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UNT political scientists available to discuss Supreme Court docket during 2009-10 term
EDITOR'S NOTE: UNT now offers interviews directly to you via Skype. You can record a video interview with available experts from your office, saving you the time and travel. To use the system, your station will need a Skype account, which is free to download from www.skype.com. Skype-to-Skype calls are free. There are versions for PCs, Mac, UNIX and other systems. As you report on this year's Supreme Court term, which began this week, consider these University of North Texas political scientists who will discuss specific cases scheduled to be decided by the Court and insights into the Court's docket and decisions. They will also discuss how the newest member of the Court, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, may have an impact on rulings. Dr. Bethany Blackstone, assistant professor of political science, researches American political institutions with emphasis on judicial process and behavior. She is currently studying the impact of the Supreme Court on congressional decision making and strategic behavior in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. The 2009-10 Supreme Court cases that Blackstone will discuss include Maryland v. Shatzer, which focuses on how long a suspect's request for an attorney is valid. In that case, two years and seven months had passed between the suspect's first request for a lawyer and the second police interview, which happened to occur while the man was in prison for a different crime. Blackstone may be reached in her office at 940-565-4923 or by e-mail at Bethany.Blackstone@unt.edu. Dr. Paul Collins, assistant professor of political science, is the author of "The Friends of Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision Making," which traces interest group participation in the Supreme Court in the form of amicus curiae ("friends of the court") briefs over the last 60 years. In the book, Collins focuses on the briefs' influence on individual justices' responses to the cases being considered, and the Court's overall decisions. The Court cases that Collins will discuss include McDonald v. City of Chicago, in which justices will decide whether or not to overturn a handgun ban and other aspects of gun registration regulations affecting rifles and shotguns, after the petitioners claimed that such a ban and regulation in Chicago is unconstitutional. Collins will also provide information on Salazar v. Buono, which focuses on a cross that has stood on public land in the remote part of the Mojave National Preserve for 75 years. The Court will decide whether or not the cross, which was erected as a memorial to World War I soldiers and was declared a national memorial by Congress, violates First Amendment religious protections, despite Congress' decision to transfer the land to private ownership. Collins can be reached at his office at 940-369-8829, by cell phone at 940-395-5142 or by e-mail at pmcollins@unt.edu. Dr. Kimi King, associate professor of political science, researches civil rights and liberties, conflict resolution, judicial decision-making, international humanitarian law, and gender rights. She has authored or co-authored articles in "Social Science Quarterly," "Political Research Quarterly," "American Politics Quarterly," "Presidential Studies Quarterly," "Social Science Research" and international law reviews. She has co-authored a book teaching legal research and oral argumentation for moot court undergraduates and co-produced a video that simulates the appellate decision-making process for undergraduate students. The Court cases that King will discuss include United States v. Stevens, in which the Court will decide if the federal government has the power to ban, as a category of speech, photos and video depictions of animal cruelty, as it is done with child pornography. King will also discuss Graham v. Florida, in which justices will explore whether the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment bars sentences of life without parole for those who were under 18 when they committed their crimes. King may be reached at 940-597-4802 or kking@unt.edu. Eddie Meaders, principal lecturer in political science, served as county attorney of Jones County, Texas, from 1985 to 1990 and still practices law. At UNT, he teaches courses in American politics, specializing in judicial politics. He also teaches a course of the legal systems of the United Kingdom as part of the Department of Political Science's study abroad program in London. Florida v. Powell is one of the Court cases that Meaders will discuss this term. The case focuses on whether or not the Florida Supreme Court's decision that a suspect must be explicitly advised of his right to counsel during questioning, instead of the suspect receiving a written form, conflicts with the Miranda warnings. Meaders will also discuss American Needle Inc. v. NFL, in which the Court will decide whether or not the National Football League and its teams and licensing agent functioned as a single entity when granting a company an exclusive license to manufacture caps and other gear, and therefore did not violate Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Meaders may be reached at (940) 565-2310 or meaders@unt.edu. Barbara Kirby, lecturer in Political Science and Pre-Law Advisor, was regional counsel for Xerox Corporation from 1989 to 2005. She teaches American government, jurisprudence, and other law related courses, and her research interests include judicial selection, state courts, alternative dispute resolution and legal ethics.
The Court cases that Kirby will discuss include Perdue v. Kenny A, in which the Court will decide whether or not a district court may award higher fees to attorneys who win civil rights action cases, based on extraordinary performance and exceptional results. Kirby may be reached at (940) 565-4413 or bkirby@unt.edu. The faculty members may be available via Skype by request; contact Nancy Kolsti at Nancy.Kolsti@unt.edu or 940-565-3509 to schedule an interview.
UNT News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
Contact: Nancy Kolsti (940) 565-3509
Email: nkolsti@unt.edu
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