US Court of Appeals news stories on Newser

Court Overturns Stem Cell Ban

Kevin Spak — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:06:07 CDT

A federal appeals court overturned the ban on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research today in a 2-1 ruling. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that such funding did not violate a 1996 law forbidding the use of federal money for research...

FCC to Probe Nipplegate, Again

Kevin Spak — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:58:30 CDT

Five years after the nation saw a split-second of Janet Jackson’s right boob, the FCC is trying to reopen the case, Broadcasting & Cable reports. The FCC is asking the Third Circuit Appeals Court to remand the case back to the agency. The evidence “strongly suggests that CBS had access...

Federal Court Ruling Shakes Up Cable Industry

Nick McMaster — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:42:01 CDT

In a decision that could revolutionize the communications industry, a federal appeals court has struck down an FCC rule prohibiting a cable TV company from serving more than 30% of the market, Reuters reports. The court declared the rule "arbitrary and capricious,” noting that cable operators face competition not just...

Court Tests Limit on Death Penalty Appeals

Nick McMaster — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:00:01 CDT

The Supreme Court’s ruling that Troy Davis deserves a new hearing raises questions about how far the legal system is willing to go to make sure an executed man is actually guilty, writes David Von Drehle for Time . Under a 1996 law limiting death-penalty appeals, Davis is out of options....

Sotomayor's Record Reveals Rigor, Little Else

Kevin Spak — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:19:13 CDT

Sonia Sotomayor’s decisions “are not always a pleasure to read,” writes Adam Liptak of the New York Times , but “they are usually models of modern judicial craftsmanship.” They are exhaustive and technical, with even uncontroversial propositions justified with detailed footnotes. They also reveal strikingly little about her. Sotomayor avoids quotable...

Moderate Is Obama's First Court Nominee

Jason Farago — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:29:00 CDT

President Obama will make his first judicial appointment this week, choosing a moderate judge for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, sources tell the New York Times . The selection of David Hamilton, an Indiana judge with bipartisan support, is meant to signal the administration's effort to reduce the...

Court Blocks Release of 17 Gitmo Prisoners Into US

Ambreen Ali — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:07:00 CST

The fate of 17 Chinese Muslims imprisoned at Guantanamo since 2002 remains in flux after the DC Circuit Court of Appeals blocked their release to the US today. That reverses a lower court ruling that said the prisoners—members of the Uighur ethnic group who are no longer considered enemy...

In 8 Years, Bush Revolutionized Appeals Courts

Jason Farago — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:33:00 CDT

George W. Bush's two appointments tilted the Supreme Court to the right—but it's at the appellate level where his judicial legacy is greatest. The president has appointed fully a third of all appeals court judges, and Republican appointees now control 10 of the 13 circuits. The result, writes the...

Unabomber: Don't Use My Cabin in Exhibit

Laurel Jorgensen — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:12:34 CDT

“Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski isn’t happy that his Montana cabin is featured in a museum exhibit about the FBI’s first 100 years. In a letter to the US Court of Appeals, Kaczynski writes that the Newseum’s display of the 10-by-12-foot cabin where he was captured flouts the “victims’ objection to publicity...