AdamLiptak

NYT Says 'Old' Constitution Outdated for Failing to Guarantee 'Entitlements' Like Health Care

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:39:00 +0000

Clay Waters

Sorry, Founders: The 'terse and old' U.S. Constitution has been ruled out of date by Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak for failing to provide such 'rights' as free health care.

'Terse, Old' Constitution Outdated for Failing to Guarantee 'Entitlements' Like Health Care

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:46:00 +0000

Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak conflates constitutional rights with entitlements: "But the Constitution is out of step with the rest of the world in failing to protect, at least in so many words, a right to travel, the presumption of innocence and entitlement to food, education and health care."

Clay Waters

Sorry, Founders: The 'terse and old' U.S. Constitution has been ruled out of date by Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak for failing to provide such 'rights' as free health care.

Front-Page Embrace for Free Speech of 'God Hates Fags' Folk, But Not for Political Speech

admin — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:05:00 +0000

The lead sentence to Adam Liptak's lead story today on the free-speech victory for the funeral picketers of Westboro: "The First Amendment protects hateful protests at military funerals, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in an 8-to-1 decision." Liptak's lead sentence in his lead story last year on the free-speech victory for corporations: "Overruling two important precedents about the First Amendment rights of corporations, a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections."

Clay Waters

Thursday's New York Times led with the Supreme Court's 8-1 decision in the case pitting Westboro Baptist Church, the notorious roaming enclave that pickets funerals holding signs bearing messages like "God Hates Fags," against the family of a Marine who died in Iraq, Matthew Snyder, whose funeral was picketed.

Sunday Front Page: Clarence Thomas Caught in Quiet-Gate Controversy!

admin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:19:00 +0000

News you can use: "The anniversary will probably be observed in silence. A week from Tuesday, when the Supreme Court returns from its midwinter break and hears arguments in two criminal cases, it will have been five years since Justice Clarence Thomas has spoken during a court argument."

Clay Waters

Besides the drumbeat of criticism of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over his speaking engagements in front of conservative groups, the Times updated another traditional line of Thomas criticism on Sunday's front page: He doesn't speak during Supreme Court arguments (as if that would make the Times any less dismissive of his conservative philosophy).

How Nice: Justice Sotomayor 'Alert to the Humanity' of People in Her Opinions

admin — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor "has displayed a quality - call it what you will - that is alert to the humanity of the people whose cases make their way to the Supreme Court," says Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak.

Clay Waters

After a couple of long, cautionary front-page stories documenting the Supreme Court's "sharp jolt to the right," reporter Adam Liptak on Tuesday took a shorter, mostly sympathetic look at the empathy and "humanity" shown by Obama's liberal pick, Justice Sonia Sotomayor in "Sotomayor Guides Courts' Liberal Wing."

The NYT Co. Files Friend of the Court Brief in Favor of 'God Hates Fags' Church

admin — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:37:00 +0000

The Times supports the First Amendment rights of the despicable "God Hates Fags" funeral picketers, led by Fred Phelps, but other kinds of free speech like campaign advertising by corporations are just too offensive for the Times to defend.

Clay Waters

The New York Times, which is opposed to First Amendment protections for political advertising, has an untrammeled view of First Amendment rights when it comes to violent video games and even the picketing of soldiers' funerals by the family of Fred Phelps, infamous for their "God Hates Fags" signs and other despicable messages. The New York Times Co. has filed a "friend of the court" brief with the Supreme Court (along with 20 other news outlets) in support of Phelps' church.

Big Front-Page Play for Analysis of Chief Justice Roberts' 'Sharp Jolt to the Right'

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:43:00 +0000

Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak uncovered "a sharp jolt to the right" under Chief Justice John Roberts, and the Times put his 3,000-word story on the Sunday front page.

Clay Waters

Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak's interesting account of studies showing a rightward shift at the Supreme Court, after five years under Chief Justice John Roberts, was played up with a Sunday front-page splash: "The Most Conservative Court in Decades - Under Roberts, Center of Gravity Has Edged to the Right, Analyses Show."

Dubious 'Free Speech' Arguments Color Coverage of Supreme Court's Decision on Banning Terrorist Aid

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:14:00 +0000

Was free speech really harmed by a recent Supreme Court decision? A lead story and lead editorial make the case: "In a case pitting free speech against national security, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld a federal law that makes it a crime to provide 'material support' to foreign terrorist organizations, even if the help takes the form of training for peacefully resolving conflicts."

Clay Waters

Tuesday's lead story from Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak tackled the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision upholding a federal law against providing "material support" to groups on the State Department's terrorist list, even if the intention is to bolster "non-violent" elements. Liberals justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor were in dissent.

