Basic Information

The architect Cass Gilbert had grand ambitions for his design of a new home for the Supreme Court--what he called "the greatest tribunal in the world, one of the three great elements of our national government." Gilbert knew that the approach to the Court, as much as the structure itself, would define the experience of the building, but the site presented a challenge. Other exalted Washington edifices--the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial--inspired awe with their processional approaches. But in 1928 Congress had designated for the Court a cramped and asymmetrical plot of land, wedged tightly between the Capitol and the Library of Congress. How could Gilbert convey to visitors the magnitude and importance of the judicial process taking place within the Court's walls?
The answer, he decided, was steps. Gilbert pushed back the wings of the building, so that the public face of the building would be a portico with a massive imposing stairway. Visitors would not have to walk a long distance to enter, but few would forget the experience of mounting those forty-four steps to the double row of eight massive columns supporting the roof. The walk up the stairs would be the central symbolic experience of the Supreme Court, a physical manifestation of the American march to justice. The stairs separated the Court from the everyday world--and especially from the earthly concerns of the politicians in the Capitol-- and announced that the justices would operate, literally, on a higher plane. (Toobin, Jeffrey. The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. New York: Anchor Books, 2008.)

Thursday, May 20, 2010

My Final Words

I would like to take this time to reflect on all the previous time I have worked on this blog. I am very proud of my work and I really enjoyed participating in such a different activity. I have expanded my knowledge on some very important cases dealing with what American citizens have to deal with each day. I hope that those who have read this appreciate the thought put in to each of my postings. Law is my passion and I try to be subjective and fair, just as how they try to teach lawyers. What you need to understand is that the law is such an important aspect of living here in the United States and that you should embrace the beauty behind it. I find that when you delve into a topic it just keeps getting more and more interesting. So here are my final words. I hope you try to learn more about your rights as a citizen and I hope you understand why some precedents are the way they are.
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Current Issues: Court takes prosecutorial immunity case (March 22, 2010)

The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a district attorney's office can be held liable for the actions of prosecutors in the case of a former death row inmate who accused them of withholding evidence to help convict him of murder.The case concerns John Thompson, who was convicted of attempted armed robbery in 1985, shortly before he was scheduled to stand trial in an unrelated murder case. He did not testify during the murder trial. Prosecutors used Thompson's conviction in the robbery case to help secure the death penalty in the murder case.In 1999, an investigator working on Thompson's case discovered a crime lab report that prosecutors had not turned over, indicating Thompson's blood type did not match the perpetrator in the attempted robbery.A state appeals court set aside Thompson's murder conviction in 2002 after deciding he'd been unconstitutionally deprived of his right to testify during the murder trial. That cleared the way for the new trial in which Thompson was acquitted.After Thompson's acquittal, he sued the district attorney's office that was led at the time of his 1985 conviction by Harry Connick, alleging that evidence had been wrongfully withheld.The current Orleans Parish District Attorney, Leon Cannizzaro, has said the judgment is roughly equal to his office's annual operating budget and would have "devastating" financial consequences.On March 22, the U.S. Supreme Court accepted the case for review. The justices will hear oral arguments in the fall.Question presented: Does imposing liability for failing to train a prosecutor on a district attorney’s office for a single Brady violation contravene rigorous culpability and causation

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Friday, May 14, 2010

A little bit about me

Since a blog is supposed to be more opinionated I am going to talk about my future aspirations and why I am so intersted on this subject. I have high hopes of becoming a supreme court justice. I know it is hard to attain however I strive to be the greatest. Before so, I plan to go to law school and become a corporate attorney. I have been passionate about this since I was about seven years old. At school I have taken every class available to do with law. I have competed within debate since my freshman year and I have participated in a mock trial. One of my favorite documents is the Constitution. I took a class devoted to the teachings of this document. I am currently reading The Federalist which is closely related to the very constitution that our country with holds today.

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Thursday, May 13, 2010

What is Going On?




A group of 10 Republican delegates and senators in the Virginia General Assembly are engaging themselved in the battle over President Obama's nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan. They want Democratic Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner to question Kagan about her opposition to military recruiting on campus during her career as dean of Harvard Law School.

Kagan opposed allowing military recruiters on campus because she believed the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy for gay service members violated Harvard's nondiscrimination policy- I believe that is wrong considering that it is not an act of discrimination, it is freedom of expression.

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