Well, folks, it's been in the cards for a while, and Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, at the ripe old age of 89, is finally throwing in the towel this summer, setting the stage for another Senate fight over activist judges, etc. The NYT wrote about Stevens last weekend, knowing this retirement announcement was coming since the fall when Stevens hired only one instead of his usual four clerks. more ›

During opening remarks by Sen. Dianne Feinstein in the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Judge Sonia Sotomayor this morning, an anti-abortion protester stood up, shouted something about genocide and the unborn, and was promptly dragged out of the room. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who's presiding over the hearing and therefore in charge of the gavel, was having none of it. The man's name is Robert James, and he's been charged with unlawful conduct and disruption of Congress. No word on whether the God Hates Fags-famed Phelpses -- who never met an event that they couldn't relate back to homosexuality and God's wrath -- have shown up. more ›

OK, listen up! For all those who believe in marriage equality, and even for those who just love a good protest march, DayOfDecision.org has all the details about protests planned for tonight in San Francisco following on the CA Supreme Court's ruling to uphold Prop 8. more ›

KRON4 has this coverage from earlier this morning of protesters at the ready outside the court where the Prop 8 announcement is set to be announced in just over an hour. They also have a separate video from last night's telecast featuring a quick talk with former SF Assistant D.A., Jim Hammer. Over at the Chron, they're pulling at heartstrings with the story of John Callaway, who was married to his husband of 25 years last summer and whose marriage is one of 18,000 that may face invalidation by the court today -- though likely will not. more ›

Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a self-described Newyorican who grew up in a housing project in the Bronx after her parents moved from Puerto Rico, has been tapped by President Obama to be the next Supreme Court justice of the U.S. She was inspired by Perry Mason as a little girl, and has served as a federal judge for New York's Southern District for 17 years. In addition to being the first person of Hispanic descent ever appointed to the court, KCBS reports that Sotomayor brings "more judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice confirmed in the past 70 years." more ›

Openly gay Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank called Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia a "homophobe" in the above interview with 365gay.com. The accurate slam came about when Frank was discussing same-sex marriages and the Supreme Court more ›

In a case closely watched by Silicon Valley corporate types, a federal jury in San Francisco returned a guilty verdict against Brocade Communications CEO Gregory Reyes for knowingly backdating stock options, so they would count as having been issued at a time when the stock price was lower. While backdating is not in and of itself against the law, the SEC says that backdating and not telling your investors about it constitutes criminal fraud. Reyes was convicted on all 10 charges filed against him; 9 of which call for a 20-year sentence. Reyes is 44. more ›

She's going out like Jay-Z, Michael Jordan, and Stephen King -- after her erstwhile "retirement," former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's coming back in the game. The former Justice is (.pdf) sitting by special designation on the Ninth Circuit appellate federal court in San Francisco this week. She was on the bench today and will be there again on Friday. more ›

Well, now that fourteen moderates in the Senate managed to resolve the fili-bunker-buster impasse of the last two years, Bush looks like he's gotten his way, at least with conservative ladies. (Conservative office tyrants, for instance, remain in limbo.) Last week, Justice Priscilla Owen was appointed to the federal appellate court in Texas and today, California's own Justice Janice Rogers Brown will be packing up her bags and heading east to the DC Court of Appeals. DCist's newest addition is San Francisco's latest departure -- so both liberals and conservatives are starting to wonder who the governor's going to appoint to fill Justice Brown's seat on the California Supreme Court. With hot-button topics like, ohhh...., maybe..... GAY MARRIAGE coming up in the next year or so, this one'll be one to watch. more ›