Diverse docket for court's new term

[jamesinca]

Diverse docket for court's new term
Pledge of Allegiance case's fate is unclear

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, October 6, 2003

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The U.S. Supreme Court, in the term that begins today, will lay the ground rules for financing next year's national elections -- and determine the role of money in elections for years to come -- by deciding whether broad new campaign restrictions violate the Constitution's guarantee of free speech.

Practically everything else about the 2003-04 term is unpredictable. But before the justices adjourn at the end of June, they could redraw the boundaries between church and state, rewrite the rules for police questioning of suspects and tip the scales in a battle between California and the Bush administration over air quality.

Even before the term formally starts, it has produced a mystery: the fate of the Pledge of Allegiance case.

Last year, the federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled that it is unconstitutional to require schoolchildren to vow daily loyalty to "one nation under God." At their preterm conference last Monday, the justices were scheduled to consider an appeal by a Sacramento-area school district and the Bush administration asking them to review the ruling. However, contrary to widespread expectations, the case was not included on a list of 10 released the next day that were accepted for hearings during the term.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/10/06/MN302923.DTL

[HFishbine]

1. Observation on Media Spin

This article got it right: "Last year, the federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled that it is unconstitutional to require schoolchildren to vow daily loyalty to 'one nation under God.'"

Unfortunatley, my local paper (NC) insists on reporting that the court ruled "the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional."

Big difference that keeps the sheeple sufficently inflamed.

[jamesinca]

2. That is one reason I like the Chronicle

Nobody is right all the time, for that matter some are having a good day if they are right 1/4 of the time. I do think the Chronicle tries to do right. They actually ran an article yesterday that criticized the media for helping the recall get to the stage that it is through crappy reporting. My jaw dropped when I read how critical they were of themself and others. It is a good paper, and it does have a liberal slant to it. www.sfgate.com It has the largest circulation in CA.