by Last Night in Little Rock

The Paleo-Cons have already started the media campaign for the next nominee to the Supreme Court. Tonight on CNN was an ad whining about Roberts' having to testify for 22 hours, and that the next nominee should get a "fair up or down vote."

For the first time in my lifetime, a member of the U.S. Supreme Court is younger than me, by seven years. The most senior member, not including late Chief Justice Rehnquist who served 33 years, is Justice Stevens, who, Roberts noted today hits the 30 year mark in December.

Is 22 hours of testimony too much to ask for a 30 year job commitment?

by Last Night in Little Rock

NOLA.com reports today that NOPD Police Chief Ray Compass told friends and fellow officers immediately after announcing his retirement that Mayor Ray Nagin forced him out.

Two days ago, we reported here that the retirement would take place after a "transition period." The NOLA.com article makes it clear that Compass is out. CNN tonight had his replacement on tonight.

Under the headline: "Chief fired after heated confrontation / 'He had tears in his eyes. He didn't want to go.'"

Say hello to Microgram, the monthly publication of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Enjoy! [hat tip to Allen at NORML.)

Reason has more on Microgram's becoming available to the public.

Update: 5/27/2009: Since this post was written, the state of Missouri appealed the granting of the writ and got the order granting bail reversed. The 8th Circuit reinstated Dale's murder conviction and the U.S. Supreme Court denied cert. America's Most Wanted will feature Dales' case Saturday, May 30, 2009.

Update: 9/29/05 U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Noce has granted Dale Helmig's habeas motion on the grounds that the jury was shown and utilized a map during deliberations that had not been introduced at trial. Details of the map were found by a student in the Illinois State University Innocence Project who interviewed jurors for a new documentary on the case. Dale's murder conviction and life sentence have been ordered vacated. He will be freed unless the state retries him within 90 days - or unless the State appeals. (The prosecutor says it will retry him within the time period unless it appeals.)

Tom DeLay's arraignment has been set for October 21. A poster at Daily Kos speculates he already has a plea bargain and will plead no contest. He bases this on the Indictment which mentions DeLay's waiver of the statute of limitations (which I referenced in the comments section here) and his having gone in for talks with prosecutors ( discussed here.)

I doubt it. First of all, I don't think Dick DeGuerin was representing DeLay at the time he waived the statute of limitations or when he went in for talks, and that his prior (or newly subjugated) counsel arranged both. This article says DeGuerin only recently has become involved in the case.

This is music to our ears. Dan Balz of The Washington Post writes that the indictment of Tom DeLay, coupled with Bill Frist's problems, RoveGate and Bush's declining ratings due to Katrina, Iraq, gas prices may signal serious setbacks to the Republican Party in the next election cycle, and that Republican leaders in Congress recognize it.

Republican strategists were nearly unanimous in their private assessments yesterday that the party must brace for setbacks next year. On almost every front, Republicans see trouble. Bush is at the low point of his presidency, with Iraq, hurricane relief, rising gasoline prices and another Supreme Court vacancy all problems to be solved. Congressional Republicans have seen their approval ratings slide throughout the spring and summer; a Washington Post-ABC News poll in August found that just 37 percent of Americans approve of the way Congress is doing its job, the lowest rating in eight years.

People for the American Way provides this list of consensus nominees for the replacement of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor:

There are a number of distinguished judges first appointed to the federal bench by Republican presidents who would, like Sandra Day O’Connor, likely receive overwhelming bipartisan support to replace her. Among them are Ann Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, Sonia Sotomayor of the 2nd Circuit, Jose Cabranes of the 2nd Circuit and Edward Prado of the 5th Circuit. President Bush would serve the country well by choosing a consensus nominee rather than an ideologue who would move the Court substantially to the right.

My pick: Ed Prado.

by TChris

The Bush administration's effort to suppress disturbing images of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib has been rejected (once again) by Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who ruled in favor of the ACLU's request for disclosure of the photographs and videos. Freedom of information trumped the government's claim that the nation's image would be tarnished, and that terrorism would be fueled, if the pictures were made public.

[I]n his 50-page ruling, the judge said: "My task is not to defer to our worst fears, but to interpret and apply the law, in this case, the Freedom of Information Act, which advances values important to our society, transparency and accountability in government.

"Our struggle to prevail must be without sacrificing the transparency and accountability of government and military officials," he added.

by TChris

Update: Recent video, via CNN, can be accessed here. Earlier video, via Crooks and Liars, can be accessed here.

.....

In the aftermath of Katrina, some opportunists took advantage of chaos to enrich themselves by theft, while others, desperate to survive, took food and water and other supplies that enhanced their chances of staying alive. The media have done a less than spectacular job of sorting out the two groups.

Starting to come to light, however, is a group of opportunists who were charged with the duty of enforcing the law: members of the New Orleans police department.

by TChris

In light of the FEMA disaster, this TV show sounds more like a comedy than a drama:

"DHS" — a show about the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security "who risk their lives every day to keep us safe”

Problem is, it’s neither. It doesn’t exist, as duped investors learned.

by TChris

No surprise here: John Roberts is the new Chief Justice, confirmed by a vote of 78-22. He'll be sworn in quickly so he can preside over the opening day of the new term, commencing (as always) on the first Monday of October.

Attention now turns to Justice O'Connor's successor. The president's nominee should be announced within days. A photo gallery of some of the contenders for the job is here.

by TChris

Human Rights Watch reports that the sheriff's department in New Orleans left hundreds of inmates locked in a city jail as flood waters began to rise.

Inmates in Templeman III, one of several buildings in the Orleans Parish Prison compound, reported that as of Monday, August 29, there were no correctional officers in the building, which held more than 600 inmates. These inmates, including some who were locked in ground-floor cells, were not evacuated until Thursday, September 1, four days after flood waters in the jail had reached chest-level.

More than 500 inmates are missing. Were any of them left to drown?