by Art Lien | Jan 14, 2016 | Arguments, Supreme Court
On Monday the Supreme Court heard a case on money, speech and unions. The argument in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association is over “agency fees” that public-sector unions, in this case the one representing California’s teachers, can charge non-members for negotiating on behalf of all workers. The non-union teachers in whose name the case was brought object to paying the fee because they say everything a government union negotiates is political, and therefor their First Amendment speech is hijacked.
Lawyer Michael Carvin argued the case for the petitioners – really for the Koch brothers funded Center for Individual Rights.
In the end, it appeared that a majority of the Justices will have no problem overturning the Court’s forty-year precedent.
by Art Lien | Jan 13, 2015 | Arguments, Supreme Court
The Supreme Court yesterday heard arguments about a small town’s attempt to regulate temporary signs directing the way to religious services. I’ll simply post my sketches and, if you want to read about it, I direct you to Lyle’s analysis on SCOTUSblog.
by Art Lien | Dec 1, 2014 | Arguments, Supreme Court
After a sudden hospitalization last week, Justice Ginsburg – who I think has never missed a day of work – was back on the bench this morning to hear arguments.
Of this morning’s two cases the second, regarding a Pennsylvania man’s threatening rants on Facebook, drew the crowds. During the first I could see a few new members of the bar struggling to stay awake, although the Justices seemed to enjoy it.
The case, Elonis v. United States, was brought by Anthony Elonis who was convicted and served more than three years in prison for threatening his estranged wife with Facebook posts such as this one, “There’s one way to love you but a thousand ways to kill you. I’m not going to rest until your body is a mess, soaked in blood and dying from all the little cuts.”
Restrictions on First Amendment speech are permitted if that speech constitutes a “true threat”, but that can mean many things. Elonis’ lawyer, John P. Elwood’s position that his client had no intent to scare his wife, much less follow through on his threats, that he was only venting in a rap style caused Justice Ginsburg to ask, “How does one prove what’s in somebody’s mind?”
When it came the government’s turn at the lectern, Chief Justice Roberts asked, “So how do you start out if you want to be a rap artist? Your first communication you can’t say, I’m an artist, right?”
“I think you have a perfect freedom to engage in rap artistry,” replied Deputy Solicitor Dreeben. “What you don’t have perfect freedom to do is to make statements that are like the ones in this case where, after the individual receives a protection from abuse order from a court which was based on Facebook posts that his wife took as threatening, he comes out with a post and says fold up that PFA and put it in your pocket, will it stop a bullet?”
by Art Lien | Jun 19, 2014 | Opinions, Supreme Court
Opinions in some of the less prominent cases continue to trickle out of the Supreme Court as each day a few more cameras set up outside the court in anticipation of the big ones.
Of the three opinions announced from the bench today the most noteworthy was Lane v. Franks, concerning the First Amendment rights of a community college employee who was fired after testifying at the corruption trial of a state legislator who had been on the community college’s payroll for a no-show position. Justice Sotomayor said public employees should not have to choose between “the obligation to testify truthfully and the desire to avoid retaliation and keep their jobs.”
There are about ten cases still undecided, most of them biggies.
by Art Lien | May 6, 2014 | Opinions, Supreme Court
I used to have a naive belief that the courts were there to protect the rights of individuals and minorities but a couple of recent Supreme Court decisions show how mistaken I was. Two weeks ago in Schuette, and yesterday in Town of Greece, Justice Kennedy has come to the defense of the poor put-upon, oppressed by a hypersensitive minority, majority.
In a deeply divided plurality opinion the Court endorsed prayer at town-board meetings even if they almost exclusively invoked the name of Jesus – after all the town is majority Christian – as long as they don’t ” . . . threaten damnation, or preach conversion”.
All you others, stop whining.
Garrett Epps has it very well here.
Courtroom sketching is a form of visual journalism or reportage drawing that is slowly dying out. Where once upon a time news organization each had their own artist covering a story, today a “pool” artist often sketches for all. It is a demanding and stressful discipline where the drawing is often done directly and under tight deadline.
After forty-five years of news sketching in courtrooms and congress I’m calling it quits. It’s been sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating, almost always interesting. I’ve been lucky to work with some really great people. Don’t think I’ll miss it, but a little scared of not having a deadline.
While I won’t be sketching in court anymore, I may continue to post to this blog from time to time. Not sure what that might be. I’m about to start a new assignment documenting infrastructure and construction. Could be interesting.
