U.S. Supreme Court
By Eric Ostermeier on March 3, 2013
Did the president hint at his potential career ambition of becoming a Supreme Court justice during a recent news conference?
By Eric Ostermeier on June 28, 2012
A look back at what Romney and the 2012 GOP field said about the now controversial Chief Justice who wrote to uphold most of the Affordable Care Act.
By Eric Ostermeier on June 27, 2012
Obama's critical comments of the Court outweigh favorable comments by more than a 4:1 margin since taking office.
By Eric Ostermeier on June 25, 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court's net confidence rating during Barack Obama's presidency is at an all-time low since Gallup's measurement began in the early 1970s.
By Eric Ostermeier on October 11, 2010
Includes panelists from Common Cause Minnesota, Alliance for a Better Minnesota, and the executive director of the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board
By Eric Ostermeier on August 5, 2010
Six of the last seven presidents have faced increased opposition to get their second SCOTUS justice seated; Kagan receives third most 'nay' votes among successful nominees in history
By Eric Ostermeier on July 1, 2010
Only 11 of 111 justices have been born in the 24 states west of the Mississippi River; just 25 percent over the last 50 years
By Eric Ostermeier on June 29, 2010
No other state west of the Mississippi River has given birth to more justices than the Gopher State
By Eric Ostermeier on June 29, 2010
Over half of Supreme Court Justices throughout history have served in or sought partisan legislative or executive offices
By Eric Ostermeier on May 12, 2010
Presidents since Woodrow Wilson have faced increased Senatorial opposition in attempts to get their second Supreme Court Justice seated; only 1 such nominee out of 13 received greater support from Senate
By Eric Ostermeier on December 31, 2009
A brief survey of five of the top stories at Smart Politics in 2009
By Eric Ostermeier on August 11, 2009
Last week's vote in the U.S. Senate confirming Sonia Sotomayor as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court was noteworthy foremost, of course, for Sotomayor being the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Court. But the Senate vote was also significant for the Republicans and what emerged...
By Eric Ostermeier on August 6, 2009
In the months after President Barack Obama's selection of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court, political analysts and even a few Republicans (e.g. Joe Scarborough) have characterized GOP opposition to and harsh questioning of the new Associate Justice as politically unwise. Such Republican Senators were cautioned and urged to...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 2, 2009
Yesterday Smart Politics challenged the popular notion that Presidents have been eying younger Supreme Court nominees in recent years, presumably to deepen their impact and legacy on the Supreme Court as the judicial branch has become seen as more partisan. But an analysis of U.S. Senate confirmation data found the...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 1, 2009
Many commentators and political analysts have speculated that Barack Obama's nomination of U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court was based not only on his agreement with her judicial philosophy, but also her gender, ethnicity (Hispanic), and youth (54 years old). In fact, political observers have...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 7, 2009
With the recent announcement by Associate Justice David Souter that he intends to retire from the Supreme Court this year, all eyes are on President Barack Obama to see who he will send up to the U.S. Senate for confirmation hearings in the coming weeks or months. Obama, of course,...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 23, 2007
In a 5-4 decision reached last week the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a federal ban on the medical procedure known as 'partial birth abortion.' The procedure was a rallying cry for right-to-life advocates, although even some abortion rights supporters were in favor of the ban. But...
