Sunday February 12, 2012

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RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioGay Marriage Ruling in California is Politically Shrewd

Jonathan Rauch, February 10, 2012, New York Daily News

Gay Marriage Ruling in California is Politically Shrewd

On February 7, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed Federal District Judge Vaughn Walker’s 2010 ruling declaring Proposition 8 – California’s ban on same-sex marriage – unconstitutional.  Jonathan Rauch writes that a closer look at the court’s decision reveals a shrewdly modest approach that should protect the ruling from conservative backlash in an election year.

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RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Impact of Density and Diversity on Reapportionment and Redistricting in the Mountain West

David F. Damore, January 26, 2012, The Brookings Institution

The Impact of Density and Diversity on Reapportionment and Redistricting in the Mountain WestDavid F. Damore examines the redistricting and reapportionment of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, and assesses the implications that redistricting outcomes will exert on local and national politics in the next decade. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioWhy the Supreme Court GPS Decision Won't Stop Warrantless Digital Surveillance

John Villasenor, January 25, 2012, Scientific American

Why the Supreme Court GPS Decision Won't Stop Warrantless Digital SurveillanceJohn Villasenor explains the January 23 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that bans warrantless digital surveillance from GPS-enabled technology. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioJudicial Nominations and Confirmations after Three Years—Where Do Things Stand?

Russell Wheeler, January 13, 2012, The Brookings Institution

Judicial Nominations and Confirmations after Three Years—Where Do Things Stand?Russell Wheeler examines judicial nominations and Senate confirmation during the Obama administration’s first three years. Wheeler writes that while the pace of nominations and confirmations has increased, President Obama’s appointment of district judges does not match the rate of his two predecessors, leading to an increase in district court vacancies. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioSizing Up the Obama Administration's Defense of the Health Reform Law

Henry J. Aaron, January 09, 2012, National Journal

Sizing Up the Obama Administration's Defense of the Health Reform LawHenry Aaron discusses the legal arguments around the Affordable Care Act's insurance mandate, summarizing the arguments that the government has used in defense of the act in lower courts, and predicting the how and why the Supreme Court will reach a decision regarding the mandate's constitutionality. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioWhat’s So Hard About Regulating Supreme Court Justices’ Ethics? — A Lot

Russell Wheeler, November 28, 2011, The Brookings Institution

What’s So Hard About Regulating Supreme Court Justices’ Ethics? — A LotThe Supreme Court’s decision to hear a challenge to the health care law has led to recusal calls for Justices Thomas and Kagen. Russell Wheeler summarizes the principal sources of federal judicial ethics regulations, analyzes the possible impact of proposals to tighten ethical constraints, and envisions the justices’ courses of action. Read More

VIDEO

Save to My Portfolio@ Brookings Podcast: Targeting U.S.-Born Terrorists Abroad

Benjamin Wittes, October 28, 2011

@ Brookings Podcast: Targeting U.S.-Born Terrorists Abroad

Benjamin Wittes explains the statute that gives U.S. officials the legal right to target terrorists who are U.S. citizens in foreign countries.

VIDEO

Save to My Portfolio@ Brookings Podcast: The Supreme Court and the Presidential Election

Russell Wheeler, October 07, 2011

@ Brookings Podcast: The Supreme Court and the Presidential ElectionAmong the cases to be heard this year by the Supreme Court are several hot-button issues sure to roil the debate in the presidential election. Russell Wheeler explains their significance.

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioDoes America Need More Lawyers?

Clifford Winston, September 28, 2011

Clifford Winston discusses restrictions on the number of lawyers, arguing that these restrictions impede innovation and excellence in the industry and increase the costs of hiring a lawyer.

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioOptions for Federal Judicial Screening Committees (Second Edition)

Russell Wheeler and Rebecca Love Kourlis, September 13, 2011, The Brookings Institution, The Governance Institute, and the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, University of Denver

Options for Federal Judicial Screening Committees (Second Edition)Committees that U.S. senators use to vet would-be federal district judges whom they might recommend to the White House are a little known but substantial part of the landscape of federal judicial selection. Working alongside the Governance Institute and the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, Russell Wheeler describes a decision tree to streamline the judicial screening process, which outlines factors that senators and their staffs may wish to consider in creating a committee and highlights issues to consider with respect to committee operations. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioA Consistent Narrative of Jurisprudence

Benjamin Wittes, July 25, 2011, The Brookings Institution

A Consistent Narrative of JurisprudenceAt a recent event, Benjamin Wittes discussed the intersection between the courts and politics in the United States, stating that over the past several decades conservatives have created a remarkably consistent view of what the role of the judiciary is. Read More

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioProgressive Visions of Jurisprudence: A Debate

Monday, July 18, 2011
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC

Progressive Visions of Jurisprudence: A DebateOn July 18, Brookings hosted a debate between two competing visions of liberal jurisprudence for the Supreme Court and federal judiciary—one arguing that the principles set forth in the Constitution do not change, but that interpretation must evolve over time and the other asserting that progressive values are inherent in the Constitution’s text, history and structure, and that liberals should base their constitutional arguments, first and foremost, on text. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioRegulating the Ethics of Supreme Court Justices?

