Tony Mauro

May 19, 2000 | Law.com

When the Supreme Court struck down portions of the Violence Against Women Act last week, it was only the latest shot in its constitutional war on Congress. The Court has struck down parts or all of 22 federal laws since 1995 -- an unprecedented run that seems certain to open a new front in the political battle over the future direction of the High Court.

By Tony Mauro

11 minute read

January 24, 2006 | National Law Journal

The Supreme Court can sometimes seem like an unsentimental place, and Monday was one of those times. It was probably Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's final day on the bench after 25 years on the Court, yet no one paused to note that fact. No final huzzahs, no commendations from her colleagues, nothing. It was just another day. But the reason the justices ignored the milestone is fairly clear -- and it has nothing to do with being hard-hearted about a beloved colleague.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

November 07, 2007 | National Law Journal

Justice John Paul Stevens this week felt compelled to write to The New York Times Magazine to correct "misunderstandings" in its recent lengthy profile of the justice. The move recalls other missives sent by high court justices, including a letter from Stevens to humor columnist Dave Berry concerning Beano, and Justice Antonin Scalia's letter to Legal Times that turned a certain Supreme Court correspondent's name into an adjective.

By Tony Mauro

2 minute read

September 14, 2009 | National Law Journal

A majority of the Supreme Court appeared poised Wednesday to reverse or limit a line of precedents that have allowed the government to ban corporate and union expenditures in election campaigns. After an extraordinary 90 minutes of oral argument, it seemed likely that the Court, swayed by arguments in favor of First Amendment rights for corporations, may embark on a new course that critics say could unleash a flood of corporate wealth into elections that are already awash in more regulated kinds of campaign spending.

By Tony Mauro

8 minute read

March 02, 2010 | National Law Journal

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in the third of a series of challenges to the "honest services" fraud statute, this time in the context of the prosecution of former Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling. But most of the justices' attention focused instead on the other major issue in Skilling's case: whether the local jury pool in Houston was so poisoned by rage against Enron that it was impossible to pick an impartial jury -- even when potential jurors said they could be fair.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

August 11, 2005 | Law.com

One of the earliest and most telling decisions John Roberts Jr. will confront if confirmed for a seat on the Supreme Court has nothing to do with hot-button issues like abortion. The question is whether he will join the cert pool -- the arrangement whereby justices pool their law clerks to divide up and read incoming certiorari petitions. Whether Roberts joins will be an early signal of how he plans to use his time and his clerks. The nominee has already voiced some concerns about the process.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

November 24, 2003 | Law.com

For more than six decades, the Supreme Court has ducked the opportunity to examine the real meaning of the Second Amendment's promise of the right to "keep and bear arms." Now, some advocates of gun rights are hoping the Supreme Court will finally bite the bullet and grant review in Silveira v. Lockyer, a challenge to California's strict 1999 assault weapon ban. The case is one of dozens the justices are set to discuss at their private conference Wednesday.

By Tony Mauro

9 minute read

March 20, 2006 | New Jersey Law Journal

It's not the Rehnquist court anymore. Nearly six months into his tenure as chief justice, John Roberts Jr. has begun to make his mark on the Supreme Court, fostering a sense of harmony and triggering an outbreak of unanimity among justices unseen in recent years.

By Tony Mauro

8 minute read

April 16, 2010 | National Law Journal

At the Supreme Court's budget hearing Thursday, Justice Stephen Breyer predicted that in several years no one will be asking the justices about why the Court hears so few cases, because litigation stemming from the just-passed health care bill will be filling its docket. The Court's $78 million budget was the topic of the always-interesting annual meeting, but Breyer and Justice Clarence Thomas also answered House members' questions on perennial topics such as diversity in law clerk hiring and cameras at the high court.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

October 15, 2009 | The Legal Intelligencer

The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are all lawyers, but most showed little empathy for their fellow attorneys Wednesday as they debated whether legal fee awards can be enhanced for superior performance or exceptional results under a federal fee-shifting statute.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read