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Martin DyckmanOctober 15, 2015

It can be perilous to predict the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case by the questions justices ask during the oral argument, but this once I’ll hazard a guess: Florida’s death-sentencing law is in deep trouble. The better question, in fact, is not whether Pensacola killer Timothy Hurst will win his appeal but how […]

Martin DyckmanJuly 20, 2015

None of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices has ever had the gut-wrenching experience of looking another person in the face to say, “I sentence you to die.” They have passed on or passed up hundreds of capital appeals, but that’s far removed from having to impose a death sentence at trial. “It’s hard to […]

Martin DyckmanJuly 20, 2015

None of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices has ever had the gut-wrenching experience of looking another person in the face to say, “I sentence you to die.” They have passed on or passed up hundreds of capital appeals, but that’s far removed from having to impose a death sentence at trial. “It’s hard to […]

Guest AuthorJuly 9, 2015

If you want to see how unsophisticated and implacable Republicans can be on race, you should have been at the Hillsborough County Charter Review Board (stacked with Republican functionaries) meeting on Tuesday. Besides the inevitable (and highly entertaining) fireworks the meeting was bound to ignite, it was the absence of even a genuine conversation and […]

Peter SchorschJune 28, 2015

I am certain the public’s opinion is as divided on the subjects of gay marriage and Obamacare – and, in particular, this week’s SCOTUS rulings – as the court itself. And although this is not a post about the meaning or effect of either ruling, I can’t help but wonder if dissenter-in-chief Antonin Scalia has […]

Guest AuthorMay 14, 2015

I can’t remember the last time I felt angry, either on a political or personal level. Fiery, passionate…sure. I got a little miffed when Zayn left One Direction. But real anger? Maybe I’m too tired, or too middle-aged, but it’s been years since I’ve experienced that kind of energy. Anger is unproductive and a waste […]

Martin DyckmanNovember 20, 2013

A narrow majority on the Supreme Court reads the Constitution as if the calendar had not turned since 1791. According to Justice Antonin Scalia, the court’s duty is to “begin with the text, and to give that text the meaning that it bore when it was adopted by the people.” The trouble — and yes, […]

Tag: Justice Antonin Scalia

Martin Dyckman: Why Florida’s death-sentencing law is likely in trouble

Martin Dyckman: Looming narrow point of law could clear death row

Martin Dyckman: Looming narrow point of law could clear death row

Chris Timmons: Hillsborough County and race: Historical fact — America ain't never been colorblind

Peter Schorsch: Antonin Scalia takes turn to the bizarre

Catherine Durkin Robinson: The downside of anger — personally and politically

Martin Dyckman: Court’s ‘originalism’ rulings threaten American Republic