Eminent Domain

SCOTUS has posted the schedule for the Supreme Court's April oral arguments. These are the last oral arguments of the terms. After that, the Justices work diligently to pound out those opinions by the end of June. Here's what's on the docket...

Mon., April 16
05-85 -- Powerex Corp. v. Reliant Energy Services -- definition of how a foreign business firm may qualify as an agent of a foreign government for purposes of U.S. court jurisdiction
06-593 -- Long Island Care at Home v. Coke -- right to overtime pay for home care workers who are employed by agencies, not by families

Tue., April 17
06-340 and 06-549 -- National Association of Homebuilders v. Defenders of Wildlife and EPA v. Defenders of Wildlife -- duty of federal agencies to avoid harms to endangered species (Consolidated for one hour or argument)
06-531 -- Struhs v. Wyner-- nature of victory in court needed to justify attorney fee shifting
(afternoon) 06-413 -- Uttecht v. Brown -- federal court authority to overturn state judge's removal of a juror in a murder trial

Wed., April 18
06-427 -- Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assoc. v. Brentwood Academy -- prep schools' right to recruit student athletes despite a state policy forbidding it
06-341 -- BCI Coca -Cola Bottling v. EEOC -- employer liability for alleged bias of subordinate who did make the actual employment decision at issue
(afternoon) 06-6407 -- Panetti v. Quarterman -- constitutionality of executing a death row inmate who has a delusion about why he is being executed

Mon., April 23
06-562 -- U.S. v. Atlantic Research Corp. -- right of a company responsible for hazardous waste deposit to sue to share clean-up costs with others
06-8120 -- Brendlin v. California -- authority of police during traffic stop to order passengers out of car
(afternoon) 06-376 -- Hinck v. U.S. -- Tax Court jurisdiction over claim to relief from assessed interest on taxes due

Tue., April 24
06-134 -- Permanent Mission of India v. City of New York -- immunity from local property taxes for foreign embassy properties used as diplomats' residences
05-1448 --- Beck v. PACE International Union -- pension plan sponsor's duty to consider merger as a way of terminating the plan without ending benefits
(afternoon) 06-618 -- Office of Dayton v. Hanson -- Speech or Debate Clause application to congressional employee's job rights lawsuit; also, mootness and jurisdictional issues

Wed., April 25
06-969 and 06-970 -- FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life and McCain v. Wisconsin Right to Life -- constitutionality of federal ban on broadcasts planned for airing in election season, when the ban is applied to specific broadcasts (Consolidated for one hour of argument)
05-1284 -- Watson v. Philip Morris -- right to move a state case to federal court when it involved actions by a private entity acting under mandate of a federal agency

I will be watching three of these cases closely: the consolidated National Association of Homebuilders v. Defenders of Wildlife and EPA v. Defenders of Wildlife, Brendlin v. California, and the consolidated FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life and McCain v. Wisconsin Right to Life. The notoriously litigious Defenders of Wildlife are always suing someone over federal environmental law. After last term's Rapanos decision, I'm eager to see what the Roberts Court does with this. Brendlin caught my eye because it seems like an interesting case that will affect more than just law nerds who love Con law. I had a feeling that the Right to Life cases would be the last ones argued. I get the feeling that the decision will be one of the last handed down as well. Of course, I am actively rooting for the FEC, McCain, and Feingold to get their noses rubbed in it over their atrocious law. Come on, Court. Don't fail me now.