Adam Liptak

Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has said that she has doubts about whether the court should have taken up Bush v. Gore. Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for the New York Times, explains what her comments tell us about public opinion and the Supreme Court, the decision in Bush v. Gore, and what it means for potential future cases.

After several days of arguments, the Supreme Court will now retreat to their respective quarters to decide the fate of Proposition 8, DOMA, and, potentially, the future of marriage as...

In over half of U.S. states and on the federal level law enforcement, after arresting you but before you’ve been convicted of any crime, can take a DNA sample from you. This week the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about whether this kind of search violates 4^th Amendment protections and is constitutional.  Bob speaks with New York Times reporter Adam Liptak about the what this kind of DNA samples mean for personal privacy.  

Politicians across the political spectrum have proposed new gun control measures since the Newtown shooting, but how would the ideas on the table fit into Supreme Court decisions rega...

Adam Liptak of The New York Times discusses what we now know about John Robert’s path to supporting the individual mandate, and reports of a schism among conservatives on the nation's highest court.

In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Bush Administration authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on American citizens and others without a warrant. Cong...

In the biggest Supreme Court cases, Justice Anthony Kennedy, more often that not, is the key swing vote. As the Supreme Court deliberates over the constitutionality of the Affordable ...

A new report by the Pew Center on the States reveals that one of every eight active registrations is either invalid or inaccurate. Along with voters with registrations in multiple states, their findings revealed that approximately 1.8 million dead people are still listed as active voters. Equally troubling is the discovery that one in four people who are eligible to vote — some 51 million people — are not registered. 

Whether or not you buy into the idea of American exceptionalism, the U.S. constitution is an exceptional document: the way in which it was crafted, how it secured the rights of citizens, and how 94 percent of nations have modeled their own charters after it. But if you ask Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the constitution is exactly that: historically exceptional, but now a tad out of date. In a recent interview in Egypt, she stated: "I would not look to the U.S. Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012."

In line with her comments, a new study has found that fewer and fewer nations are modeling their constitutions after ours.

How do you define the right to free speech? Some would argue it means being allowed to say what you believe, even when it's not popular. Others would say it means getting a good look at what kind of prescriptions that your doctor has given you. At least, that's the argument being made in a Supreme Court case today, in which company IMS Health will make a case for allowing pharmaceutical companies to get a gander at just what kind of prescriptions you're picking up at the pharmacy for marketing purposes. 

Adam Liptak, who covers the U.S. Supreme Court for the New York Times, discusses the Wal-Mart and AT&T cases before the court and what impact those rulings with have on the future of class action law suits.

Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times, describes the first day of hearings in the controversial Supreme Court case between the Westboro Baptist Church and a man who is suing them for protesting outside his son's military funeral in 2006.

Sometimes a word is just a word. But other times, it’s an indicator of something more troubling on the part of the speaker. Take, for example, the word “boy.” When being used to refer to a small child, most of us don’t think twice. But when the word “boy” refers to an adult black man, and the speaker is his white supervisor who’s just passed him up for a promotion, it takes on a much different meaning.

It’s for this reason that John Hithon, an employee of the Tyson chicken processing plant in Gadsden, Alabama, sued his employers for workplace discrimination.

• SUPREME COURT TAKEOUT: If Elena Kagan needs help preparing for a potentially long and messy confirmation hearing, The New York Times' Adam Liptak says she should read a 1995 article on the topic that she wrote.
• SPORTS TAKEOUT: We're in the midst of NHL and NBA playoffs. And in the boxing world, Manny Pacquiao won his Congressional election in the Philippines. Sports Contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin updates us on these stories.

 

The biggest issue facing Elena Kagan may be the fact that she's never been a judge. New York Times reporter, Adam Liptak explains.

Justice John Paul Stevens announced on Friday that he will retire this June, after spending 35 years on the bench. Democrats say they want to move quickly into the nomination process in order to have the next justice confirmed by the end of the summer.

• EARTHQUAKE TAKEOUT: A 7.2 earthquake shook Baja, California yesterday afternoon and was felt across Southern California. Susan Hough, seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey gives us the latest from Pasadena.
• COURT TAKEOUT: Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens says he may soon announce his retirement after more than 34 years on the bench. Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent for our partner The New York Times helps predict when the announcement may come and its political implications.

This week, the Supreme Court will hear three very different cases; from corporate trials, to gun control laws, to international torture laws. New York Times Supreme Court correspondent Adam Liptak previews each case.

• CONGRESS TAKEOUT:   Some lawmakers may be facing a conflict of interest as they go toe to toe with Toyota executives.  Communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics, Dave Levinthal, says many of these lawmakers are stockholders in Toyota.
• OLYMPICS PREVIEW: Jason Stallman, reporting on the Winter Olympics for The New York Times, has the latest from Vancouver and looks ahead to Lindsey Vonn's upcoming race.
• SUPREME COURT: Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times, Adam Liptak, explains the Court's latest decision that police may now ad lib the Miranda Rights.

Should kids go to jail for life with no chance of parole, even if they are not murderers? That is the question facing the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, who heard arguments yeste...