Outside the Beltway

The Justice Department thinks police should be able to search the smart phones of anyone arrested for anything.

The Court gets the result right, but their reasoning will make things much more difficult for courts, defendants, and victims.

Yesterday the Supreme Court greatly expanded the circumstances under which police can rely on anonymous tips.

The Supreme Court may have just found a way to end the debate over Affirmative Action in education.

President Obama has gotten more federal judges confirmed at every level than his predecessor had at this point.

Hobby Lobby has a strong argument under RFRA but the precedent would be dangerous.

Another liberal legal scholar is calling on Justice Ginsburg to resign. She’s unlikely to listen to them.

A man who viewed two photographs of a child abuse victim has been ordered to pay $3.4 million in damages.

Same-sex marriage remains the law of the land in one of the most conservative states in the nation, at least unless the Supreme Court says otherwise.

Politics aside, the challenges to the PPACA’s birth control mandate raise important legal issues.

Do prayers opening legislative sessions violate the First Amendment? The Supreme Court is set to decide that issue.

Should states have the right to ban affirmative action? The Supreme Court will decide that this term.

The Supreme Court heard argument in a major campaign finance case yesterday.

On the whole, a complete victory for advocates of same-sex marriage today at the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court today struck down the most controversial part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

A major Constitutional ruling from the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Affirmative Action in education didn’t go as far as many thought it would, but it’s future in the near-term seems fairly clear.

Today’s decision by the Supreme Court was, on the surface, a victory for Federal Supremacy, but the issue itself is far from resolved.

Thanks to the Supreme Court, your DNA cannot be patented.

Another body blow to the Fourth Amendment from the Supreme Court.

Republicans should reject the calls to call for a Special Prosecutor to investigate the unfolding scandals in Washington.

The Defense Of Marriage Act didn’t fare very well during today’s Supreme Court oral arguments.

Today’s hearing on Proposition 8 left some wondering if the Court may end up punting the case away.

The D.C. Circuit now has four vacancies out of eleven seats.

Robert Bork, the controversial jurist whose failed Supreme Court bid ushered in a new climate in American politics, has died at 85.

The Court’s 2012-2013 term begins tomorrow morning, and there are plenty of big cases on the docket.

If you can name at least one of these people, you know more than two-thirds of your fellow citizens.

..because apparently we can apply a modern definition of “arms” to the constitution, but not modern understandings of the word “citizens.”

Justice Scalia explains why the Supreme Court resists the idea of letting cameras into the court. He makes a persuasive case.

Antonin Scalia says “The only question in Bush v. Gore was whether the presidency would be decided by the Florida Supreme Court or the United States Supreme Court.”

Antonin Scalia says Supreme Court justices have a collegial relationship and make decisions based on legal philosophy, not politics.

Regardless of how the Court rules on the Affordable Care Act, the upcoming election has the potential to reshape the Court for decades to come.

Justice Scaiia’s dissent in Arizona v. United States included many odd forays into areas that had nothing to do with the case before him.

Today, the Supreme Court decided that mandatory life sentences for juveniles violate the 8th Amendment.

The 1976 Pulitizer prize winner is phoning it in.

The Solicitor General had another bad day in Court yesterday.

This morning, the Justices pondered the fate of the PPACA if they strike down the individual mandate.

It seems to have been a rough day for the individual mandate at the Supreme Court.

The Solicitor General was unprepared to answer the most predictable question on the ObamaCare insurance mandate.

Voter ID laws are a good idea, but we have to be careful in how we implement them.

The Supreme Court issued a somewhat muddled ruling on GPS tracking today.

A far-reaching decision from the Supreme Court protecting religious liberty.

Do the Republican candidates believe that American citizens have a right to privacy? Someone should ask them.

Perversely, highly qualified nominees for the courts are more likely to be rejected by Congress.

A new look at Clarence Thomas’s 20 years on the Supreme Court, from a critic, is surprisingly positive.