Mark Sherman

July 12, 2011 | Daily Report Online

By Mark Sherman and Nedra Pickler

4 minute read

February 22, 2011 | Daily Report Online

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a federal law bars lawsuits against drug makers over serious side effects from childhood vaccines.By a 6-2 vote, the court ruled against the parents of a child who sued the drug maker Wyeth in Pennsylvania state court for the health problems they say their daughter, now 19, suffered from a vaccine she received in infancy.

By Mark Sherman

4 minute read

October 01, 2007 | National Law Journal

Breaking his 16-year public silence on his bitter confirmation hearings, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says Anita Hill was a mediocre employee who was used by political opponents to make claims she had been sexually harassed. Thomas writes about Hill, his former employee in two government agencies, and the allegations that nearly derailed his nomination to the high court in 1991 in his autobiography, "My Grandfather's Son," which goes on sale today.

By Mark Sherman

2 minute read

May 21, 2007 | National Law Journal

Justice Clarence Thomas sat through 68 hours of oral arguments in the Supreme Court's current term without uttering a word. That's saying something -- or not -- even for the taciturn justice. According to a recent tally, Thomas has spoken 281 words since transcripts began identifying justices by name in October 2004. By contrast, Thomas' neighbor on the bench, Justice Stephen Breyer, has uttered nearly 35,000 words since January.

By Mark Sherman

2 minute read

June 22, 2007 | National Law Journal

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that athletic associations can enforce limits on recruiting high school athletes without violating coaches' free speech rights. Writing for a unanimous Court, Justice John Paul Stevens compared the case to one in which the Court upheld a state bar association's limits on solicitations by lawyers. "The dangers of undue influence that exist when a lawyer chases an ambulance are also present when a high school coach contacts an eighth grader," Stevens said.

By Mark Sherman

3 minute read

August 13, 2007 | Daily Report Online

SAN FRANCISCO AP _ Anthony Pico qualifies as an expert on foster care after spending 18 years in California's program. And he says it's far from perfect.But staying in the system and receiving financial help as long as possible would be much better than being cast adrift, said Pico, who took part in a broad discussion of foster care at a meeting of the American Bar Association.

By Mark Sherman

4 minute read

November 04, 2008 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - Words that cannot be said on television are not often uttered at the Supreme Court, at least not by high-priced lawyers and the justices themselves.That may change Tuesday when the court takes up a dispute between the broadcast networks and the Federal Communications Commission over celebrities' one-time uses of profanity on live television during hours when children are likely to be watching.

By MARK SHERMAN

2 minute read

April 16, 2008 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - The Supreme Court is considering whether someone may be executed for raping a child, a case that balances concerns about the death penalty with tougher sanctions for child sex crimes.Only two people, both in Louisiana, are on death row in the United States for raping a child without also killing their victim.

By MARK SHERMAN

3 minute read

May 31, 2011 | Daily Report Online

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that former Attorney General John Ashcroft cannot be personally sued over his role in the post-9/11 arrest of an American Muslim who was never charged with a crime.By a 5-3 vote, the court said Ashcroft did not violate the constitutional rights of Abdullah al-Kidd, who was arrested in 2003 under a federal law intended to make sure witnesses testify in criminal proceedings.

By Mark Sherman

2 minute read

April 30, 2007 | National Law Journal

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that local governments can compel private trash haulers to use municipal facilities, even if it would cost more to keep garbage at home than to dispose of it elsewhere.

By Mark Sherman

2 minute read