ABA Journal:  “The U.S. Supreme Court is suffering from public perception problems, as a new poll shows declining public approval and opposition to lifetime tenure.

Sixty percent of those surveyed by the New York Times and CBS News said they believe that appointing Supreme Court justices for life is a bad thing because it gives them too much power. Thirty-three percent, on the other hand, said lifetime appointments were a good thing because it keeps the justices independent.”

ABA Journal:  “A federal appeals court has struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the law discriminates against married gay couples who are denied federal benefits, the Associated Press reports. The case is “all but certain to wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court,” AP says.

Ruling on equal protection and federalism grounds, the appeals court said rationales offered in support of the federal benefit ban are not sufficient.”

CNN:  “Retired Justice John Paul Stevens had harsh words for his former conservative colleagues Wednesday, saying they have inconsistently applied the law two years after a sweeping ruling dealing with campaign finance reform. 

That controversial decision, known as Citizens United, gave corporations — individuals, unions, businesses and advocacy groups — greater power to spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose federal election candidates. Stevens issued a bitter dissent in that case, months before stepping down from the high court after 35 years on the bench. He said Congress had long imposed reasonable limits on corporate spending as a way to curb the potentially corrupting influence by the wealthy, whose voices would be heard above those of others in the crowded political landscape.”