The Court has granted review of cases challenging provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The orders, briefs, and other information are available at this link. The Chief Justice’s 2011 Year-End Report

The Clerk’s Office and was told that they will post audio files and transcripts on their website >>> http://www.supremecourt.gov with morning session information being posted by 2pm that day and the Wednesday Session will be held from 1pmET – 2pm ET with audio & transcripts being available by 4pm ET

The C-SPAN cable network said it would play back the arguments on a broadcast channel and on radio as soon as they are available.

Listed below are live links to the orders, case filings, and other information pertaining to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act cases. Click on each item to access further information.

Orders

11-14-11	Grant Order
11-18-11	Amici Appointment Order
12-08-11	Briefing Schedule
02-21-12	Allocation of Oral Argument Time


Case Filings

11-117	Thomas More Law Center, et al., v. Barack H. Obama, President of the United States, et al. Petition for Writ of Certiorari Brief in Opposition Reply Brief

11-393	National Federation of Independent Business, et al., , v. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al., Petition for Writ of Certiorari Appendix to Petition Brief in Opposition The American Bar Association has provided a link to the briefs at the merits stage of this case at this link.^*

11-398	Department of Health and Human Services, et al., v. Florida, et al. Petition for a Writ of Certiorari Appendix to Petition Brief of Private Respondents Brief of State Respondents Reply Brief The American Bar Association has provided a link to the briefs at the merits stage of this case at this link^* for the anti-injunction act and this link^* for the minimum coverage provision.

11-400	Florida, et al., v. Department of Health and Human Services, et al. Petition for Writ of Certiorari Brief in Opposition Reply Brief The American Bar Association has provided a link to the briefs at the merits stage of this case at this link.^*

11-420	Virginia, ex rel. Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II, Attorney General of Virginia v. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services Petition for Writ of Certiorari Brief in Opposition

11-438	Liberty University, et al., v. Timothy F. Geithner , Secretary of the Treasury, et al., Petition for a Writ of Certiorari Brief in Opposition Reply Brief

I spoke to the Clerk’s Office and was told that they will post audio files and transcripts on http://www.supremecourt.gov with morning session info being posted by 2pm that day and the Wednesday Session held from 1pmET – 2pm ET with audio&transcripts being available by 4pm ET

The C-SPAN cable network said it would play back the arguments on a broadcast channel and on radio as soon as they are available.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Wisconsin update – almost there … Nick Passanante, Democracy for America

03/26/2012 Nativegrl77

Wisconsin has been the front line in the War on Working Families for over a year now.

Right-wing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was the first governor in the country to launch an attack on unions and middle class families last year. Republican governors across the country — in Indiana, Florida and Ohio — soon followed his lead.

This summer, we have the chance to end the War on Working Families in Wisconsin and recall Scott Walker. There are three Democrats running in the primary to beat Scott Walker and polls show all three are beating Walker or polling inside the margin of error.

We have the momentum in Wisconsin. We’re almost there in raising the money we need to win, but we still need to raise $27,683 by the end of the month to fully fund our Wisconsin recall campaign.

Can you chip in $10 to the DFA Wisconsin recall campaign right now?

We’re not just recalling Walker, either — we have the opportunity to recall four of his right-wing cronies in the State Senate, too.

These are the same right-wingers who voted lockstep on Walker’s agenda to smash unions and middle class families, defund Planned Parenthood and pass a harsh new voter ID law disenfranchising students, the elderly and the poor.

We can end the War on Working Families in Wisconsin and send a message to Republicans everywhere — attack working families and you will lose. But we can’t do it without your support.

We can beat right-wing Gov. Scott Walker and take back the Wisconsin State Senate with your help — Please contribute $10 to the DFA Wisconsin recall campaign now.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Nick

Nick Passanante, Deputy Political Director
Democracy for America

P.S. These recall elections are set to happen this summer. The State Senate recalls are happening as early as May, so we need the resources to start building our campaign now. Please contribute $10 today.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

White House vids … Jim Yong Kim, President Lee and more

03/26/2012 Nativegrl77

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Polar Bear Cubs Won’t Stand a Chance …Dan Howells, Greenpeace

03/26/2012 Nativegrl77

It’s getting harder for a polar bear mother and her cubs to survive in the Arctic.

