Blog Round-up – Tuesday, October 18th

On the Miers nomination:

Law Dork has these musings on judicial independence.

Tax Prof Blog asks, are the Feds investigating Miers’ firm’s tax shelter work?

Concurring Opinions has this post on why social conservatives might be supporting Miers. It discusses this article from yesterday’s Wall Street Journal on whether or not Christian conservatives received assurances that Miers would oppose Roe v. Wade?

The Volokh Conspiracy has this post on Monday’s White House press briefing with Scott McClellan. McClellan had a “pretty amusing” exchange with reporter Helen Thomas about just what the White House means when it says that Harriet Miers won’t “legislate from the bench.”

In other news:

Election Law Blog asks, Will Congress use VRA renewal to undo Georgia v. Ashcroft?

Sentencing Law & Policy has this post titled, “Justice Scalia on Sixth Amendment errors as structural.” In it, Professor Berman analyzes the Court’s decision to grant cert in Recuenco to consider whether Blakely error can be harmless.

Property Prof Blog has this post on the Court’s conference notes from Berman v. Parker. The case, from 1954, established the legality of broad urban-renewal schemes.

ACSBlog has this review of the enemy combatant cases.

UPDATE:

How Appealing links to this segment featuring SCOTUS Blog reporter Lyle Denniston from yesterday’s broadcast of the public radio program “Here and Now.”