Tony

May 11, 2016 | Supreme Court Brief

With oral arguments over for this term at the U.S. Supreme Court, Bancroft has topped the list of law firms with the most arguments at eight—a number rarely reached by any outfit other than the U.S. solicitor general's office.

By Tony Mauro

36 minute read

May 10, 2016 | National Law Journal

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland told the U.S. Senate in writing Tuesday that neither President Barack Obama nor White House staffers sought assurances from him about how he would rule on specific cases or legal issues.

By Tony Mauro and Zoe Tillman

6 minute read

May 09, 2016 | National Law Journal

The new edition of a 37-year-old Supreme Court novel in which the chief justice is promoted to pope features a foreword by a real Supreme Court justice: Samuel Alito Jr. The book's late author, Walter Murphy, a political science professor at Princeton University, was Alito's senior thesis adviser. Alito writes, after re-reading the book: "I was struck by the things, both big and small, that Murphy somehow anticipated." The main character, Alito says, "shares some personal traits with Robert Bork," who was nominated to the high court eight years after the book came out.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

May 06, 2016 | National Law Journal

While praising U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland's qualifications as a judge, two major civil rights organizations this week raised concerns about the D.C. Circuit chief judge's record on criminal justice and other issues.

By Tony Mauro

5 minute read

May 05, 2016 | National Law Journal

Eight former U.S. solicitors general from Democratic and Republican administrations, most of whom are now prominent private practitioners, are publicly endorsing Judge Merrick Garland's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. The letter skirted the political controversy over whether there should be a hearing on Garland's nomination.

By Tony Mauro

3 minute read

May 04, 2016 | Law.com

A confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland is still highly hypothetical. Cornell Law School professor Michael Dorf stages one with his students—and Dorf himself playing the role of Garland. The result: a remarkably plausible preview of how Garland might answer pointed questions from U.S senators if and when an actual confirmation hearing takes place.

By Tony Mauro

4 minute read

May 03, 2016 | National Law Journal

The U.S. Supreme Court's final oral argument of the term on April 27 capped an October-to-April argument season filled with funny, awkward, contentious, historic and sometimes poignant moments. We highlight a few of these courtroom moments.

By Tony Mauro and Marcia Coyle

10 minute read

May 02, 2016 | Supreme Court Brief

The Federal Trade Commission has finally prevailed in a long-running dispute with POM Wonderful over allegedly misleading claims about the health benefits of the company's pomegranate products.

By Tony Mauro

6 minute read

May 02, 2016 | Law.com

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer resumed his critique of the death penalty in America on Monday, but without the help of any other justice. Breyer alone dissented from the court's denial of review in Boyer v. Davis, a California case in which inmate Richard Boyer claims his extended stay on death row—he was sentenced to death 32 years ago—violates the Eighth Amendment.

By Tony Mauro

3 minute read

May 02, 2016 | National Law Journal

If it wasn't clear just how much trouble the government's corruption prosecution of former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell was, Chief Justice John Rob­erts Jr. left no doubt during U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments on April 27.

By Tony Mauro and Marcia Coyle

5 minute read