Andrew Cohen

The looming demise of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" personnel policy doesn't mean the end of two-tiered justice for gay or lesbian service members. For example, now that the Pentagon will finally be recognizing the existence of such service members in its ranks, it will also as a matter of law and logic be recognizing the existence of same-sex partners or same-sex spouses. But those folks are barred by the federal Defense of Marriage Act from receiving… More »

As the weather gets chillier, curl up with these highlights from the world of the law this year More »

Over the President's two terms, far worse things happened than a rap star's marring statement More »

Two years ago, almost to the day, I wrote a piece about Sarah Palin's unsettling ignorance of the work-product of the United States Supreme Court. Based upon Katie Couric's famous pre-election interview of the Republican vice-presidential candidate on the eve of the 2008 election, the column was titled "Democracy Demands Wisdom," which was self-explanatory then and remains so now. I came back to that simple concept--we need smarter, not dumber, elected officials in… More »

Christine O'Donnell's antics were just one of the many disheartening events this last week More »

The release of today's report finds that the Bureau used sloppy investigative tactics in the years following 9/11 More »

The salacious Long Island trial has sadly come to its dramatic end More »

Real time coverage of the World Trade Center attacks, depicting the final testimony of the pre-9/11 world More »

Commemorating the attacks with a list of names More »

You can't blame the son for the sins of the father. But how about blaming the father for the sins of the son? More »

Now's as good a time as any to break Atlantic City's stranglehold on New Jersey's policy makers More »

A venerated federal judge in Massachusetts blisters the Defense of Marriage Act with a ruling that looks like a prelude to what another federal may rule in California over Proposition 8 More »

The Canadiens lost in the Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Final, but some thought the team should be celebrated anyway More »

Salacious evidence and courtroom dramatics emerge in the David H. Brooks trial More »

An already-remarkable career ascends even further into the stratosphere; the oldest Justice gives way to the youngest. More »

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) continued his slow, shameful slide into political madness and legal contempt Tuesday when he declared that it would be a "serious mistake" for law enforcement officials to give a timely Miranda warning to an American citizen arrested in the United States for a domestic crime. In reaching his unfortunate and premature conclusion, it's likely the senator was helped along by the fact that the citizen in question, Times Square car bomb… More »

The Founding Fathers are revered because their ideas codified in the Constitution have held together so well over the long-term. By contrast, our leaders can't think past Election Day. More »

With Justice Stevens retiring, the already-powerful Anthony Kennedy will have more clout than ever More »

It has been easy to overlook United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and his contributions to the American legal scene. Indeed, he has been overlooked for much of his time on the Court -- a breathtaking 35 years -- two generations! -- from the dark days post-Watergate to the dark-days following the terror attacks upon America. He was unable to muster the votes and the doctrinal legacy of William Brennan. He was unwilling to scold and upbraid like… More »

The politics of replacing Justice John Paul Stevens More »