Another term of the US Supreme Court has come and gone and, as I have for years, I will encapsulate it in this blog. Welcome to the discussion of this and the following three posts. This term began in the midst of the Presidential election campaign, last October, only two weeks after the demise of Justice Ginsburg, only one week after the confirmation of her successor, Amy Coney Barrett. This was an extraordinary political context. It was almost as if the Republican leadership in the US Senate, which four years before had loudly announced its devotion to the principle that the Senate should not deliberate on a Supreme Court vacancy during an election year, regardless of who might be helped or hurt by that deliberation ("keep this tape"!), had been acting hypocritically and opportunistically in making those solemn avowals. Ah, what an unfortunate appearance. Also, we saw that this Supreme Court, with Justice Barrett on board, steadfastly refused to be drawn ...
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I'm continuing my list of the most important U.S. Supreme Court decisions, year by year. Today, we turn the corner into a new millennium. Still as subjective as ever. 2000: Bush v. Gore -- equal protection clause and county-by-county voting rules 2001: Good News Club v. Milford Central School -- establishment clause and school-sanctioned clubs 2002: Zelman v. Simmons-Harris -- establishment clause and school vouchers 2003: Sell v. United States -- forced medication of a defendant charged with non-violent offenses, doesn't necessarily violate due process. 2004: Austria v. Altmann -- sovereign immunity, Nazi theft of art 2005: Kelo v. New London -- eminent domain 2006: eBay v. MercExchange -- injunctions and patent infringement -- patent trolling? 2007: Weyerhauser v. Ross-Simmons Hardwood -- antitrust and predatory bidding 2008: Stoneridge Inv. Partners v. Scientific-Atlanta -- securities fraud 3d parties 2009: Melendez-Diaz v. Massac...