NYTimes:

The Obama administration asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to hear a case concerning the 2010 health care overhaul law. The development came unexpectedly fast and makes it all but certain that the court will soon agree to hear one or more cases involving challenges to the law, with arguments by the spring and a decision by June, in time to land in the middle of the 2012 presidential campaign.

This is an interesting development, and to me, surprising. Policywise, I am not sure I see the urgency. As a matter of politics, I need to think about this one. (Alternate thought, POTUS team believes SCOTUS wants to hear the case in 2012. IF so better to look as if you want it too.)

In terms of legal tactics, I think it is not smart. Scalia and Kennedy seem less likely to vote with the Administration in an election year to me. Better for the case to be decided in 2013 it seems to me.

Speaking for me only

It's my birthday -- another year, about to begin. I'm taking the day off from the news and the computer.

For everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah tonight, L'Shana Tova! and a year of blessings, fulfillment, health and happiness to all.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Roman Polanski has finally picked up his Lifetime Achievement Award at the Zurich Film Festival, two years after his ill-fated trip when he was arrested on a U.S. extradition warrant. He got a standing ovation. He quipped, ""Better late than never."

He has a new film, Carnage, that is being touted as his best film since The Pianist. And in a documentary filmed during his house arrest, he apologized to the woman (then age 13) in the infamous Los Angeles case:

"She is a double victim: my victim and a victim of the press," the Oscar-winning director says near the end of Laurent Bouzereau's Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir.

He also thanked the Swiss prison guards who watched over him during his house arrest.

Last night, the Senate confirmed six U.S. Attorneys, five of whom were the preference of Republicans. Traditionally, nominations for U.S. Attorneys are presented to the President by the senators of the district. If the district's senators are not in the President's party, representatives from the House who are in the same party are consulted.

President Obama. however, has chosen to ignore tradition and nominate U.S. Attorneys preferred by Republican senators, against the advice of House Democrats. [More...]

Nancy Grace is now denying her wardrobe malfunction last night on DWTS.

"When I got dressed, I was wearing Petals (nipple covers) and an industrial strength bra ... my dancing dress also had a bra sewn into it," she said, adding, "I have been judged guilty without a trial ... I will go to my grave denying the nip slip."

How classic. Even when you see something with your own eyes, and the proof is right in front of her, she'll try to sell a fiction.

The pictures were on Twitter right after the show. Sure looks like an areola to me.

The point: When Nancy Grace opens her mouth about Dr. Conrad Murray or any other trial of the day, remember she either doesn't know what she's talking about or is twisting events. [More...]

I've been cleaning out my parents' storage unit on weekends for the past 6 weeks, determined not to move the stuff to my house and fill it with clutter. I'm finally done. I just met GotJunk there and in 20 minutes they hauled everything away and swept the unit clean. As for the 11 boxes of financial and medical records dating back to the 1960's, they will take it to a shredding company which will send me a certificate.

What a relief. Now I'm taking my car to be thoroughly vacuumed to get the dust out from the boxes I did decide to keep.

As for selling the nameless crystal and china on EBay, forget it. There are thousands of baby boomers doing the same thing as their parents die and the place is flooded with the same stuff my parents had.

Moral of the story: Don't do this to your kids. Stop hoarding and throw stuff away. Hearses don't have luggage racks.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Bump and Update: Here's a trial primer. Here's a rundown on the jurors. You can watch the live stream of the trial here.

****

Two years after Michael Jackson's death, opening arguments begin tomorrow for Dr. Conrad Murray, charged with manslaughter for allegedly administering a deadly amount of propofol to Jackson and then failing to properly monitor him. [More...]

Straight from Jenji Kohan, creator of Weeds: Clues on the sniper in the bushes and story line for Season 8 (Looks like plans to retire the series have changed.): [More...]

Ohio Governor John Kasich has followed the recommendation of the Ohio Parole Board commuted the death sentence of Joseph Murphy to life without parole. The issue: "childhood growing up in West Virginia in which he was beaten, starved and sexually abused."

Joseph Murphy’s murder of Ruth Predmore was heinous and disturbing and he deserves—and continues to receive—severe punishment. Even though as a child and adolescent Murphy suffered uniquely severe and sustained verbal, physical and sexual abuse from those who should have loved him, it does not excuse his crime. However, the Ohio Supreme Court split 4-3 on whether Murphy should receive the death penalty and the late Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, in his dissent against the death penalty in this case, said that 'in all of the death penalty cases I have reviewed, I know of no other case in which the defendant ... was as destined for disaster as was Joseph Murphy.'"

[More...]

Dominique Strauss-Kahn didn't have dipolmatic immunity in the criminal case with the New York hotel maid, but are civil cases different? Strauss-Kahn filed a motion to dismiss Nafassitou Diallo's lawsuit today saying the court lacked jurisdiction over him. The NY Daily News reports:

in the court papers, Strauss-Kahn's lawyers argued that a different standard, the UN Specialized Agencies Convention, grants the top official of international organizations like the IMF "absolute diplomatic immunity."

That the United States never signed on the Specialized Agencies Convention is of no matter, the lawyers argued, because so many other countries have signed it. It has now "achieved the status of what is known as customary international law," they said.

[More...]

The Senate tonight passed a stopgap budget bill to keep the government funded through November 18.

The new pact, which the Senate approved 79 to 12 and the House is expected to ratify next week, will keep federal agencies open until Nov. 18 at a level of spending that represents a 1.5 percent cut from this year’s levels.

After FEMA said it had enough funds to last through Friday, Senators dropped a billion dollars for disaster relief from the bill:

Democrats and Republicans have agreed to drop $1 billion in disaster relief funding that had been thought to be necessary to replenish FEMA’s coffers before the week ended.

Say hello to the new Scotus Blog,now sponsored by Bloomberg Law. I haven't had a chance to read through the the changes, but the Bloglift is really nice.

Boeing's stock rose big-time today with its delivery of the new Dreamliner. I wonder if they timed it with the premimere of Pan Am last night (which featured the inaugural flight of its big transatlantic plane of the day.) I think Pan Am (the show) is a winner. Anyone see it?

Breaking Bad was good last night, but not as riveting as the prior two episodes featuring Gus. Only two episodes left this season.

Desperate Housewives is definitely right to call it quits after this season if last night's show is any indication. Way too dark and depressing.

Time for the news, what's happening in the world? Here's an open thread to discuss it -- and any other topics.