Against a background of a hotly-fought election, with some of the issues before the Court like immigration and health care reform sure to contribute to the ideological divide, “rambunctious” may prove to be an understatement of the nine months ahead.
In recent years, the US Supreme Court has taken a predictable course with right-wingers on the bench imposing their ideology, but Monday brought a notable change.
In a 5-4 ruling, the State of California was ordered to reduce its overcrowded prison population by 30,000. The ruling followed displays in court of photographs of inmates crowded into an open gymnasium-style rooms and “telephone-booth-sized cages without toilets".
In the 1980s, California imposed a "three strikes rule" for offenders. If you were found guilty of a third felony, there was an automatic sentence of 25 years, regardless of the nature of the offence. Sentencing discretion was removed from judges.
Monday, October 3, 2011 at 9:00