When they refused to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said that federal judges would have to "answer for their behavior." Although he later apologized for being "inartful" in his comments, the campaign to limit the third branch of government is going strong. What some conservatives call a "war on faith" by federal judges has turned into a war against the judges themselves. There are moves in Congress to limit their jurisdiction, cut their budgets and make impeachment easier. Have "activist judges" gone too far? Are proposed restrictions constitutional? We examine the latest outbreak of a controversy as old as the constitution with evangelists, legal experts, advocates of judicial independence and a former spokesman for Attorney General Janet Reno. (An extended version of this discussion was originally broadcast earlier today on
To the Point.)
- Making News: City Council President Padilla to Back Villaraigosa
With less than three weeks left until election day, Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla has switched his support from Mayor Hahn to City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa. Rick Orlov, who covers City Hall for the Daily News, assesses the impact of the announcement in the Latino community.
Hahn re-election campaign
Villaraigosa mayoral campaign
Orlov's article on the changing mayoral race
ACLU on religious liberty
CNN feature on removal of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore
TtP (Making News segment) on Supreme Court and Terri Schiavo case
NewsHour segment on the Supreme Court and Ten Commandments
Schiavo case, Senator DeLay on
Supreme Court on Van Orden v Perry
