ESTRADA NOMINATION DEAD So says

ESTRADA NOMINATION DEAD

So says Trent Lott, who should know.

[Thanks to Howard J. Bashman’s How Appealingfor the link. This site is a treasure, providing a running guide to the antics of the federal appeals courts — the 10th Circuit just ruled that the automobile exception to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment, justified by the fact that the auto might drive away before the warrant can issue, applies to a car that can’t be driven — plus coverage of the occasional confirmation fight. Warning to Democrats: I suspect Bashman of being one of them. He admires Posner and Glenn Reynolds.]

Lott also says that if the Republicans take the Senate they will speedily confirm 40-50 judges.

I hope the Green Party spoiler who’s trying to make sure Paul Wellstone loses in Minnesota is listening. More to the point, I hope potential Green Party voters in Minnesota are listenting.

As for you, dear reader, have your written your check yet? Any of the marginal races in small states will do, but Tim Johnson in South Dakota is probably your maximum-impact-per-dollar contribution.

Author: Mark Kleiman

Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out. Books: Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken) When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993) Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989) UCLA Homepage Curriculum Vitae Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com