More NDCA Goodness: Judge Walker Denies Prop 8 Proponents' Motion
As most of you know, Proposition 8 in California is the anti gay marriage provision. Supporters of the basic right to gay marriage sued the State of California after passage of Proposition 8 as a ballot initiative in last falls elections. …
Judge White Thumps The DOJ On EFF FOIA Case
Judge Jeffrey S. White has entered a new order in the NDCA denying the government's request for a stay pending appeal in the telco documents FOIA case brought by the EFF . And he did it before the government ever even really asked for a stay!
Christie Living Large on Our Dime
Some of the documents long FOIAed from Chris Christie's tenure as USA have been released. And they don't have good news for Christie.
Wexler Set To Extinguish Congressional Fire
Robert Wexler, the "Fire Breathing Liberal" may be on the cusp of resigning his seat in Congress. From Post On Politics:
U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, will resign from Congress to take a “public policy position,” several Democratic…
Harry Reid's Price Of Failed Leadership
Harry Reid is in electoral trouble in Nevada, he has a very competent challenger looming on the GOP side and liberal and union activists will not be supporting him if he continues his failure to lead.
Order In The Court: Gnarly Orly Sanctions
Oh, this is beautiful. I know I have been on a discipline roll today, but this is too good to pass up. There has been a bit of discipline meted out down south in Georgia. From the Columbus (Georgia) Ledger Enquirer:
In an order today, California…
A Lack Of Party Discipline
Several commenters over the last few weeks have opined that Democratic leadership should flex its muscle and exercise party discipline by punishing recalcitrant moderates who break ranks and vote with the Republicans to filibuster (deny cloture)…
Dems' And Dole's Flaccid Healthcare Advocacy
Last week, former Senator and GOP Presidential candidate Bob Dole went public endorsing President Obama's attempt to reform healthcare. Dole did so over already existing objections by Mitch McConnell and other Republicans. It spite of those…
From the Department of Ironic Reorganization
Lanny Breuer thinks he needs to rearrange the department to better hunt human rights abusers. Me, I think he should just go get Addignton and Cheney.
Wieners versus Coal Plants
Howie Kurtz doesn't think the environmental damage new coal plants do is very visual.
Two Data Points on Section 215 and Bush's Illegal Program
I've been working on adding some of the dates from this FOIA to my warrantless wiretap FOIA, and I wanted to elaborate on two coincidences of timing I pointed out in this post. Mind you, I think we have to assume they're just coincidences at…
Torture Memos
Today at 5 pm EST and 2 pm PST/FDL time, I will be hosting Professor David Cole at FDL for a Book Salon discussion of his new compilation of the bush Administration torture memos. Here is the quick blurb on the book
White Supremacists with Hydrogen Peroxide
I wonder whether the FBI will respond to the white supremacists making TATP the same way they responded to alleged Islamic extremists doing so?
Obama's Other Sessions Amendments
In my last post, I described how the Obama Administration had gotten Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III to introduce an amendment to the PATRIOT Act essentially gutting minimization in the case of pen registers and trap and trace devices. This…
Obama's Bipartisanship: Hiding Behind Jeff Sessions' Skirts When Eliminating Privacy Protections
Obama, hiding behind Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III's skirts, has just attempted to gut privacy protections associated with pen registers, which are probably a key part of the government's massive data mining program on Americans.
Trash Talk - Angels In The Outfield Edition
Well another week has come and gone and people are still talking about the Most Interesting Man In The World and what he has been doing up in the land of the Norske. Well enough about that, let's talk football.National Favre League: This is a horrid week for NFL matchups; none of them are great and most are downright lame.
Obama DOJ Declines To Support Legality Of Bush Surveillance Program
Today the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument on Wilner v. NSA and DOJ, a FOIA case wherein the Center for Constitutional Rights is seeking disclosure of evidence of clandestine surveillance of attorney-client conversations between detainees and their counsel. The Obama Administration is once again protecting illegal conduct by the Bush Administration.
The Blob that Passed Telecom Immunity
The government motion for an emergency stay reveals how Congress and the executive branch and the contractors they employ to spy on the American people have become on indistinguishable blob.
Karl Rove's US Attorney Project, Mary Beth Buchanan Edition
Remember the stated reason Karl Rove gave for firing a bunch of US Attorneys? He saw these US Attorney positions as a great stepping stone for rising political stars. Now Mary Beth Buchanan joins the list of USAs running.
The Not-Bush Prize
Obama got the Not-Bush prize today.