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Big Wins For Gay Marriage

    On the last day of the its term the Supreme Court today handed twin victories to the cause of marriage equality.
    If there was an empty seat in the courtroom I couldn't see it.

 

Justice Kennedy had the first opinion, U.S. v Windsor, in which the Court found the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

    And of course Justice Scalia read a lenghty dissent.

    The second victory for same-sex marriage was by default in an opinion by Chief Justice Roberts where the Court found that the petitioners in support of California's Proposition 8 lacked standing, thereby allowing the lower court's ruling to stand.

    So much will be written about these decisions in the next few days that I won't bother linking to any one. 

 

Motor Voter, Right to Silence and More

    For a day without a real blockbuster it turned out to be an unusually busy one for me.

    Among the Supreme Court decisions today was one that overturned an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. In an opinion announced by Justice Scalia the Court found that the federal Motor Voter law preempts Arizona's law. 

    In another opinion, this one from Justice Alito, the Court said that if you want to  preserve your right to remain silent you've got to speak up. 

    I also finished a couple sketches I had started earlier, the Great Hall . . .
    . . . . and General Suter, the Clerk of the Court, calling up admissions to the bar.