As the U.S. Supreme Court considers the fate of the federal Affordable Care Act, legislation in California could pave the way for a state substitute, if needed.

By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
April 1, 2012, 9:42 p.m.

As doubts grow about the survival of the federal healthcare law, state officials are considering ways to keep key elements of the legislation alive in California.

Skepticism of the Affordable Care Act by conservative Supreme Court justices during oral arguments last week has raised the possibility the court will strike the individual mandate to purchase health coverage or throw out the entire law as unconstitutional.

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Advocates of judicial restraint say conservative justices should be wary of the impulse to strike down the healthcare law passed by Congress.

By David G. Savage, Washington Bureau
March 31, 2012, 5:05 p.m.

WASHINGTON — When the incoming Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. came before the Senate for confirmation seven years ago, President Reagan’s solicitor general gave him a warm endorsement as a “careful, modest” judge.

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Money & Politics | Daily Report
March 23, 2012 | Will Evans

Wealthy Californians are keeping the money flowing to super political action committees, even as some state lawmakers want to turn off the faucet.

Super PACs on the left and right drew hefty contributions last month from the rich and famous – such as controversial comedian Bill Maher and GOP mega-donor Jerry Perenchio – as well as from the merely rich.

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George Will

By George F. Will,
Published: February 10, 2012

All elected officials, and those who help finance elections in the expectation that certain promises will be kept — and everyone who cares about the rule of law — should hope the Supreme Court agrees to hear Don Siegelman’s appeal of his conviction. Until the court clarifies what constitutes quid pro quo political corruption, Americans engage in politics at their peril because prosecutors have dangerous discretion to criminalize politics.

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McClatchy Newspapers
Created: 11/09/2011 01:39:10 AM PST

California’s ban on the commercial slaughter of downed livestock will come before the Supreme Court today, in a case that pits state against federal power.

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By Kevin Yamamura
kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 – 1:44 pm

Inmates in orange jumpsuits trudge across the screen against an ominous soundtrack. Gov. Jerry Brown appears in hazy black-and-white footage. Later, a tattooed skinhead and some shirtless thugs loom.

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Friday, October 7, 2011 – 10:15 a.m.

“Fathom the Hypocrisy of a Government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured… but not everyone must prove they are a citizen.”

Associated Press
Posted: 09/27/2011 10:33:32 AM PDT

WASHINGTON – In a case stemming from Rialto, the Supreme Court will decide whether private lawyers hired as outside counsels for governments can be sued.

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Sunday, July 31, 2011 – 09:25 a.m.

The demand for campaign finance reform in San Bernardino County has reared its head once again.

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Corrections officials hope to cut state prison population by 40,000
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 07/09/2011 10:19:28 PM PDT

County jail officials are bracing for a significant influx of prisoners as the state gets closer to sending them thousands of low-level inmates.

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By Michael Doyle
mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com
Published: Tuesday, Jun. 28, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday undercut states’ negotiating clout with Indian tribes, effectively upholding a decision that the state of California overreached when it sought to compel general fund payments in exchange for casino approvals.

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Privatization call draws criticism from officials
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 06/11/2011 10:24:02 PM PDT

Gov. Jerry Brown’s solution to meet a court-ordered prison reduction is to shift low-level state inmates to county jails, but others say turning to private prisons is a good idea as well.

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Inmates eat dinner at the state prison in Lancaster. The November benchmark is the first of four that were set in motion late last month when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ruling requiring the state to shed about 33,000 inmates over the next two years because of severe overcrowding. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times / June 10, 2010)

By Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times
June 8, 2011

Reporting from Sacramento — California is in danger of violating the first court-ordered deadline for cutting its prison population unless lawmakers pass Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax plan, state officials said Tuesday.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Wednesday, Jun. 8, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

California’s prison dilemma is a yeasty mélange of big money, power politics and constitutional law, and it’s difficult to know where one ends and another begins, as Gov. Jerry Brown’s response to last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decree underscores.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 1, 2011

As Gov. Jerry Brown continued pushing his tax plan in a speech today, county leaders lobbying lawmakers on Brown’s behalf said there’s a new reason to think a budget deal may be near.

The recent Supreme Court ruling requiring California to reduce its prison population has been “a game changer” in budget talks, California State Association of Counties Executive Director Paul McIntosh said.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detain suspected illegal immigrants in Phoenix. A Supreme Court ruling will allow the state to revoke business licenses for those who hire undocumented workers. (Nick Oza / Associated Press / May 26, 2011)

By David G. Savage, Washington Bureau
May 26, 2011, 5:59 p.m.

