court is now in session
No time right now for much half-assed opinion or analysis, but a couple of positive court decisions came down today. In case you missed them...
Following up on this entry: Jose Padilla, the American citizen arrested inside the U.S. and subsequently stripped of his constitutional rights, must be charged or released within 45 days. Of course, the U.S. plans to appeal the ruling, so Padilla will continue enjoying his third year of sitting in limbo.
Also today: The U.S. Supreme Court decided that executing minors is unconstitutional. Another small step in the right direction, I believe.
I haven't followed the Padilla case much, other than to note that it's a sign that we've actually become one of the more fascist states around. What I'm more interested in is how long Rehnquist can hold on. My understanding is that he's got some pretty serious cancer. Although replacing him isn't likely to bring us someone more conservative, it'll mean that we'll end up with an extended term for a conservative judge. I sometimes get the feeling that a lot of the justices are trying to hang on to the post until a Democratic president arrives as sort of atonement for the Florida fiasco of 2000.
With respect to the capital punishment case, I'm glad to see that the U.S. is finally stepping into the modern era. My friend Josh has more to say about it.