LittleLightShining
03-17-2009, 01:24 PM
I was looking for something and came across this blog entry: Obama Makes First Judicial Pick (http://www.talkleft.com/story/2009/3/17/125938/520)
By Jeralyn, Section Judiciary
Posted on Tue Mar 17, 2009 at 11:59:38 AM EST
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President Barack Obama has made his first judicial nomination (http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/03/president_picks.html):
Announcing his first federal appeals court pick, President Obama today reached for a moderate who already has the bipartisan support of both of his home state's senators. If confirmed, federal Chief District Judge David Hamilton of Indiana will get a seat on the US 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.
But, is he really a moderate? The radical right objects (http://www.lifenews.com/nat4920.html) to him on grounds he has issued pro-choice rulings and was a board member of the Indiana ACLU prior to becoming a federal judge.
The National Review (http://www.lifenews.com/nat4920.html) complains: [More...]
Or perhaps Hamilton’s inventive invocation of substantive due process to suppress evidence of a criminal defendant’s possession of cocaine, a ruling that, alas, was unanimously reversed by the Seventh Circuit?
People for the American Way praises the choice:
"David Hamilton is an ideal choice for this seat," said Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way. "Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a willingness to put principle ahead of politics and bring an open mind to every case."
Law Prof Doug Berman at Sentencing Law and Policy (http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2009/03/here-comes-the-obama-judges-do-we-need-to-prepare-for-the-mass-freeing-of-criminal-defendants.html) has more and notes this ruling:
In 2008, Judge Hamilton struck down as unconstitutional an amendment to the state law requiring convicted sex offenders to provide the authorities with personal information, including any e-mail addresses or user names. The amendment would also have required the offenders to agree to allow their home computers to be searched at any time and to pay for a program to allow monitoring of their Internet use.
The judge said the amendment cut into the heart of a person’s right to privacy in his home. “The ability of the individual to retreat into his home and therefore to be free from unreasonable intrusion by the government stands at the very core” of constitutional protections against unreasonable searches, he said.
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I then did a quick search and found links to pdf's of recent opinions:http://www.insd.uscourts.gov/News/recent_opinions.htm#Chief_Judge_David_F._Hamilton
From the same site his bio:
Judge Hamilton was appointed United States District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana in 1994. Judge Hamilton previously was a partner at Barnes & Thornburg, a private law firm in Indianapolis. He served as Counsel to the Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1991 and from 1984 to 1989 was an associate at Barnes & Thornburg.
Judge Hamilton grew up in Southern Indiana. He graduated from Haverford College in 1979 and Yale Law school in 1983. He also performed graduate work as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Tuebingen in Germany. He served as law clerk to Judge Richard D. Cudahy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and then returned to Indianapolis to practice law. He is a founding member of the Sagamore Inn of Court in the American Inns of Court. He served as a member of the Indiana State Recount Commission from 1986 to 1987 and as chairman of the Indiana State Ethics Commission from 1991 to 1994.
By Jeralyn, Section Judiciary
Posted on Tue Mar 17, 2009 at 11:59:38 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit
President Barack Obama has made his first judicial nomination (http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/03/president_picks.html):
Announcing his first federal appeals court pick, President Obama today reached for a moderate who already has the bipartisan support of both of his home state's senators. If confirmed, federal Chief District Judge David Hamilton of Indiana will get a seat on the US 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.
But, is he really a moderate? The radical right objects (http://www.lifenews.com/nat4920.html) to him on grounds he has issued pro-choice rulings and was a board member of the Indiana ACLU prior to becoming a federal judge.
The National Review (http://www.lifenews.com/nat4920.html) complains: [More...]
Or perhaps Hamilton’s inventive invocation of substantive due process to suppress evidence of a criminal defendant’s possession of cocaine, a ruling that, alas, was unanimously reversed by the Seventh Circuit?
People for the American Way praises the choice:
"David Hamilton is an ideal choice for this seat," said Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way. "Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a willingness to put principle ahead of politics and bring an open mind to every case."
Law Prof Doug Berman at Sentencing Law and Policy (http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2009/03/here-comes-the-obama-judges-do-we-need-to-prepare-for-the-mass-freeing-of-criminal-defendants.html) has more and notes this ruling:
In 2008, Judge Hamilton struck down as unconstitutional an amendment to the state law requiring convicted sex offenders to provide the authorities with personal information, including any e-mail addresses or user names. The amendment would also have required the offenders to agree to allow their home computers to be searched at any time and to pay for a program to allow monitoring of their Internet use.
The judge said the amendment cut into the heart of a person’s right to privacy in his home. “The ability of the individual to retreat into his home and therefore to be free from unreasonable intrusion by the government stands at the very core” of constitutional protections against unreasonable searches, he said.
***********
I then did a quick search and found links to pdf's of recent opinions:http://www.insd.uscourts.gov/News/recent_opinions.htm#Chief_Judge_David_F._Hamilton
From the same site his bio:
Judge Hamilton was appointed United States District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana in 1994. Judge Hamilton previously was a partner at Barnes & Thornburg, a private law firm in Indianapolis. He served as Counsel to the Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1991 and from 1984 to 1989 was an associate at Barnes & Thornburg.
Judge Hamilton grew up in Southern Indiana. He graduated from Haverford College in 1979 and Yale Law school in 1983. He also performed graduate work as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Tuebingen in Germany. He served as law clerk to Judge Richard D. Cudahy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and then returned to Indianapolis to practice law. He is a founding member of the Sagamore Inn of Court in the American Inns of Court. He served as a member of the Indiana State Recount Commission from 1986 to 1987 and as chairman of the Indiana State Ethics Commission from 1991 to 1994.