How Biden compares with other recent presidents in appointing federal judges
As Biden’s term draws to a close, here’s a look at the federal judges the 46th president appointed during his four years in the White House.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Supreme Court
Favorable views of Supreme Court remain near historic low
Fewer than half of Americans (47%) now express a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court.
Most Americans favor maximum age limits for federal elected officials, Supreme Court justices
79% of Americans favor maximum age limits for elected officials in Washington, D.C. And 74% support such limits for Supreme Court justices.
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Publications
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Analysis of Ten Commandments Decisions
On June 27, 2005, the Supreme Court issued sharply divided decisions in two cases involving constitutional challenges to government-sponsored displays of the Ten Commandments. In McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky (03-1693), a 5-4 majority held that two Kentucky counties had “predominantly religious” purposes in posting the Ten Commandments in their courthouses, […]
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Abortion Wild Card In Battle Over O’Connor’s Successor
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s decision to step down from the Supreme Court sets up a possible next chapter in the nation’s culture wars. If the debate over O’Connor’s replacement turns into a referendum on Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision establishing a woman’s right to abortion, the argument is likely to galvanize a significant […]
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The Constitutional Status of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act: Cutter v. Wilkinson
Read the Pew Forum Discussion transcript The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a federal law that aims to protect the religious freedom of inmates and others held in state and local institutions. The unanimous decision in Cutter v. Wilkinson, issued on May 31, reverses […]
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Supreme Court Rules RLUIPA Does Not Violate Establishment Clause
Church-State Experts React to Unanimous Ruling The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the constitutionality of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a federal law that aims to protect the religious freedom of inmates and others held in state and local institutions. The unanimous decision in Cutter v. Wilkinson reverses a ruling by the […]
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A Monumental Decision: High Court Considers Constitutionality of Ten Commandments Displays on Public Property
2:00-3:30pm National Press Club Washington, D.C. Download legal backgrounder on Ten Commandments cases (154K .pdf) On March 2, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases that concern the placement of Ten Commandments displays on public property. The commandments controversy came to national prominence in 2003, when the chief justice of the Alabama […]
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Under God? Pledge of Allegiance Constitutionality
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. National Press Club Washington, D.C. Speakers: Doug Laycock, Counsel of Record for 32 Christian and Jewish clergy, urging the Court to affirm the 9th Circuit’s ruling Jay Alan Sekulow, Chief Counsel, American Center for Law and Justice; Counsel of Record for United States Senators and Congressmen and the Committee to Protect […]
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One Nation Under God? Pledge of Allegiance Case
The Forum’s Pledge of Allegiance Issue Backgrounder, written by legal scholars and published in March 2004, details the history of the Pledge and offers analysis of the legal questions raised in Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow. The document addresses both the issue of Mr. Newdow’s standing (his legal right to sue) and the […]