Russell Wheeler, March 21, 2011, The Brookings Institution

Regulating the Ethics of Supreme Court Justices?Russell Wheeler argues against proposals set forth recently by The New York Times and The Washington Post that called for the application of the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges to members of the Supreme Court as a new means of hastening Justices’ recusals and enforcing judicial ethics. As Wheeler sees it, these proposals are likely unconstitutional in part and rest on basic factual misunderstandings about federal judicial ethics regulation, thus creating a “cure-worse-than-the-disease” situation. Read More

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioBreaking the Judicial Nominations and Confirmations Logjam

Monday, February 28, 2011
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Washington, DC

Bill FrymireIn his year-end report on the state of the judiciary, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. called for a long-term solution to filling judicial vacancies, reigniting debate on how to move beyond congressional gridlock on the selection of federal judges. Brookings and the Federal Bar Association hosted a Judicial Issues Forum on the judicial nominations and confirmations process and the prospects for its improvement. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioDo Judicial Emergencies Matter? Nomination and Confirmation Delay during the 111th Congress

Russell Wheeler and Sarah A. Binder, February 16, 2011, The Brookings Institution

Do Judicial Emergencies Matter? Nomination and Confirmation Delay during the 111th Congress Russell Wheeler and Sarah Binder examine the impact of the rise of judicial “emergency districts” and “emergency vacancies” on patterns of nominations and confirmations in the most recent Congress (2009-2010). Despite the judiciary’s effort to flag this emerging crisis, there is limited evidence that the White House or the Senate have done much to confront the problem, write Wheeler and Binder. Read More

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Center for Technology InnovationPolicy CenterCenter for Technology Innovation

The Center for Technology Innovation is at the forefront of shaping public debate on technology innovation and developing data-driven scholarship to enhance understanding of technology’s legal, economic, social, and governance ramifications.

State of Metropolitan AmericaMetropolitan Policy ProgramState of Metropolitan America

Foreshadowing 2010 Census results, this new Brookings report and interactive map defines who Americans are—and who they are becoming—in the face of continued growth, population aging and diversification, uneven educational attainment and income polarization.

Donald KohnExpertDonald Kohn

Donald Kohn is a 40-year veteran of the Federal Reserve System and served as vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2010. He was recently appointed by the government of the United Kingdom and the Bank of England to serve on its interim Financial Policy Committee. Kohn focuses on issues of monetary policy, financial regulation and macroeconomics.

John L. Thornton China CenterPolicy CenterJohn L. Thornton China Center

The John L. Thornton China Center develops analysis and policy recommendations to help address key long-term challenges, both in terms of U.S.-China relations and China's internal development.

Africa Growth InitiativeResearch ProjectAfrica Growth Initiative

The Africa Growth Initiative conducts high-quality policy research and analysis focused on attaining sustainable economic development and prosperity in Africa, while amplifying the voice of African researchers in policy-making and planning.

Growth through InnovationTopicGrowth through Innovation

What new practices and mechanisms will help prevent another economic downturn from turning into a financial panic that could become a truly global meltdown? What changes in the public and private sectors will build the workforce and infrastructure required for a global information-based economy?

Opportunity and Well-beingTopicOpportunity and Well-being

As they weather the current economic storm, will our governments and societies address the basic needs and aspirations of the least well-off? How can we better use education to raise individual aspirations? How should governments around the world accelerate preparations to provide social services for the billions moving from poverty into the middle class?

William G. GaleExpertWilliam G. Gale

Bill Gale, the Arjay and Frances Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy in the Economic Studies Program at Brookings, is an expert on tax policy, fiscal issues, pensions, and saving behavior. He is also co-director of the Tax Policy Center and director of the Retirement Security Project.

Robert KaganExpertRobert Kagan

Robert Kagan is an expert and frequent commentator on Egypt, the Middle East, U.S. national security, and U.S.-European relations. He writes a monthly column on world affairs for the Washington Post and is a contributing editor at the Weekly Standard and the New Republic.

Daniel KaufmannExpertDaniel Kaufmann

Daniel Kaufmann was previously the director at the World Bank Institute, leading the work on governance and anti-corruption. His areas of expertise are public sector and regulatory reform, development, governance and anti-corruption.

Mwangi S. KimenyiExpertMwangi S. Kimenyi

Mwangi S. Kimenyi is senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative. The founding executive director of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (1999-2005), he focuses on Africa's development including institutions for economic growth, political economy, and private sector development.

Budgeting for National PrioritiesResearch ProjectBudgeting for National Priorities

The Budgeting for National Priorities project promotes greater fiscal responsibility by developing new ideas, educating the public and finding common ground among experts and policy-makers.

Brookings Mobile ApplicationsNEW FEATUREBrookings Mobile Applications

Stay up-to-date with our independent, high-quality research, learn about Brookings events and search our directory of experts all from your BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone or Android device.

Shadi HamidExpertShadi Hamid

Shadi Hamid focuses on Islamist political parties and democratic reform in the Middle East. Prior to joining Brookings, he was Director of Research at the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and a Hewlett Fellow at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.

Katherine SierraExpertKatherine Sierra

Katherine Sierra is a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program. A former vice president for sustainable development at the World Bank, she focuses on climate change and energy.

Darrell M. WestExpertDarrell M. West

Darrell M. West is vice president and director of Governance Studies and founding director of the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings. His studies include technology policy, electronic government, and mass media.

Center on Children and FamiliesPolicy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

Vanda Felbab-BrownExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is the author of Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs (Brookings Institution Press, 2009).

Suzanne MaloneyExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

Energy and ClimateTopicEnergy and Climate

What will it take to mitigate severe climate disruption? What should our priorities be in the relationship between fresh water and climate change? What will it take to help vulnerable countries and regions adapt to change already taking place?

Alice M. RivlinExpertAlice M. Rivlin

In February 1975, the Congressional Budget Office was established with Alice Rivlin as its first director. Rivlin is an expert on urban issues as well as fiscal, monetary and social policy and directs the Greater Washington Research project at Brookings.

Isabel V. SawhillExpertIsabel V. Sawhill

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families and the Budgeting for National Priorities Project at Brookings.

Global ChangeTopicGlobal Change

How do we develop more realistic approaches and more effective means of ending intractable old conflicts and preventing new ones? How do we enhance measures to thwart nonstate actors—especially terrorists and illicit traffickers—and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons?