Legal
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In two previous studies, the Center for Individual Freedom Foundation analyzed U.S. Supreme Court rulings from the High Court’s October 2002 and 2003 terms and reported that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit was by far the most reversed federal appellate court in the country during each term. Those studies, however, were narrowly focused statistical reviews that each analyzed only one term. While the information provided compelling support for the contention that the Ninth Circuit was far outside the judicial mainstream, the Foundation concluded that a broader review might provide additional insight...[more]
A Statistical Look at the Supreme Court Term
The U.S. Supreme Court issued its final opinions for the October Term, 2003, at the end of June, and, once again, the justices decided a number of cases that will most assuredly have a substantial impact on both the state of constitutional law and the development of public policy...[more]
U.S. Supreme Court Remains Wary of 9th Circuit Rulings
In a term during which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the most widely criticized constitutional decision of recent memory — the ruling that the reference to "one Nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance rendered it unconstitutional – that reversal was only one of many for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. In fact, as shown by statistics compiled by the Center for Individual Freedom Foundation, the 9th Circuit remained the most reversed court in the nation at the end of the High Court’s just completed term...[more]
By Renee Giachino, It has been two years since America and Americans were inexplicably changed by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Since 9-11, hundreds of cases have come to and through the federal and state courts that have directly or indirectly resulted from the attacks and their aftermath. This survey of the law cannot address each case and decision involving an issue connected with or related to 9-11. Rather, our intent is to present an overview and analysis of the more significant decisions issued by state and federal courts dealing with those issues.
To download (PDF) the full survey, click here.
The Center for Individual Freedom Foundation filed an amicus letter today with the California Supreme Court asking the justices to review a state appeals court decision that permits, among other things, public school district officials to conduct targeted voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns in an effort to influence the popular vote on school bond measures...[more]
A Statistical Look at the Supreme Court Term (July 22, 2003)
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ended another term full of high-profile cases, controversial decisions, and a much-speculated but non-occurring retirement. Handing down 80 decisions, the High Court issued landmark rulings in areas such as affirmative action, the right to privacy, free speech, federalism and punitive damages. But taken as a whole, the Court‚s latest term reveals a continuing trend for the Court to fully review fewer cases while reversing the vast majority of those taken...[more]
U.S. Supreme Court Keeps a Watchful Eye on the 9th Circuit
Long considered the federal court breeding ground for judicial activism, the 9th Circuit has been the federal appeals court most often overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in recent years. And, as shown by statistics compiled by the Center for Individual Freedom Foundation, the High Court‚s recently completed October Term, 2002, proved to be no exception to the 9th Circuit‚s disfavored place amongst the justices...[more]
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Legal Reform Begins With Judicial Reform
Progressively, for several decades, opportunistic plaintiffs’ attorneys, motivated more by personal profit than any quest for justice, have hijacked the federal courts by filing case after case in search of the next big payday. From automobiles to fast food as their latest targets, trial lawyers are not only getting more inventive with their legal contortions, but they are also pressing more of them with unwavering relentlessness and baffling success. Left in the wake is a judiciary stretched far beyond its limits and a legal system desperate for reform ...[more]