10/09/07 While last term the Court ruled more conservatively, one Court-watcher believes this term will be different. While last term the Court ruled more conservatively, one Court-watcher believes this term will be different. Supreme Court specialist Thomas Goldstein of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld predicts that "by next June it will be conservatives, not liberals, who will be angry at the Supreme Court." "The justices and their views will be exactly the same come June 2008," said Goldstein. "It is the cases that will be different." However, American Civil Liberties Union Legal Director Steve Shapiro disagrees. "The addition of John Roberts Jr. and Samuel Alito Jr. to the Court makes the trend line unmistakable...it is clear this Court has become significantly more conservative," he said. In the coming months, several cases will test Goldstein's prediction and include, as posted on Law.com: United States v. Williams, a challenge to the so-called PROTECT Act, which makes it a crime to distribute anything "purported to depict" illegal child pornography. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit found the law overly broad and vague. Baze v. Rees, granted on Sept. 26, which challenges the chemical combination used in lethal injections as an Eighth Amendment violation because it allegedly causes excruciating pain before death. While the Court isn't likely to ban lethal injections altogether, the case may trigger moratoriums and renewed debate over the death penalty. Virginia v. Moore, also granted Sept. 26, involves the exclusionary rule, which bars from trial evidence illegally obtained by police. The Virginia Supreme Court invalidated David Lee Moore's drug conviction because the evidence was obtained during a search that was improper.

Rate This Article 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Select    View top rated articles

On The Net Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld www.akingump.com American Civil Liberties Union www.aclu.org The Supreme Court of Virginia www.courts.state.va.us/scv/home.html    Printable Version    PDF Version    Email to a Friend    Post A Comment    View Comment    Discuss

	Popular Tags
	Internet  liberals  PROTECT Act  elections  Judge Samuel Alito  Thomas Goldstein  array  U.S. Court of Appeals  Roberts Court  United States

Featured Testimonials

I am very happy with LawCrossing and its services, but I really apprecitate its regular updates.  Lisa

Facts

LawCrossing Fact #4: LawCrossing is run by a team of managers, programmers, and writers who know and understand the law industry.

"We want to hear your thoughts. Please comment on this article (below)!" Comments

Article ID: 3615     Article Title: New Term Begins for the Supreme Court Comment not found for this article. Comment

Facebook comments:

Enjoyed reading this article? Click here to sign up for News Wire, our weekly newsletter, and you'll receive articles just like this right in your inbox.

Enter your email address and start getting breaking law firm and legal news right now! Every Alert Alert once a day