AFA WINTER, ORLANDO: The Air Force revealed today the existence of a new set of classified electro-optical satellites — the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSAP) — designed to spot other satellites and space debris. What effect might this have on nations, such as, say, China, who realize the enormous military advantage that space provides the… Keep reading →
Give this man a federal judgeship.’ That sounded as if I were desperate, which I was . . . . – Judge Leslie Southwick, in response to a Washington Post headline during his confirmation struggle. In The Nominee: A Political and Spiritual Journey, Judge Leslie H. Southwick chronicles the long path to his current seat on the… Keep reading →
Yes, benchslaps are great fun to read about, especially if you enjoy a little schadenfreude. But benchslaps are not fun to receive — and they’re not always justified. Because of the prestige of judicial office, judges generally get the benefit of the doubt when dishing out benchslaps. But sometimes judges go too far. For example, some observers… Keep reading →
So much for collegiality. When a divided state Supreme Court issued its opinion, one of the dissenters went further than registering disagreement — he wrote a scathing dissent labeling the majority “untruthful” and guilty of crafting a decision “based solely upon whom they want to win or lose” without regard for the law. This is… Keep reading →
WASHINGTON: Special operations types — like those who found and killed Osama bin Laden –may stand tall and do amazing things sometimes, but they tend to be fairly plain spoken. You rarely hear them say something is “astounding,” especially a new weapon. For example, one special operator recently awarded the Silver Star said he would… Keep reading →
The new carrier USS Ford is afloat but still unfinished. THE WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM, CA. 2025: “Where are the carriers?” “In the scrapyard, Mr. President. How about some submarines?” That’s a parody, not a projection. But this hypothetical future isn’t that far off from what experts from four top thinktanks — AEI, CNAS, CSBA, and CSIS — presented this morning… Keep reading →
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published its proposed standards of performance for greenhouse gases emitted from new electric utility steam generating units and stationary combustion turbines on January 8, 2014, opening up a 60-day public comment period. The publication puts to rest rumors that the EPA was reconsidering the pre-publication version of the rule signed… Keep reading →
By ENERGY SOLUTIONS FORUM on January 14, 2014 at 3:30 PM Geologic Carbon Sequestration Schematic (EPA) EPA has issued final Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations to conditionally exclude carbon dioxide (CO2) streams in geologic sequestration activities from the definition of hazardous waste. On January 3, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued final revisions for… Keep reading →
It’s not really surprising that lawyers get paid a lot of money. – Judge Denise Cote, defending Goodwin Procter partner Michael Bromwich’s hourly rate of $1,100for his role as monitor in the Apple e-book case, during a “particularly tense exchange” with Gibson Dunn partner Ted Boutrous, counsel to Apple. (As noted yesterday, Gibson Dunn is home to Ted Olson, the nation’s top-billing partner.) Originally post… Keep reading →
I almost got fired by Chris Christie. Almost, but not quite. From June 2004 until November 2005, while working for then-U.S. Attorney Christie in my home state of New Jersey, I maintained a deliciously dishy blog about federal judges called Underneath Their Robes, offering “news, gossip, and colorful commentary about the federal judiciary.” Because I realized… Keep reading →