Dahlia Lithwick

There is still a lot that is unknown about President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan. The question remains as to whether her positions as solicitor general can tell us what she'd be like as a Supreme Court judge.

The Supreme Court hears a case today seeking to determine if the free speech rights of people who sign a ballot petition are violated if those names and addresses are publicly disclosed. In the case of Doe v. Reed, people who signed a ballot petition to end same-sex domestic partnerships argue they will be subject to harassment and retaliation if the state allows their personal information to be disclosed. Today's case is just one of several the Supreme Court is hearing regarding the constitutional scope of free speech and the First Amendment.

• CONGRESS TAKEOUT: Health care reform has been signed into law. Now what? Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich lays out the next steps in the Senate and the courts.
• JUDICAL TAKEOUT:  Since President Obama nominated law professor Goodwin Liu to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals, there's been a firestorm of criticism and praise for his pick. Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor Slate magazine looks at what this progressive choice could mean for potential Supreme Court nominations.
• LISTENERS ON THE NEXT BIG ISSUE: By email, on the web and over the phone Takeaway listeners weigh in with their reaction to Sunday's historic vote in the House and weight in on what Congress should tackle next.

During his State of the Union Address, President Obama called out the Supreme Court for its ruling that allowed corporations to spend money on ads for political candidates. At the time, Justice Alito rolled his eyes and mouthed "not true." The scene caused a stir as different branches of the government pointed fingers at each other. Yesterday, Chief Justice John Roberts broke the silence and shot back, telling a group of University of Alabama students that the incident was "very troubling."

In what will certainly be looked back upon as a landmark and highly controversial decision, the Supreme Court reversed longstanding restrictions on campaign finance yesterday: specifically, laws restricting corporations and corporate money during election season.