On the Radar: Court report, Plains blizzard, dropping objects, bowl games

Chief justice urges progress naming judges
WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats must find a long-term solution to selecting Federal Judges, Chief Justice John Roberts says, while blaming both sides for the political gridlock of Judicial Nominations in the Senate. "Each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to defending the blocking of judicial nominations, depending on their changing political fortunes," Roberts said Friday in his year-end report. "This has created acute difficulties for some judicial...

Roberts: 'Urgent need' for U.S. judges
Published: Dec. 31, 2010 at 9:42 PM Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and Chief Justice John Roberts emerge from the Supreme Court following her investiture ceremony in Washington, Oct.1, 2010. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts, in his annual report on the federal judiciary, said there is an "urgent need" to appoint more judges to the federal bench. In his year-end report, Roberts called on President Barack Obama and the Senate Friday to address...

Chief justice urges progress naming judges
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans and Democrats must find a long-term solution to selecting Federal Judges, Chief Justice John Roberts says, while blaming both sides for the political gridlock of Judicial Nominations in the Senate. “Each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to defending the blocking of judicial nominations, depending on their changing political fortunes,” Roberts said Friday in his year-end report. “This has created acute difficul...

Chief justice urges progress naming judges (AP)
WASHINGTON – Republicans and Democrats must find a long-term solution to selecting Federal Judges, Chief Justice John Roberts says, while blaming both sides for the political gridlock of Judicial Nominations in the Senate. "Each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to defending the blocking of judicial nominations, depending on their changing political fortunes," Roberts said Friday in his year-end report. "This has created acute difficulties for some judicia...

Chief justice urges progress naming judges
FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010 file picture, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts speaks during a lecture series at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. The Supreme Court will join Congress and the president next year in cutting costs to reduce the federal Deficit, Chief Justice John Roberts said Friday, Dec. 31, 2010 in his year-end report. Republicans and Democrats must find a long-term solution to selecting Federal Judges, Chief Justice John Roberts says, while blaming both side...

Chief Justice Decries Brawling Over Judicial Nominees...
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Chief Justice Decries Brawling Over Judicial Nominees
WASHINGTON—Chief Justice John Roberts decried the partisan warfare that has slowed the appointment of Federal Judges to a crawl, writing in his year-end report Friday that political gamesmanship on Capitol Hill has left some courts burdened with "extraordinary caseloads." "Each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to defending the blocking of Judicial Nominations, depending on their changing political fortunes," the chief justice wrote. He called on Congress an...

Chief Justice Roberts urges end of bickering over judicial nominees
WASHINGTON — There is an "urgent need" for Senate Democrats and Republicans to put aside their bickering and fill federal judicial vacancies, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote Friday in his annual State of the Judiciary report. It was his first comment about the partisan gridlock on judges that affects President Obama's nominees. Roberts noted that Democratic and Republican presidents have been frustrated by the "persistent problem" of senators from the opposing party blocking action on n...

Supreme Court to cut costs to fight deficit
Chief Justice John Roberts says the federal judiciary will join Congress and the president next year in cutting costs to reduce the federal Deficit. Roberts, in his year-end report, said he has asked Supreme Court personnel to cut unnecessary expenses. Their efforts will allow the court to request less money in next year's Budget. Roberts says not many other Federal Government entities can say that. Roberts also called on the Senate to find a long-term solution to selecting and confirming federa...

Chief Justice John Roberts issues yearly report on the state of the Judiciary
ABC News’ Ariane de Vogue reports: In his yearly report on the state of the Judiciary released at 6 pm on New Years Eve, Chief Justice John Roberts expresses concern that budgetary constraints due to the economic down turn and the "persistent problem" of judicial vacancies are hampering the work of the Judicial Conference to plan for the future. The Conference--the federal judiciary's policy-making body-- is made up of all the chief  judges of the Federal Court of appeal...

Justice Roberts urges end to partisan fights blocking action on federal judges
Source: Washington Post There is an "urgent need" for Senate Democrats and Republicans to put aside their bickering and fill federal judicial vacancies, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote Friday in his annual State of the Judiciary report. It was his first comment about the partisan gridlock on judges that affects President Obama's nominees. But Roberts noted that Democratic and Republican presidents have been frustrated by the "persistent problem" of senators from the opposing party block...

UPI Sports Calendar for Saturday, Jan. 1
Published: Dec. 31, 2010 at 11:30 PM Northwestern vs. Texas Tech at Dallas, noon Alabama vs. Michigan State at Orlando, Fla., 1 p.m. Florida vs. Penn State at Tampa, Fla., 1 p.m. Mississippi State vs. Michigan at Jacksonville, Fla., 1:30 p.m. Wisconsin vs. TCU at Pasadena, Calif., 5:10 p.m. Connecticut vs. Oklahoma at Glendale, Ariz., 8:30 p.m. Next Story: COL FB: Florida St. 26, South Carolina 17 SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- American actors Brad Pit and Angelina Jolie, fresh from celebra...

The Chief Justice on the President's State of the Union Address
Chief Justice Roberts has issued his 2010 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary. Among the topics the Chief Justice addresses is the "persistent problem . . . in the process of filling judicial vacancies," a problem that has "created acute difficulties for some judicial districts." The Chief deems the cause of the problem to be that "each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to defending the blocking of Judicial Nominations, depending on their [sic] changing polit...

Chief Justice Roberts Blasts Lawmakers On Judicial Nominations
Citing the economic downturn as one of two "immediate obstacles" to improving the performance of the federal judiciary, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts also focuses part of his annual year-end report on the other problem he sees hampering the judicial branch: political intransigence in confirming Federal Judges. Roberts says the nomination and confirmation of federal judges has become a persistent problem. "Each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to...

