Anthony D'Amato, Northwestern University School of Law:"Although I have been very critical of the President, I write to report how thrilled I was to hear his second-term acceptance speech. He may not have written it, but he ratified it and...

Jack Balkin, Yale Law School:"I liked Bush's second inaugural address, which argued for the cause of freedom around the world, very much. I also liked his first inaugural address, which sounded very moderate, spoke of justice, tolerance, and aid to...

Richard Posner, University of Chicago Law School:"There is a movement afoot, assisted by the strengthening of Republican control over Congress, to impose federal limits on tort litigation, particularly medical malpractice; premiums for malpractice insurance have soared in the last two...

Daniel Tokaji, Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University:"While some advocates are looking to Congress to fix some of the problems that emerged in the 2004 election, this report from electionline.org suggests that they may have better luck in the...

Douglas Berman :"I am trying to come up with a simple take on Booker, and here it is: five Justices (the Apprendi/Blakely five) say the federal sentencing guidelines can no longer operate as mandatory...

Peter Henning, Wayne State University Law School:"At the risk of speaking without thoroughly reviewing all the opinions (wading through Justice Scalia's attack, which includes a reference to "Wonderland"; will have to wait), a couple initial impressions (with quotes).  For a...

Eric Muller, University of North Carolina School of Law: "A source (my mom) just called to tell me that my old boss Mike Chertoff is going to be the new head of Homeland Security. This does not surprise me, and...

Ellen Podgor, Georgia State University College of Law:"Although the Supreme Court did not issue an opinion in the much awaited sentencing cases of Booker and Fanfan, it did rule in Whitfield v. United States. The Court held that a conspiracy...

Jack Balkin, Yale Law School:"The hearings on the nomination of Alberto Gonzales to be Attorney General of the United States have begun. Will no one in Congress say what should be obvious? That Gonzales has brought shame on our country...

Kenneth Anderson, Washington College of Law, American University:"I have caught just bits and pieces of the Gonzales confirmation hearings for Attorney General today. In general, he does not seem to have faced especially bitter attack - on the contrary, I...