William G. Ross, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University: "Chief Justice Rehnquist's hospitalization for thyroid cancer treatment has provided a sudden and poignant reminder to many voters that the winning candidate in next Tuesday's election is likely to make US court appointments that could have profound political consequences. The future of the Supreme Court, which [...]

O'Kelley et al. v. Cox, Georgia Supreme Court, October 26, 2004 . Excerpt: The fallacy in Appellants' argument is their insistence that they have a legal right not to participate in an election wherein a proposed constitutional amendment may not withstand judicial scrutiny in the event it is passed. However, their rights are limited to [...]

Draft legal opinion for White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales on the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to detainees held by the US in occupied Iraq , US Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel, March 19, 2004 . Read the memo here . [...]

Crime in the United States, 2003; US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, October 27, 2004 . Read the full text of the report here . Reported in JURIST'S Paper Chase here.

Wexler et al. v. LaPore et al., United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Judge James I. Cohn, October 25, 2004 . Excerpt: o voting system is perfect. Distrust in an electorate's ability to properly use new technology does not give rise to an equal protection violation. Read the full text of [...]

Botts v. The State, Georgia Supreme Court, October 25, 2004 . Excerpt: We recognize that persons of ordinary intelligence may understand the dictionary definition of the words "bias" and "prejudice." However, because of the broad signification of these words and the absence of any specific context in which a person's bias or prejudice may apply [...]

Blackenship et al. v. Blackwell, Secy. of State, et al., Ohio Supreme Court, October 22, 2004 . Excerpt: Relators failed to act with the requisite diligence in asserting their claims. Instead, they delayed at least 31 days before raising their claim concerning unprocessed voter registration applications and about four months before challenging the constitutionality of [...]

US v. Salim Ahmed Hamdan; US v. David Matthew Hicks, US Department of Defense Appointing Authority for Military Commissions John T. Altenburg, Jr., October 21, 2004 . Read the full unclassified text of the decision on the challenge for cause here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

US v. Stewart and Bocanovic, Brief for the Defendant-Appellant Martha Stewart, October 20, 2004. Read the full text of the brief here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

JURIST Contributing Editor William G. Ross of Cumberland Law School at Samford University says that although the US Supreme Court has not been a significant issue thusfar in the current Presidential campaign, the likelihood of Presidential appointments to the Court in the next four years, combined with all the high-profile issues the Court addresses, makes [...]