Russell Pearce, the state senator from Arizona who authored the discriminatory Arizona immigration bill, lost his seat in a recall election yesterday.

Pearce, a former Phoenix-area sheriff's deputy known for his tough stance against illegal immigration, sponsored the state immigration law that became the focus of national media and legal attention.

"With Sen. Russell Pearce's defeat in this recall election, everyone who practices the politics of fear and division was put on notice," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona.

Mississippi voters today defeated a personhood amendment.

[T]he full wording of the measure as it appeared on the ballot define[d] every human being as a person "from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the equivalent thereof."

The Amendment was largely an effort of Keith Mason, co-founder of the group Personhood USA, based in Colorado. The group tried and failed to get the Amendment passed in Colorado in 2008 and 2010. The ACLU says Arkansas, Montana, Florida, Oregon, Nevada may be the next battlegrounds.

Carol Rosenberg of McClatchy reports on the cost of housing inmates at Guantanamo in the Miami Herald. It costs $800,000 a year to house one detainee, according to a letter Eric Holder and Leon Pannetta sent Congress this summer. There are 171 detainees still at Guantanamo.

Congress, determined to keep Gitmo open, authorized provided $139 million for its operation last year. Why isn't it under consideration for part of the $1.5 trillion budget cut?

Herman Cain is now represented by prominent Atlanta libel/defamation attorney Linn Wood, who previously represented the parents of JonBenet Ramsey, Richard Jewell, Gary Condit and the accuser in the Kobe Bryant Case. (He did not represent Kobe, as reported by the National Journal and ABA Journal, which should know better.) The National Journal reports he represented "Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, whom Wood served as co-counsel in a federal civil-action rape case." Here's the Complaint in the accuser's federal suit, signed on page 8 by Lin Wood.[More...]

Tonight has to be the exit for Nancy Grace, on DWTS. If not, the show will have some serious credibility issues. She should have been sent packing weeks ago, but her TV fans kept her alive. There's no one left who even remotely is as poor a dancer. Last night Judge Len said:

"For me, you've had kind of a Cinderella story here," he told Ms. Grace. "But it's midnight and it's time to go home."

The only good thing about Ms. UnGrace being on DWTS is it's kept her from spouting her misguided and poisonous opinions on her talk show.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Here's the transcript of today's oral argument in U.S. v. Antoine Jones, the case regarding warrantless GPS tracking devices. Basically,

The case concerned Antoine Jones, who was the owner of a Washington nightclub when the police came to suspect him of being part of a cocaine-selling operation. They placed a tracking device on his Jeep Grand Cherokee without a valid warrant, tracked his travels for a month and used the evidence they gathered to convict him of conspiring to sell cocaine. He was sentenced to life in prison.

The DC Court of Appeals reversed his conviction (opinion here.) [More...]

Despite diplomatic relations being restored with Bolivia yesterday, Vice President Vice President Alvaro Garcia said today the DEA is still unwelcome there.

[Garcia]says the Drug Enforcement Administration "was a mechanism of political blackmail" and is not welcome back.

The DEA was expelled from Bolivia in 2008 by by President Evo Morales.

Herman Cain gave interviews and a press conference today. He denied ever meeting Sharon Bialek, known now as "Woman Number 4." He said he doesn't know who she is. And, he's willing to take a polygraph.

Meanwhile, via the Washington Post, one of the women from the earlier accusations made in the 1990's who received a civil settlement has publicly come forward. (CBS reports her lawyer says she won't come forward, but she tells the Washington Post she will): [More...]

Herman Cain will hold a press conference at 4 pm ET to address the allegations of sexual harassment made by "woman number four", Sharon Bialek. Cain is likely to be all fire and brimstone today. Expect a lot of righteous indignation.

His campaign has sent out an e-mail to reporters that shows his strategy. You can read it here. Classic blame the victim, who he says has a history of financial problems and got fired from a lot of jobs. One section is called "Who is Sharon Bialek?"

I'm not a political consultant but I think Cain's reaction last night on Jimmy Kimmel and today are missteps. He shouldn't have referred to Ms. Bialek as "woman number four." Every time he does that, he reminds people she's not the only one accusing him. [More...]

Here are Eric Holder's prepared remarks for his testimony today before the Senate Judiciary Committee on "Fast and Furious."

From the news articles on the hearing, it doesn't seem like the Republicans accomplished much in their "got-cha game" hearing other than making Holder eat a little bit of humble pie.

Here is the opinion (PDF).

As I have argued repeatedly, the case is a simple one and Judge Silberman reaches the obvious conclusion. I do think the Anti-Tax Injunction Act may provide the SCOTUS an escape hatch for avoiding deciding the case in 2012.

I'm really busy so no deeper analysis from me until next week.

Now that the last of the Chicago corruption cases related to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has concluded (with the conviction of William Cellini last week), it's finally time for Antoin (Tony) Rezko and Rod Blagojevich to learn their fate.

Today the Judge scheduled sentencing for Rod Blagojevich for December 6. The Government has not yet filed its sentencing statement. Tony Rezkco's sentencing is November 22 and the Court recently unsealed Rezko's sentencing position and ordered the Government's to be filed publicly. The Government filed its statement last Thursday, seeking 11 to 15 years for Rezko, which includes a reduction for cooperation and his harsh conditions of confinement. Rezko is seeking time served (44 months.)

I've just read through the 100 pages of pleadings. This post is long, but it contains both sides' arguments and is a lot shorter than the 100 pages filed by the parties. If you're so inclined, read through, and tell us what sentence you think Rezko should or will receive. [More..]