Recommended Reading: New Supreme Court Term Edition

•  When the Supreme Court kicks off its new term on Monday, the docket will feature a cross in the desert, dog-fighting videos, eroding beaches, and oh so much more.  (Wall Street Journal)

•   Immediately following the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, Mark (Blackhawk Down) Bowden was astonished to see that every major media outlet was running the same two video clips of “damaging” remarks by Judge Sotomayor: the “wise Latina” moment and the “Court of appeals is where policy is made.”  Bowden uncovers how this ‘coincidence’ came about.  Long story short: ideological activists now often supplant the research and newsgathering function of journalists.  An interesting detail: the conservative blogger who unearthed the snippets is dismayed at how they were used to portray Sotomayor as racist or radical: “She’s really fairly moderate,” he concedes.  Read the whole thing here.  (The Atlantic)

•   Speaking of ideology, Jeffrey (The Nine) Toobin declares that “conservative rhetoric, if not conservative views, had become the default mode for Supreme Court nominees.”  (The New Yorker)

•   Will the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the 14^th Amendment be given a new life in McDonald v. Chicago, a challenge to the city’s gun ban?  (Reason

•   The Supreme Court is irrelevant according to NYU law professor Barry Friedman.  (The New Republic)

•   An extremely rare recording of Clarence Thomas speaking; Says Court too “Northeastern” in outlook, wishes he could go to Home Depot unrecognized.  (C-SPAN)

•   The UK’s first-ever Supreme Court opened this week, prompting fears of an eventual “American style” judicial selection process.  (Times (London))

                                                     -posted by brian

The Canadian Supreme Court is— by far— the most stylish of all the high courts