Tony Mauro

December 20, 2006 | National Law Journal

In 1954, William Coleman Jr. sat next to Thurgood Marshall as he argued Brown v. Board of Education before the U.S. Supreme Court. In the same chamber on Dec. 4, Coleman, now 86 and a senior counselor at O'Melveny & Myers, watched as the arc of the landmark case took a stunning turn. On what was an undeniably rough day for mainstream civil rights advocates, the Brown decision was invoked as a possible reason for striking down modern-day efforts to keep public schools integrated.

By Tony Mauro

10 minute read

March 12, 2008 | The Recorder

The Judicial Conference has adopted nationwide procedures to end inconsistencies between circuits.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

October 06, 2004 | National Law Journal

The next generation of top Supreme Court advocates may be assembling at Baker Botts. In July, the 164-year-old firm announced that it had hired three Supreme Court clerks fresh out of their year at the Court -- with the possibility of a fourth and fifth clerk coming over too. In launching a Supreme Court practice, the venerable law firm also rejuvenated and energized a prestigious part of its business.

By Tony Mauro

8 minute read

November 13, 2006 | New Jersey Law Journal

Constitutional arguments took a back seat to medical details in a pair of hot-button cases challenging the federal ban on "partial birth abortion," as several U.S. Supreme Court justices, including Anthony Kennedy, the crucial swing vote on the issue, appeared intensely interested in whether practical alternatives to the controversial procedure exist.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

December 12, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. on Dec. 7 announced his first signed opinion since joining the U.S. Supreme Court, and it fit the court's traditional formula for maiden efforts: brief, unanimous and not destined for the top 10 list of the court's decisions of the term.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

December 22, 2004 | Law.com

What will happen when the Supreme Court starts up again in 2005? Will it join the GOP juggernaut that has tightened its hold on the other branches, or remain defiantly contrarian, as in the enemy combatant cases? Will justices follow a conservative path of state-oriented federalism, or embrace moderate or liberal social doctrines? Court watchers are divided on just how Republican the Court really is. And then there's the wild card of Chief Justice William Rehnquist's health and potential replacement.

By Tony Mauro

9 minute read

July 21, 2006 | The Legal Intelligencer

The allure of Supreme Court advocacy, Washington, D.C.-style, is spreading among top law schools. Lawyers from two D.C. firms are working with law schools that are launching Supreme Court litigation clinics this fall and others, we hear, are not far behind.

By Tony Mauro ALM Supreme Court Correspondent

3 minute read

June 22, 2004 | Law.com

In a major victory for the health insurance industry, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday unanimously ruled that patients may not sue under state tort law for insurers' refusal to pay for doctor-recommended medicines and procedures. The ruling said that ERISA completely pre-empts such lawsuits, in part because its purpose was to "provide a uniform regulatory regime over employee benefit plans."

By Tony Mauro

6 minute read

October 06, 2009 | National Law Journal

A Georgia company's efforts to resist disclosure of communications with its lawyer provoked a rare discussion at the U.S. Supreme Court over the importance of attorney-client privilege. The case asks whether a party can file an interlocutory appeal of a judge's finding that it has waived the privilege in an order releasing material for discovery. Several justices seemed skeptical that the attorney-client privilege should be protected any more strongly than other privileges or other grounds for appealing judicial orders.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

May 15, 2008 | Law.com

Solicitor General Paul Clement, who led the courtroom defense of the Bush administration's anti-terror legal policies, announced Wednesday he is leaving his job June 2. Clement argued 49 cases before the Supreme Court in the last seven years and was viewed as probably the most valued "catch" from the Bush Justice Department, with law firm managing partners guessing he could attract a $2 million or $3 million package. Details about his next step were not immediately forthcoming from Clement.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read