Reporting from Washington— The Supreme Court gave a big boost to proponents of stricter state laws against illegal immigration by upholding Arizona’s “business death penalty” for employers who repeatedly hire undocumented workers.

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Skelton

By George Skelton Capitol Journal
May 26, 2011

From Sacramento– My initial gut reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ordering California to empty its prison cells of 33,000 criminals was that Gov. Jerry Brown should respond: “Easy for you to say. You have bodyguards.

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Drug counseling and education have been severely hampered by overcrowding that has spilled into gymnasiums, like the one at Mule Creek State Prison, above, and meeting rooms. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

By Jack Dolan and Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times
May 25, 2011

Reporting from Sacramento and Los Angeles — California’s effort to shift tens of thousands of inmates out of its chronically overcrowded prisons to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court order could be undone by the state’s tough sentencing laws, persistent recidivism and recurring budget crises, analysts say.

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An undated photo from the California corrections department shows inmates in crowded conditions at the state prison in Lancaster. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

By David G. Savage and Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times
May 24, 2011

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California must remove tens of thousands of inmates from its prison rolls in the next two years, and state officials vowed to comply, saying they hoped to do so without setting any criminals free.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee
Published: Tuesday, May. 24, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Tuesday, May. 24, 2011 – 7:27 am

History should record the late 1970s as an era of pivotal socioeconomic change in California – a new wave of inter- national migration, a shift from an industrial to a post-industrial economy, and a new baby boom.

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February 8th, 2011, 2:30 pm · posted by Kimberly Edds, Staff Writer

The County of Orange’s fight to overturn the county’s generous “3 percent at 50″ pension plan for sheriff’s deputies is not over just yet. Next stop: the California Supreme Court.

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Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The U.S. Supreme Court asked the Obama administration Monday to weigh in on whether California can require Indian tribes to share hundreds of millions of dollars in gambling revenue with the state when they expand their casinos.

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By Howard Mintz

hmintz@mercurynews.com
Posted: 11/28/2010 12:01:00 AM PST
Updated: 11/28/2010 03:48:38 AM PST

For decades, California’s Legislature, governors and a parade of experts in managing state prisons have been unable to fix the state’s overgrown, bloated prison system. Now the U.S. Supreme Court must decide whether three federal judges have the power to do the fixing for them.

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Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 09/16/2010 09:55:35 PM PDT

UPLAND – Medical marijuana cooperatives fighting the city to stay open are looking to the state Supreme Court for help.

An attorney representing three cooperatives in the city has filed a petition for review and an application for a stay with the state Supreme Court in San Francisco.

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Friday, September 10, 2010 – 08:15 a.m.

Remember John Hueston?

Hueston is the high-profile Democratic Party heavyweight Orange County lawyer who convinced the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to hire him for a mission to pursue civil litigation against former County Assessor Bill Postmus and several of Postmus’ former office aides.

In convincing the board of supes to contract for his services, John Hueston presented himself as the federal prosecutor who five years ago secured convictions in jury trials against executives related to the collapse of merchant energy generator Enron.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
September 9, 2010 | 9:18 am

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown tore into Republican rival Meg Whitman on Thursday morning, accusing the billionaire of having a major conflict of interest concerning her proposal to eliminate state taxes on capital gains.

“Her so-called jobs plan, which is as phony as a three-dollar bill, is to give tax breaks to herself in one of grossest conflicts of interest I’ve ever seen in a campaign,” Brown said during his weekly interview on KGO radio in San Francisco.

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The Senate approves Kagan, 63-37, as the nation’s 112th justice, with five Republicans crossing party lines to vote in her favor. For the first time in history, the court includes three female justices.

By James Oliphant, Tribune Washington Bureau

August 5, 2010|12:53 p.m.

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan as the nation’s 112th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday in a largely partisan 63-37 vote.

Kagan, 50, the U.S. solicitor general, replaces the retired Justice John Paul Stevens. Once she is sworn into office, the Supreme Court will include for the first time in history three female justices. She will become the youngest justice to join the court since Clarence Thomas in 1991.

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Published: Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 4A

Republican Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina announced Wednesday that she would not support President Barack Obama’s pick for U.S. Supreme Court.

Fiorina cited what she called U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s “lack of experience as a jurist” as she announced her position.

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PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
August 4, 2010 | 2:11 pm

Republican Senate nominee Carly Fiorina said Wednesday she would oppose the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, citing concerns about her lack of judicial experience, which she said was a “key element” in determining whether a nominee is qualified for the high court.

