Every year, the #SupremeCourt justices fill out a form that discloses their financial connections to companies and people.
Using our new database, you can now search for organizations and people that have paid the justices, reimbursed them for travel, given them gifts and more.
In Indiana, conservative Christian parents are asking the U. S. Supreme Court to force the state to return their trans daughter to them so they can continue trying to force her to be a boy.
The girl developed a severe eating disorder that stemmed in part from conflicts over gender with her non-affirming parents. The courts have agreed with CPS that returning the child to her family would cause an unacceptable risk of her eating disorder returning. #trans#news#courts
If any US lawmakers want to help journalism and the overall cause of truth, they could do worse then to create a CSPAN for the federal courts, mandate that courts allow broadcasting and recording of hearings, and require all courts to provide live closed captioning for those who can't hear well.
Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About #Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign
Interviews and newly unearthed documents reveal that #ClarenceThomas, facing financial strain, privately pushed for a higher salary and to allow #SupremeCourt justices to take speaking fees.
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The secretive Judicial Conference is tasked with self-governance. The group, led by the Supreme Court’s chief justice, has spent decades preserving perks, defending #judges and thwarting outside #oversight.
Agreed. The madness here lies with the Judge who has already used it, rather than the guidance, which sounds fairly sensible.
I look forward to bringing my computer to court.
I refer back to JFK's speech at Rice University Field, speaking on technology and the risks that lie in our ignorance about it, and the benefits that lie in our all (that Lord Chief Justice who clearly suffered at least momentary stupidity included) truly understanding how it all works.
Good morning again from Placerville. I’m in court for day 2 of the mini-trial of David and Shane Smith.
The father-son duo is accused of starting the 2021 #CaldorFire.
The flames burned #GrizzlyFlats and forced all of South Lake Tahoe to evacuate.
The Smiths each face 3 counts of felony reckless arson and weapons felonies.
Judge Vicki Ashworth, who’ll decide whether the Smiths must face a jury trial after this hearing, is starting a half hour late. She called all the lawyers into her chambers for a pre-flight chat today…
We expect to see more detailed evidence from the arson investigation today. Look for our full story on #ABC10 at 5/6/630pm.
The hearing opens with testimony about the searches of Travis Shane Smith’s home, from an El Dorado County DA office investigator who was part the team serving the search warrants.
He says:
Shane Smith resisted when the investigators tried to look in his safe, but complied after the team explained it was part of the search warrant— and that they would call a locksmith if he refused.
Incendiary rounds (ammunition designed to shoot sparks and start fires) were recovered when serving a second search warrant in September.
Coming back from lunch break, Judge Vicki Ashworth just called all the lawyers into her chambers to talk scheduling.
It's clear that this prelim is going to take longer than 2 days. Judge said she intends to run "continuously" until this hearing is done.
We left off before lunch with testimony about the weapons charges against the Smiths.
One investigator said 2 metal tubes were found in a burn pile while serving a warrant-- these are the silencers that the Smiths are accused of possessing. (a felony in CA)
In addition to the shell casings, Swanson says he located several copper bullet fragments.
Some were found "in the black"-- the forest floor burned in the fire. Swanson says this can be an indicator the fragments are involved in the cause.
He also found earplugs nearby. They were submitted for DNA testing...
This is the prosecutors seeking to build hard evidence that the Shane and David Smith were in the area and that they were shooting guns in dangerous fire weather conditions.
These details are coming out in crumbs, along with the boilerplate this-is-how-we-find-the-location-where-the-fire-came-from-and-went testimony to explain how arson investigators do their basic job.