Tony Mauro

March 01, 2005 | Law.com

Ederal judges started the new year with a gift from the U.S. Supreme Court: more freedom to set sentences than they've enjoyed in two decades. Judges lost much of their sentencing discretion when Congress enacted mandatory federal guidelines in 1984. But in January the Supreme Court ruled that in order to be constitutional, the guidelines can only be advisory. As a result, judges are no longer bound by the minimum and maximum sentences once called for under the federal system.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

December 13, 2006 | National Law Journal

More than once recently, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. has said that one of his goals is to achieve greater unanimity on the Supreme Court -- even if it means deciding cases narrowly. But last week it became clear that the Court is not even unanimous on whether Roberts' goal is realistic or worth pursuing. During a public debate, Justices Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer both sounded dubious. "There are a lot of good reasons for narrow opinions, but one of them is not to get nine votes," Scalia said.

By Tony Mauro

3 minute read

April 22, 2010 | Law.com

The U.S. Supreme Court had good and bad news for lawyers Wednesday in a pair of decisions, one on attorney fee awards, and the other on lawyers' liability for errors in debt-collection cases. In the fees case, which has been highly anticipated by civil rights and public interest groups that depend on fee-shifting statutes when they win, the Court said judges may award fee enhancements above the "lodestar" amount to lawyers for superior performance -- but only in rare and well-documented circumstances.

By Tony Mauro and Marcia Coyle

7 minute read

March 04, 2009 | The Recorder

But Supreme Court justices wrestled with how to craft a standard for deciding when recusal is required.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

February 26, 2009 | New York Law Journal

By Tony Mauro

7 minute read

August 13, 2009 | National Law Journal

President Barack Obama was careful to stay away from Sonia Sotomayor's swearing-in at the Supreme Court on Saturday, to underscore the independence of the Court. Wednesday morning, though, Obama hosted a festive and emotional reception at the White House to celebrate her ascension to the high court. Savoring a happy event amid generally mixed news on health care reform and other fronts, Obama said Sotomayor's presence on the Court represents "yet another step closer to the more perfect union we all seek."

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

February 14, 2000 | Law.com

Alabama death row inmate Robert Lee Tarver had just eaten what he thought was his last meal when the Supreme Court granted a stay of his execution. Tarver is not the only condemned killer recently granted a last-minute reprieve from the high court. Surprising as it may seem coming from a conservative Supreme Court, stays of execution are becoming more common. Since July, the Court has stopped six executions -- a substantial increase over two years ago, when it granted only two stays the entire term.

By Tony Mauro

9 minute read

November 19, 2010 | Law.com

A noted judicial scholar and former DOJ official is calling on Congress to reject future Supreme Court nominees who don't bring geographic and background diversity to the Court.

By Tony Mauro

3 minute read

July 11, 2007 | Law.com

In 2004, then-appeals court Judge John Roberts Jr. tested a theory for predicting Supreme Court outcomes. Using oral argument transcripts, he tallied the number of questions that justices asked of advocates in a sampling of cases. Eighty-six percent of the time, Roberts reported, the lawyer for the party that ultimately lost had gotten the most questions. A new study of arguments leading to 5-4 decisions indicates that, as chief justice, Roberts affirms that pattern more than any other active questioner.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

October 01, 2007 | Law.com

The new term promises review of some weighty issues, making court-watchers speculate on just how conservative (or not) the Roberts Court will be.

By Tony Mauro

7 minute read