Tony Mauro

January 05, 2010 | Law.com

Imagine if the president, instead of giving a full State of the Union address, sent a note to Congress telling the legislative branch that life is good, all is OK, and let's catch up next year. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. did something close to that last week in his annual report on the state of the judiciary, and it left some wishing for more. On Monday there was some grumbling that Roberts' report represented a missed opportunity to shine the spotlight on the third branch of government.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

November 10, 2003 | New Jersey Law Journal

Usually, the personal stories of Supreme Court litigants recede into the background as momentous constitutional issues crystallize in briefs and oral arguments. But in the Pledge case, Michael Newdow's tangled tale remains front and center. In part, that is because his ongoing custody dispute is key to whether he has standing to challenge the Pledge. The Court could easily avoid the Pledge issue altogether by viewing the custody matter as too unsettled.

By Tony Mauro

15 minute read

June 24, 2005 | The Legal Intelligencer

In a stinging defeat for the property rights movement, the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not prevent government agencies from taking private property by eminent domain and turning it over for another private use.

By Tony Mauro

7 minute read

June 13, 2005 | The Legal Intelligencer

Every morning the U.S. Supreme Court is in session, lawyer Mathew Staver is in his Orlando, Fla., office, he said, refreshing my screen to see if a decision has come down in his closely watched effort to keep Ten Commandments displays on the walls of two Kentucky courthouses, and in public spaces nationwide.

By Tony Mauro

6 minute read

May 10, 2010 | National Law Journal

NBC News confirmed Sunday night that President Barack Obama plans to nominate Solicitor General Elena Kagan to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Obama is expected to announce his choice Monday morning, with a goal of confirmation hearings before the end of June.

By Tony Mauro

6 minute read

November 27, 2007 | New Jersey Law Journal

In a high-stakes border battle between New Jersey and Delaware with roots in the 1600s, New Jersey may have a slight edge, and not just because two of the eight justices ruling in the case were born there: Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito Jr.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

October 15, 2003 | The Legal Intelligencer

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday set the stage for a major First Amendment battle over the words under God in the Pledge of Allegiance.

By Tony Mauro

6 minute read

May 09, 2010 | Law.com

NBC News confirmed Sunday night that President Barack Obama plans to nominate Solicitor General Elena Kagan to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Obama is expected to announce his choice Monday morning, with a goal of confirmation hearings before the end of June.

By Tony Mauro

6 minute read

September 21, 2005 | Law.com

When John Roberts Jr. is described as the nominee to be the 17th chief justice of the United States, professor Ross Davies just chuckles. That isn't a comment on Roberts or his qualifications. What amuses Davies is that he is quite sure that Roberts, if confirmed, will be the 18th chief justice, not the 17th. In a law review article, Davies makes a forceful argument that William Cushing, an associate justice appointed by President George Washington, served as chief justice for two days in February 1796.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

October 01, 2008 | National Law Journal

As the nation's stunning financial crisis competes for attention with a riveting presidential election campaign, one branch of government -- the Supreme Court -- remains uninvolved. But as the battle over a federal bailout expands in complexity, it is possible that some aggrieved party will find a constitutional issue that gains traction and engages the justices. And history, both long ago and recent, teaches that the Court rarely stays completely out of intense national debates.

By Tony Mauro

6 minute read