Florida State Defeats South Carolina 26-17 In Chick-fil-A Bowl
Gamecocks (9-5) were seeking their first 10-win season since 1984. Atlanta, GA -- Quarterback EJ Manuel threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to stop a South Carolina rally and lead Florida State to a 26-17 victory over the turnover-plagued Gamecocks in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Friday night. Chris Thompson ran for 147 yards and a touchdown and Dustin Hopkins kicked four field goals for the No. 23 Seminoles (10-4), who reached 10 wins for the first time since 2003. Manuel took over for senior quar...

COL FB: Florida St. 26, South Carolina 17
ATLANTA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Taiwan Easterling caught a 7-yard pass TD to end a key fourth-quarter drive Friday, lifting Florida State to a 26-17, Chick-fil-A Bowl win over South Carolina. The Seminoles had scored only one touchdown heading into the final period but Dustin Hopkins kicked four field goals to give Florida State a 19-10 lead. South Carolina's Brian Maddox then scored on a 7-yard run to bring the Gamecocks within 19-17 with 11:56 to play. Florida State took over at its own 37-yard line...

Gamecocks Lose Star Player In Bowl Game
ATLANTA, GA -- South Carolina tailback and Upstate native Marcus Lattimore suffered a cut to his mouth and a Concussion on a big hit by Florida State cornerback Greg Reid during the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta Friday night. He has not returned to the game. Lattimore, the star freshman who did not lose a fumble in the Regular Season, lost the ball when hit by Reid on South Carolina's first possession on Friday night. Linebacker Kendall Smith picked up the fumble and returned the ball 46 yards as ...

Boise State's Petersen is Bobby Dodd coach of year
Boise State's Chris Petersen has won the Bobby Dodd coach of the year award. The award was announced at halftime of the Chick-fil-A Bowl game between South Carolina and Florida State on Friday night. The award is selected from a vote of all previous winners and a panel chosen by the Bobby Dodd Foundation. Petersen was a unanimous selection. Petersen has averaged 12 wins in his five seasons at Boise State, including two undefeated seasons. The Broncos have won four Western Athletic Conference cha...

Supreme Court to cut costs to fight deficit (AP)
WASHINGTON – Chief Justice John Roberts says the federal judiciary will join Congress and the president next year in cutting costs to reduce the federal Deficit. Roberts, in his year-end report, said he has asked Supreme Court personnel to cut unnecessary expenses. Their efforts will allow the court to request less money in next year's Budget. Roberts says not many other Federal Government entities can say that. Roberts also called on the Senate to find a long-term solution to selecting ...

The Supreme Court as the *Person of the Year*: Bob Burnett on the *Citizens United* Decision
2010 “Person” of the Year: The U.S. Supreme Court by Bob Burnett Huffington Post, December 31, 2010 It’s difficult to look beyond the tumult of current events and ask, “what happened this year that will be remembered ten, twenty, or fifty years from now?” However, there was one 2010 event that, in terms of its long-term impact, loomed above the others, the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court Decision. Writing in the New York Review, law Professor Ronald Dworkin e...

Supreme Court to cut costs to fight deficit
Chief Justice John Roberts says the federal judiciary will join Congress and the president next year in cutting costs to reduce the federal Deficit. Roberts, in his year-end report, said he has asked Supreme Court personnel to cut unnecessary expenses. Their efforts will allow the court to request less money in next year’s Budget. Roberts says not many other Federal Government entities can say that. Roberts also called on the Senate to find a long-term solution to selecting and confirming ...

Chilly end to 2010 for western US states
Freezing temperatures and exceptional snowfalls made for a chilly end to 2010 for central and western US states on Friday, forecasters and media reports said. A week after the country's East Coast was hit by crippling blizzards and huge dumps of snow, the southwestern desert state of Arizona reported rare flurries of the white stuff. Temperatures in neighboring Colorado's capital Denver were expected to dip to 1 degree Fahrenheit (-17 degrees Celsius) as revellers saw in the New Year on Friday...

Manuel, Seminoles hold off Gamecocks, 26-17
Florida State Quarterback EJ Manuel (3) scrambles during the Third Quarter of the Chick-fil-A Bowl NCAA College Football game against South Carolina on Friday, Dec. 31, 2010, in Atlanta. Florida State won 26-17. Jimbo Fisher hoped the Chick-fil-A Bowl would be a final bow for senior Christian Ponder. Instead, the game provided a reminder of who will take over for the three-year starter in 2011. EJ Manuel threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to stop a South Carolina rally and lead Florida State...

Manuel, Seminoles hold off Gamecocks 26-17
ATLANTA (AP) — EJ Manuel threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to stop a South Carolina rally and lead Florida State to a 26-17 victory over the turnover-plagued Gamecocks in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Friday night. Chris Thompson ran for 147 yards and a touchdown and Dustin Hopkins kicked four field goals for the No. 23 Seminoles (10-4), who reached 10 wins for the first time since 2003. Manuel took over for senior Quarterback Christian Ponder, who left early in the Second Quarter with a con...

Manuel, Seminoles hold off Gamecocks 26-17
South Carolina Quarterback Stephen Garcia (5) is stopped by Florida State safety Nick Moody (10) in the Second Quarter of the Chick-fil-A Bowl NCAA College Football game on Friday, Dec. 31, 2010, in Atlanta. EJ Manuel threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to stop a South Carolina rally and lead Florida State to a 26-17 victory over the turnover-plagued Gamecocks in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Friday night. Chris Thompson ran for 147 yards and a touchdown and Dustin Hopkins kicked four field goals f...