“As a member of the Court, her duties would be to faithfully interpret the Constitution and, in many cases, to exercise judicial restraint,” Fiorina said in a statement. “Unfortunately, her complete lack of judicial experience coupled with a public record that sheds minimal light on how she would execute these duties gives me great pause about her qualifications to serve on the highest court in the land.”

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10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, June 17, 2010

By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Ontario police officials did not violate the constitutional rights of an officer when they reviewed his personal messages to see if he was abusing privileges with his department-issued text pager, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Some of those messages were sexually explicit.

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If you’re a public employee, can your boss read your text messages sent from your work-issued telecommunications device?

And if your superiors can read your text messages, can they then discipline you for your action and charge you the cost associated with sending them?

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Staff and Wire Reports
Posted: 04/19/2010 05:39:07 PM PDT

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court appears likely to rule against Ontario police officers who claimed the city violated their privacy by reading racy text messages they sent on their employers’ account.

Several justices said Monday that the Police Department acted reasonably in monitoring the text messages in view of its written policy warning employees they have no guarantee of privacy in the use of office computer and electronics equipment.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/01/2010 02:58:28 PM PST

District Attorney Michael A. Ramos called for tighter regulation of political action committees as a way to combat corruption, but some county supervisors questioned whether they have the authority.

Supervisor Neil Derry said local governments cannot impose tighter restrictions on state-regulated PACs. He said a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that found it unconstitutional to place limits on how much corporations and unions can directly give to city elections has prompted the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles to lift contribution limits in their cities.

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By GRIFF PALMER
Published: February 27, 2010

The Supreme Court decision last month allowing corporations to spend unlimited money on behalf of political candidates left a loophole that campaign finance lawyers say could allow companies to pay for extensive political advertising while avoiding the disclosure requirements the court appeared to leave intact.

Experts say the ruling, along with a pair of earlier Supreme Court cases, makes it possible for corporations and unions to donate anonymously to nonprofit civic leagues and trade associations. The groups can then use the money to finance the types of political advertisements that were at the heart of last month’s ruling, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

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Capitol Journal

It “defies logic to presume that a corporation is entitled to the same constitutional rights as the people,” says Ross Johnson of the Fair Political Practices Commission. (Los Angeles Times)

How about tossing all limits and just fully disclosing?
By George Skelton Capitol Journal

January 28, 2010

From Sacramento

Maybe it’s time — time to junk all the political campaign contribution limits with their jumbo loopholes. Just give it up.

In many ways, the restrictions are useless and counterproductive, driving contributions underground and often through the laundry room.

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When justices ruled to strike down laws limiting corporate political spending, they signaled a tough road ahead for Democrats’ regulatory measures.

By David G. Savage

January 24, 2010

Reporting from Washington – Five years ago, when John G. Roberts Jr. became the Supreme Court’s chief justice, he described the job as though he would be a minor functionary, more like an umpire behind the plate than the star of the game. He also said he favored minimal and narrow decisions, rather than broad but divisive rulings that would abruptly change the law.

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Sen. Barbara Boxer’s reelection campaign will largely be the testing ground for the new rules in California.

By Shane Goldmacher

January 22, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento – The U.S. Supreme Court’s sweeping ruling Thursday to allow corporate spending in federal political campaigns could shift the playing field in Sen. Barbara Boxer’s reelection effort, congressional races across California and some municipal elections, notably in Los Angeles and San Diego.

The decision removes prohibitions on corporations and unions from spending their money to influence federal elections.

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In a 5-4 decision that strikes down a 1907 law, the justices say the 1st Amendment gives corporations, just like individuals, a right to spend their own money on political ads for federal candidates.

By David G. Savage

January 21, 2010 | 9:28 a.m.

Reporting from Washington – The Supreme Court today overturned a century-old restriction on corporations using their money to sway federal elections and ruled that companies have a free-speech right to spend as much as they wish to persuade voters to elect or defeat candidates for Congress and the White House.

In a 5-4 decision, the court’s conservative bloc said corporations have the same 1st Amendment rights as individuals and, for that reason, the government may not stop corporations from spending freely to influence the outcome of federal elections.

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Supreme Court to rule in case of employer access to workers’ text messages, privacy at issue

* On 10:28 am EST, Monday December 14, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will decide how much privacy workers have when they send text messages from company accounts.

The justices said they will review a federal appeals court ruling that sided with Ontario, Calif., police officers who complained that the department improperly snooped on their electronic exchanges. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco also faulted the text-messaging service for turning over transcripts of the messages without the officers’ consent.

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