The 'Conservative Bent' of Justice John Paul Stevens

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:29:00 +0000

Liberal Justice John Paul Stevens, friend of humanity: "He has been alert to the humanity of the people whose cases made their way to the court." In a series of articles on Stevens' retirement, the Times talked up the Supreme Court's alleged rightward drift, while downplaying Stevens' liberal opinions and painting him as some kind of conservative in his early years on the bench.

Clay Waters

This weekend's front pages were dominated by the announced retirement of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, with stories looking back at his legacy as well as looking toward the upcoming political battle over replacement him with someone possibly as liberal, provided on Sunday (with the usual ideological disparity) in a story by Peter Baker and Carl Hulse, "G.O.P. Weighs Political Price Of Court Fight." A sampling:

Great Minds Think Alike, and So Do Times Legal Reporters

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:51:00 +0000

Charlie Savage on Justice Stevens, April 9: "In cases involving prisoners held without charge at the American naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the mentally retarded on death row, his version of American justice propelled by common sense and moral clarity commanded a majority."Adam Liptak on Justice Stevens, Jan. 26: "In cases involving prisoners held without charge at Guantánamo Bay and the mentally retarded on death row, his version of American justice was propelled by common sense and moral clarity, and it commanded a majority."

Clay Waters

Legal reporter Charlie Savage's online report on the long-expected retirement of liberal Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, filed on Friday afternoon, had a familiar ring to it, which went beyond the usual effusiveness the paper bestows on liberal justices.

Times Lauds Left-Wing Radical as 'Civil Rights Lawyer'

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:08:00 +0000

Ralph Fertig runs a left-wing pressure group, but to Times Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak he's just a "civil rights lawyer," and his wish to provide legal support to a Kurdish group in Turkey with terror links is portrayed as a free speech issue. The Times lets us know what to think in a text box: "Does a tool for dealing with the nation's enemies violate its values?"

Clay Waters

On Thursday, Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak profiled radical leftist lawyer Ralph Fertig at his home in Los Angeles, in his story on an upcoming Supreme Court case: "Right to Free Speech Collides With Fight Against Terror." Liptak actually used the more benign appellation "civil rights lawyer."

Justice Samuel Alito: This Year's Joe 'You Lie' Wilson?

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak finds both Obama and the Justice Sam Alito guilty of a "breach of decorum," Obama for attacking the Supreme Court's decision in his State of the Union address, Alito for mouthing two words to himself.

Clay Waters

Is mild-mannered Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito this year's version of Rep. Joe "You Lie" Wilson?

In his Friday "Washington Memo," "A Rare Rebuke, In Front of a Nation," Adam Liptak, ,the paper's Supreme Court beat reporter argued the justice committed a "breach of decorum" when he silently mouthed the words "not true" after a rhetorical attack by the president at the State of the Union Address.

The 'Common Sense and Moral Clarity' of the Supreme Court's Most Left-Wing Justice

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:14:00 +0000

Legal reporter Adam Liptak lauds Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who holds down the far left of the Supreme Court: "In cases involving prisoners held without charge at Guantánamo Bay and the mentally retarded on death row, his version of American justice was propelled by common sense and moral clarity, and it commanded a majority."

Clay Waters

Legal reporter Adam Liptak's "Sidebar" legal column summed up what may be the last term of liberal Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, "Stevens Era, Nearing End, Takes On An Edge."

Times Fails to Hail Free Speech Victory in Supreme Court, Frets Over 'Corrupting of Democracy'

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:34:00 +0000

The nation's leading newspaper would of course celebrate a First Amendment victory at the Supreme Court, right? Well, not exactly. Front-page headline: "Dissenters Argue That Ruling Will Corrupt Democracy."

Clay Waters

Friday's lead slot was dominated by the Supreme Court's expected but still momentous decision rejecting limits on corporate campaign spending in elections. While the five more conservative justices took the free speech side, the four liberals argued for limits on the ability of corporations, non-profits, and labor unions to spend money advocating for or again politicians during campaigns.

Times "Right to Privacy" Actually All About Abortion

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:51:00 +0000

Does the heated issue of abortion, which involves more than one human being, really merit the protective covering of the phrase, a "right to privacy"?

Clay Waters

Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak offered a front-page treatise Sunday on how to get confirmed to the high court: "Path to Court: Speak Capably But Say Little." Basically, avoid hot-button topics like Roe v. Wade, the controversial 1973 Supreme Court decision that conjured up a constitutional right to abortion.