Tomorrow on SCOTUSblog: Full Coverage of “DC Guns” Oral Argument
Tomorrow at 10 am eastern, the Court will hear argument in DC v. Heller - better known as the “DC Guns” case - and it is one of the most hotly anticipated oral arguments in recent memory. Only a lucky few will be allowed in the Courtroom tomorrow to watch the hearing, so we’ll be providing full coverage of all of the developments here on SCOTUSblog for everyone else.
The centerpiece of our coverage will be a “LiveBlog” of the oral argument based on the C-SPAN audio feed, and we’ll be debuting a new AJAX-based plugin to bring this to you. You won’t need to do or install anything special to take advantage of this new technology, but with this interface, we’ll be able to “push” updates to you without your needing to refresh your browser as you have in the past. Of course, though we’d love to deliver a true LiveBlog beginning at 10 am with the oral argument (as we have done in the past for the announcement of opinions, and will do again this spring), the Court does not feed oral audio into the press room as it does for opinion announcements, so a true LiveBlog is not possible given the Court’s ban on electronic equipment in the Courtroom. Still, we believe that having a live-updating “transcript” to the C-SPAN feed will allow you to follow the argument far more efficiently than by listening to the audio feed itself. Both the LiveBlog and the C-SPAN broadcast should begin at the close of oral argument, around 11:30 am.
In addition to the LiveBlog, we’ll also be bringing you instant analyses and links to other blogs and news articles, both in the LiveBlog interface and in separate posts. Tom will send his immediate impressions of what transpired at the conclusion of argument, and Lyle will weigh-in with his instant recap as well sometime after that. Overall, we hope that SCOTUSblog will be a resource throughout the day tomorrow for timely updates and analysis of this landmark case as well as a portal for finding further information around the web.
I will be watching this with great interest. The 2nd amendment rights is in fact the last thing that keeps America free in these times of uncertainty. Clearly the rights of the second amendment must follow the logic of “all” the other amendments that are accepted as being for “personal” individual rights. The right to bear arms in the minds of our forefathers who wrote it, clearly are for nothing else but to possess the ability to protect ourselves and our property from tyranny! FBI studies had shown during the Clinton governorship that Northwest Arkansas was the lowest crime rate in the nation at the time. Reason they found was because there was 20,000 hillbillies who would shoot you first and then ask questions later in that region. Would be threats know this and respect this. As long as we possess this right, there can never be an end to America. But to take it away would surely be the end of our republic as we know it! Just my opinion.
Comment by Rick Fairley — March 18, 2008 @ 5:04 am
As a New Jersey I’ll be watching this hearing very closely. I’m hoping the outcome is a positive one, maybe our representatives will start seeing things from a different perspective.
Comment by Tony Aguilar — March 18, 2008 @ 10:06 am
I meant to say a resident of New Jersey……
Comment by Tony Aguilar — March 18, 2008 @ 10:06 am
This is truly an historic hour. Are we a free people or not? That there is even an argument or the Right to Keep and Bear Arms shows Not All Is Well with the Republic. It is with great hope and trepidation I watch.
Comment by Robert Harry — March 18, 2008 @ 11:03 am
“The tree of liberty requires the occasional nourishment of the blood of patriots and tyrants.” - Thomas Jefferson
If we let our servants take our guns we lose our status as the sovereign people of these united states and a the servants become master.
“Government is not reason. It is not eloquence. It is FORCE, and like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” - George Washington
God save our republic!
Comment by James Brewster — March 18, 2008 @ 11:04 am
“Those who beat their guns into plows, will plow for those who don’t.”
Thomas Jefferson
I don’t think it couldn’t be any clearer what our forefathers intended with the 2nd amendment. And it still applies today.
Comment by Gary Moeller — March 18, 2008 @ 4:12 pm
Tony:
I’m a former resident of Montclair currently living in Indiana. Heller give me hope that there may be some relief for 2nd Amendment advocates in Joisey.
Comment by Richard Cook — April 22, 2008 @ 3:21 pm