Each day she has to travel farther and farther for food as the sea ice she relies on to hunt rapidly disappears because of global warming. Each day brings her hungry cubs closer to starvation. And now she has to deal with the prospect of an oil spill.

Oil giant Shell is heading her way right now to drill the very first wells in the pristine waters off the coast of Alaska this summer. If the company finds what it is looking for the Arctic oil rush will be on — and a spill won’t be far behind. This polar bear mother and her cubs won’t stand a chance.

Donate now and help us raise $35,000 by midnight March 30th to save this polar bear mother and her cubs from Arctic drilling. We need just 50 donors from WA to make this happen.

Greenpeace plans to mobilize millions of people around the world in 2012 to save the Arctic by using creative campaigning. It’s all hands on deck. We know that it’s the only way to get the attention of policy makers and put a stop Arctic drilling.

Our goal is to permanently ban oil drilling and industrial fishing in the Arctic and to establish the area around the North Pole as a ‘global commons.’ It may seem ambitious, but we’ve done it before. In 1991, a Greenpeace campaign much like this one helped establish Antarctica as a world park and off limits to commercial extraction.

We can do it, but not without your support.

This polar bear mother needs our help now. Please make an urgent donation by our midnight March 30th deadline to help save her cubs from starvation and protect our planet. Just 50 gifts from WA will ensure that we reach our goal to raise $35,000 by Saturday.

Last year alone Shell admitted to causing 207 ‘significant’ spills worldwide in places like Nigeria and Britain’s North Sea. Any one of those would be an even greater disaster in the harsh waters of the Arctic and for the polar bear mother trying to feed her cubs.

Carmen, this is your chance to be part of history. This drilling is happening in our backyard and to stop it we are going to need massive support in this country. Greenpeace doesn’t take a dime from corporations or governments. All we care about is doing what is necessary to save the Arctic. But our plans and the polar bears that call the Arctic home all depend on your support.

Please make a donation today to help save this polar bear mother and her cubs and ensure that we reach our goal to raise $35,000 by March 30th.

For the Arctic,

Dan Howells
Greenpeace USA Deputy Campaign Director

P.S. We need just 50 supporters from WA to reach our goal. Please make your donation to save polar bears by midnight March 30th on our secure website or by calling 1-800-722-6995. Thank you!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Real solutions to high gas prices … Union of Concerned Scientists

03/26/2012 Nativegrl77

If you’ve filled up your gas tank recently, you don’t need the newspapers to tell you gas prices are on the rise. But oil and gas prices are in the news, and politicians are grabbing headlines with plans that they claim will bring immediate relief at the pump. But these plans always fall short while real, long-term solutions are often missing from the conversation.

There is no “silver bullet” solution to high gas prices, but there are practical steps we can take to begin the transition from our oil-based transportation system. As a driver, you can take simple steps to cut down on your fill-ups, if you haven’t already. As a citizen, you can push for a plan to cut projected U.S. oil use in half in 20 years. These steps will help insulate us all from even higher prices as we scrape increasingly expensive and dirty oil from the bottom of the barrel.

Oil companies are working hard to maintain the status quo because they are profiting more than ever at the expense of the American public. We must push back and demand a transportation system that works for us—one that is powered by less oil and more American innovation through the development of electric cars, advanced biofuels, and better transportation options.

The Obama administration has taken action to cut U.S. oil use by moving forward with strong new fuel efficiency and global warming emissions standards. This is an important piece of the puzzle, but we can and must do more. We need a combination of smart federal policies and private sector innovation to expand consumer transportation choices and cut U.S. oil use in half in 20 years—and the Union of Concerned Scientists has a plan to do just that.

You can help get the story of real solutions out—submit a letter to the editor of your local paper today showing how we can cut our oil use through a national oil savings plan and how that will help your bottom line.

Take Action Today!

Sincerely,

Rachel Cohen
National Field Organizer
UCS Clean Vehicles Program