Nina Totenberg

NPR legal correspondent

Nina Totenberg appears in the following:

Supreme Court Tests Limits Of Voter Registration Law

Monday, March 18, 2013

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a case that seeks to redefine a federal law aimed at streamlining the nation's voter registration process.

Congress enacted the law 20 years ago after it found that 40 percent of eligible voters were not registered to vote. Under the 1993 National ...

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Can States Go Beyond Federal Law On Voter Registration?

Monday, March 18, 2013

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in a case that could upend the federal effort to spur and streamline voter registration.

At issue is an Arizona law that requires prospective voters to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote. A federal appeals court ruled last year that ...

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In Voting Rights Arguments, Chief Justice Misconstrued Census Data

Friday, March 01, 2013

At the voting rights argument in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts tore into Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, grilling him on his knowledge of voting statistics.

The point the chief justice was trying to make was that Massachusetts, which is not covered by the preclearance ...

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Administration Asks Supreme Court To End Calif. Gay-Marriage Ban

Friday, March 01, 2013

The Obama administration has filed a friend of the court brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down California's ban on gay marriage as a denial of "equal protection under the law." But the brief does not call for the abolition of all state bans on same-sex ...

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Supreme Court Weighs Future Of Voting Rights Act

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Once again, race is front and center at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. And once again, the bull's eye is the 1965 Voting Rights Act, widely viewed as the most effective and successful civil rights legislation in American history. Upheld five times by the court, the law now appears ...

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Supreme Court Makes It Harder To Challenge Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

A sharply divided Supreme Court has made it practically impossible for American citizens to challenge the constitutionality of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

FISA is the federal law that authorizes large-scale electronic surveillance of phone calls and emails to and from targets abroad and individuals in the United States. By ...

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Supreme Court Considers If Warrantless DNA Swab Violates Constitution

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on Tuesday in a case that could throw a monkey wrench into the widespread use of DNA testing — a case that pits modern technology against notions of personal privacy.

Twenty-eight states and the federal government have enacted laws that provide for automatic DNA ...

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A Justice Deliberates: Sotomayor On Love, Health And Family

Monday, January 14, 2013

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is open about how she benefited from affirmative action, how she came to terms with her diabetes and the "out-of-body experience" of being appoin...

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Supreme Court To Look At Who Is A 'Supervisor' In Harassment Cases

Monday, November 26, 2012

The court's answer to that question could significantly restrict employer liability in racial and sexual harassment cases, or, in the view of some business organizations, it could result in frivolous litigation.

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Supreme Court To Review Voting Rights Act

Friday, November 09, 2012

The court said it would look at a key provision that requires certain jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to get approval before changing any election procedures. For decad...

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Supreme Court Soldiers On, Despite Sandy

Monday, October 29, 2012

While the rest of the federal government shut down Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court was open for business as usual — at least long enough to hear two cases argued. It is hardly the firs...

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Surveillance Act Criticized, But Can It Be Fought?

Monday, October 29, 2012

The Supreme Court will consider whether to allow a challenge to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Monday. Opponents of the law call it unnecessarily intrusive, but that's n...

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Marriage Law Likely Headed To Supreme Court

Friday, October 19, 2012

A federal appeals court ruling has catapulted a New York case to the head of the line, as the Supreme Court considers which of many cases it should use to decide whether the Defense o...

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Arlen Specter, Senator Who Gave No Quarter, Dies

Sunday, October 14, 2012

The five-term senator, a moderate Republican-turned-Democrat, was a key member of the Judiciary Committee and consistently a thorn for leaders of both political parties and their pres...

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Court Questions University's Affirmative Action Plan

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

At issue is whether the University of Texas, Austin discriminated against a white applicant when it did not offer her a spot. At Wednesday's argument, a court majority seemed poised t...

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High Court Preps For Another Headline-Making Term

Monday, October 01, 2012

Decisions are expected this term on affirmative action in higher education, same-sex marriage, the Voting Rights Act and a lot of privacy issues. The court opens the term Monday by ta...

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High Court Bars Mandatory Life Terms For Juveniles

Monday, June 25, 2012

By a 5-4 vote, the court said juveniles may still be sentenced to life without parole, but that to do so automatically, without allowing the judge or jury to consider other factors, w...

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Defense Rests In Roger Clemens Perjury Trial

Monday, June 11, 2012

The arguments came to a close with the baseball star taking the stand. Clemens is accused of lying to Congress about his use of performance enhancing drugs.

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Clemens' Former Trainer Admits Changing Testimony

Friday, May 18, 2012

The prosecution's star witness underwent a withering cross-examination on Thursday at Roger Clemens' perjury trial. Brian McNamee is the only person with firsthand evidence that contr...

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