Supreme Court Watch | Online NewsHour

E-mail This Page	Print This Page

REGION: North America

TOPIC: Law

Online NewsHour

June 29, 2009

Supreme Court Ends Term With Decisions on Voting Rights, Criminal Procedure

Legal analysts Linda Greenhouse and Thomas Goldstein examine the impact of the most significant Supreme Court decisions of the term, including a narrow ruling on the landmark Voting Rights Act. Greenhouse and Goldstein also mull the court's conservative bench and how Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, may affect the court's balance if she is confirmed.



PBS Supreme Court Series


Court Delivers Narrow Ruling on Landmark Voting Rights Act




	May 26, 2009


	WNYC: Sotomayor Rises From Bronx Projects to Supreme Court Nominee

	City University of New York law professor Jenny Rivera discusses her experience working with Sotomayor in the Manhattan federal prosecutor's office.

	Leahy, Sessions Hold Key Roles in Confirmation Process

	As the ranking members of their parties on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy and Alabama Republican Jeff Sessions will both play important roles in Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation process. Profiles: Leahy \| Sessions

	Highlights of Past Supreme Court Nominees

	The process of nominating and confirming justices is one of the cornerstones of the Constitution's separation of powers. Explore some key confirmation battles dating back to the Founding Fathers.

	Q&A: Supreme Court Confirmation

	Sheldon Goldman, a political science professor and author of "Picking Federal Judges," offers insight on the details of the Supreme Court confirmation process works and lessons learned from past nominations.


	June 29, 2009 Firefighters Case Prompts Reaction to Sotomayor's Role in Lower Court Decision The Supreme Court's Ricci v. DeStefano decision was highly anticipated not only because of its potential impact on civil rights and affirmative action, but also due to high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's role in the case as an appeals court judge. June 25, 2009 Supreme Court Rules School Strip Search Was Illegal The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that officials at an Arizona school went too far when they strip searched an eighth-grader accused of distributing prescription-strength ibuprofen. The court ruled 8-1 that school officials violated the law with their search of Savana Redding when she was 13. The National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle examines the decision. June 22, 2009 Court Delivers Narrow Ruling on Landmark Voting Rights Act The Supreme Court delivered a 8-1 ruling Monday in a challenge to the landmark Voting Rights Act, but side-stepping a larger constitutional issue. Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal explains the voting rights decision and recaps other key court actions of the day. June 18, 2009 Supreme Court Finds Convicts Have No Right to Test DNA The Supreme Court said Thursday that convicts have no constitutional right to test DNA evidence in hopes of proving their innocence long after they were found guilty. The court ruled 5-4 against an Alaska man who was convicted in a brutal attack on a prostitute 16 years ago. Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal discusses the impact of the District Attorney's Office v. Osborne decision.
	View Supreme Court Watch Archive View Law Archive


	Main: Supreme Court Watch

Profiles of the Justices

Court History


Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station.

PBS Online Privacy Policy Copyright ©1996- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved.