Democrats Lament Midnight Changes to Patriot Act

One of the highlights of today’s House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act was Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers’ (D-Mich.) repeated lamentations about the sneaky way that the Patriot Act got passed in the first place, offering an interesting glimpse into the behind-the-scenes workings More…

Cases Hint at Sotomayor’s Views on Executive Power

Most commentators and reporters have assumed that when it comes to Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s record, there’s little to suggest how she might rule on critical matters of executive power and national security that are sure to be among the most controversial issues before the court in the next few years. More…

NYT Draws Different Conclusion Than Fox News on Sotomayor’s Enemy Combatant Comments

Whereas Fox News appears to have read Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s 2003 lecture to Indiana University law students as an approval of broad executive power in the war on terror, Charlie Savage at The New York Times today has the opposite take.

According More…