DOCUMENTS IN THE NEWS - 2005
Court Decisions

Gay Marriage

Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health (Mass Supreme Court)
• Text of Massachusetts Supreme Court decision on Nov. 18, 2003 requiring state to permit gay marriages by May 2004
• Advisory Opinion to State Senate
  • Opinion dated Feb. 3, 2004 that clarifies intent: gay marriage and rather than civil unions required by May 2004 in Massachusetts
  • Another Copy of Draft Opinion

Marriage Laws State-by-State (Family Research Council)

• Quotes laws of those states which have defined marriage as a man-woman relationship

Lawrence v. Texas

• Supreme Court Decision of June 26, 2002 outlawing sodomy ban in Texas

Defense of Marriage Act

• Federal legislation passed in 1996 describing marriage as involving one man and one woman
• PL 104-199; H.R. 3396

Lockyer v. San Francisco

• California Supreme Court ruling that nullifies San Francisco's same sex marriages in January and February 2004
• Opinion issued August 12, 2004

Vermont Guide to Civil Unions

• Step-by-step buide to applying for a civil union certificate
• Frequently-asked questions

Harriet Miers (Supreme Court Nominee)

President's Announcement
• Includes Ms. Miers acceptance
• October 3, 2005
Information on Harriet Miers (UMich Law Library)
• Selection of briefs and articles written by Ms. Miers
• News articles and biographies
Senate Judiciary Committee
• Miers's Responses to Senate Judiciary Committee Questions
  • Includes detailed biography
  • Provides answers to questions on public and private service, jury trials, constitutional experience, teaching experience, potential conflicts of interest
  • Article appeared on the web version of the Washington Post on October 20, 2005 and was dated Oct. 18
  • PDF version from NPR
• Request for Additional Information
  • Letter written by Arlen Specter, chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Patrick Leahy, leading minority member
• Supplemental Questionnaire (submitted Oct. 26, 2005)
WITHDRAWAL
• Letter of Withdrawal
  • Letter to President dated October 27, 2005
  • Cites Senators' desire to access privileged conversations between her and President Bush
• President's Acceptance of Her Withdrawal

John Roberts (Supreme Court Nominee)

President Bush nominated Roberts to the Supreme Court on July 19, 2005
• President's Announcement
President Bush nominated Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States on September 5, 2005
• President's Announcement
Hot Topics: Information on John Glover Roberts, Jr., Nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (UMich Law Library)
• Comprehensive guide, including Roberts' oral arguments, opinions, briefs, and National Archives records
Biographies
• Biography and Resume
  • Issued by the Justice Department in 2003 as support for his circuit court nomination
• Questionnaire For Senate Judiciary Committee
  • Details of previous cases and his position
  • Financial statements
  • Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
Confirmation Hearings for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
• Hearings held by Senate Judiciary Committee, Sept. 12-15, 2005
• Video available from C-Span
• UMich affiliates should use Congressional Universe/Testimony for the transcriptions until the full text is published by the Government Printing Office
Confirmation Hearings for D.C. Circuit Court, 2003
• Confirmation on Federal Appointments, Part 1 (Senate Judiciary Committee)
  • Roberts testimony of January 29, 2003 is scattered on p. 27-139, 248-499
  • Y 4.J 89/2:S. Hrg. 108-135, pt. 1
  • Entire publication is 23 MB
  • Another Copy
• Confirmation on Federal Appointments, Part 3 (Senate Judiciary Committee)
  • Roberts discussed his viewpoints on April 30, 2003, pages 9-79 and 181-193
  • Y 4.J 89/2:S. Hrg. 108-135, pt. 3
  • Entire publication is 41 MB
  • Another Copy
D.C. Circuit Court Decisions
• Full text of court decisions since 1997
• Arranged by date of decision only
Nomination Hearings for Supreme Court Justices (GPO)
• PDF versions of Senate Judiciary nomination hearings for the late William Rehnquist, Sandra Day O'Connor, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, David Souter, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, and John Paul Stevens
• Some hearings are 40 MB
Previous Justices
• Federal Judges Biographical Database (FJC)
  • Biographies of all federal judges at all levels beginning 1789
  • Browsable by last name
  • Searchable by nominating President, gender, race, termination date and reason, court type
  • Separate list of judicial impeachments
• Supreme Court Justices of the Last Hundred Years (UMich)
  • Spreadsheet showing presidents since Teddy Roosevelt, their years in office, and the names of their appointments to the Supreme Court
  • Justices are also identified by their status (chief/associate) and the years they held office
• Supreme Court Nominations (Law Library of Congress)
  • Separate tables provide primary information on the current sitting justices and four who were not confirmed (Bork, Carswell, Haynsworth, and Thornberry)
  • Includes hearings, floor debates, floor votes, and Senate floor statements

Samuel Alito (Supreme Court Nominee)

Nominated to Supreme Court by President Bush on October 31, 2005
• President's Announcement and Alito's Acceptance
• President's Talking Points
Information on Samuel A Alito, Jr., Nominee for Justice of the Supreme Court (U-M Law Library)
• Extensive links to texts of opinions, briefs, and articles
• Law Library of Congress also has a web page
Biographies
• Biography from Federal Judicial Data Base
• Initial Confirmation Hearing
  • Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments, part 5
  • Held by Senate Judiciary Commitee, March 1-April 5, 1990
  • Documents Center CIS microfiche (91)S 521-26 and Documents Center paper: Y 4.J89/2:S.hrg. 101-651/pt.5
  • Digital Version (Library of Congress Law Library)
Court Decisions
• Third Circuit Court of Appeals

Terri Schiavo

Terri's Fight
• Advocacy web site for retaining Terri Schiavo's feeding tube
• Court documents and time line
• Articles and Florida laws supporting its position
• Request for donations
News Articles
• Schiavo Case (FindLaw)
  • Court orders, decisions, and legislation on the Terry Schiavo case beginning with 1993
  • Decisions in the previous Cruzan and Quinlan cases
  • Legal articles
  • Articles on living wills and power of attorney
• Terri Schiavo Case (ABC News)
  • Primarily articles explaining the current situation and giving historical background
Living Wills
• Five Wishes
  • Its booklet entitled Five Wishes allows users to designate their own medical decision maker, the kind of medical treatment desired, pain relief, how you want to be treated at the end of life, and what you want your loved ones to know
  • Copies available for purchase for $5
• Living Wills (Findlaw)
  • Describes differences between durable power of attorney, living wills, and directives to physicians
  • State laws on living wills
• Wills and Trusts (AllLaw)
  • Samples of living wills, durable power of attorney, and health care directives

Grace York, Coordinator, Documents Center
University of Michigan Library
Graphics by Sherry Piontek and Barbara Perles
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