 59 Senators caucus with the Democrats, including Specter, socialist Senator Bernie Sanders of … More

    Advice for Obama on Picking Judges

    In light of Obama’s appointment of Judge David Hamilton to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday, Quin Hillyer’s article in DC Examiner is particularly timely, and worth a read. The article features advice offered to Obama by Clinton administration Acting Solicitor General Walter Dellinger, National Journal columnist Stuart Taylor, … More