While scanning the Google News headlines this morning, I thought something momentous had happened: according to the headlines, the U.S. Supreme Court had limited a suspect’s “right to remain silent” (Berghuis v. Thompkins).
Instead, I quickly recognized that some of the headlines were deceptive, as reporters sought to churn a minor clarification into a major story. Read more »
(June 26, 2003) Something incredible happened today: the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for the government to regulate private sexual conduct, and that the government may not act in ways that would demean persons in homosexual relationships. (Lawrence v. Texas).
In a 6-3 decision, accompanied by a broad and sweeping written opinion, the Court struck down a Texas law which criminalized consensual sexual conduct between two persons of the same sex. In doing so, the Court overturned a 1986 decision in the case of Bowers v. Hardwick, which had upheld a Georgia “sodomy” law. Read more »
I apologize that this particular “Perspective” is long and complex, but I could find no other way to write it. I hope you’ll be patient enough to read this one through. Read more »
Every once in a while, someone asks me why I chose to become a lawyer, and I am usually uncomfortable with the question. We all choose our careers for a wide variety of reasons, and each of us is motivated by an uncountable number of events and impressions.
But invariably, when I think about why I chose to attend law school, and when I think about what I would like to achieve as an attorney, I am drawn back to a newspaper article I read in the spring of 1980, while I was a freshman in college. Read more »
UPDATE June 12, 1996: The “Communications Decency Act” has been declared unconstitutional after a lengthy hearing and review. Read more »
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