Tony Mauro

July 09, 2008 | The Legal Intelligencer

The footnote was easy to miss. It began on page 27 of Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker, issued by the U.S. Supreme Court June 25, and it ended on the next page.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

May 31, 2006 | Law.com

The Supreme Court will consider the issues of high punitive damages when it reviews the $79.5 million verdict against Philip Morris.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

April 12, 2010 | National Law Journal

On April 19, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, in which a Christian student group challenged the University of California Hastings College of the Law for requiring it to adopt the university's nondiscrimination policy if it wants to become a registered student organization. The case has drawn 38 amicus curiae briefs that offer contrasting views on the role of law school education and the pros and cons of exclusive membership in organizations.

By Tony Mauro

6 minute read

June 03, 2009 | National Law Journal

Reversal -- a common if sometimes painful part of life for appellate judges -- was in the spotlight last week as Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor found herself under intense scrutiny for the handful of times that the Supreme Court reversed her decisions. Only five of Sotomayor's 232 opinions for the 2nd Circuit have been reviewed by the Court, and three were overturned. Supporters and scholars say the reversal rates don't show much at all about the quality of her decisions or how the Court regards her work.

By Tony Mauro

6 minute read

June 28, 2010 | National Law Journal

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a state law school's anti-discrimination policy that requires recognized student groups to admit "all comers" as members, over the objection of a religious group that did not want to allow nonadherents to join.

By Tony Mauro and Marcia Coyle

3 minute read

February 24, 2009 | The Recorder

After the Supreme Court's Heller ruling, liberal groups are hoping to invoke the "privileges or immunities" clause to strengthen abortion and gay rights.

By Tony Mauro

7 minute read

May 31, 2006 | National Law Journal

The Supreme Court on Tuesday signaled its return to the thorny issue of high punitive damages, agreeing to review a $79.5 million verdict against Philip Morris USA for the death of a single Oregon smoker. The Court added the case to its docket for the fall, responding to pleas by the business community for clearer guidance on when punitive damages are excessive. In its sole ruling Tuesday, the Court narrowed First Amendment protections for government-employee whistleblowers.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

May 13, 2005 | National Law Journal

In the guessing game over who might be the next Supreme Court nominee, one factor has been largely overlooked: geography. Whether a state can claim a justice is a matter not only of birthplace, but also of teaching posts, judicial appointments -- even summer homes. In the end, where a justice chooses to hail from may come down to politics. A key factor is whether a state has any senators from the majority party -- senators who can introduce and sponsor a nominee during the confirmation process.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

August 27, 2009 | National Law Journal

The New Hampshire Historical Society has announced that retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter is donating his personal and professional papers to the society. But Souter has placed an extraordinarily long restriction on public access to his papers, barring anyone -- researchers, historians, friends, journalists -- from viewing the material for 50 years. That's a lengthier seal than any justice has placed on papers in recent memory.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

November 15, 2006 | National Law Journal

The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court rarely if ever explain their reasons for recusal. This regular feature by Supreme Court correspondent Tony Mauro reports on justices' recusal actions, offering possible explanations based on financial, family or other connections that are publicly known. Among the recent recusals noted: Justice Stephen Breyer's in the denial of review in the copyright dispute involving "The Da Vinci Code" -- published by the same publishing house as Breyer's own 2005 book.

By Tony Mauro

2 minute read