The Supreme Court, William F. Buckley, Jr. and Bernanke on the Economy

Issues in the News

1. LEGAL

Journalists characterize the current Supreme Court as overwhelmingly “pro-business.”  

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Special Projects Counsel Hans Bader on why that’s not necessarily the case:

“The Supreme Court has generally been less sympathetic to employers than the average federal appeals court. Business groups should think twice before seeking Supreme Court review of decisions that trouble them — they might get an even worse opinion from the Supreme Court than they got from the lower court, as happened in Burlington Northern v. White (2006), which defined prohibited ‘retaliation’ so broadly as to raise possible First Amendment issues for employers.”

2. POLITICS

Conservative leader William F. Buckley, Jr. dies at age 82.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis on the Buckley legacy:

“William F. Buckley’s contribution to American politics and civilization should not be underestimated. Would the Reagan Presidency – critical to the demise of Soviet communism – have even been possible without the conservative movement WFB did so much to found and nurture? I doubt it. Although never personally associated with WFB, I always felt a personal fondness for him that went beyond admiration for his talents and contributions. I’m sure many others share this feeling. He will be missed.”

3. BUSINESS

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testifies before Congress on the state of the economy.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Scholar Fran Smith on what the Fed chief had to say:

“Bernanke … gave a sobering but yet not overly pessimistic view of the U.S.” economy, which was followed closely by investors. Bernanke noted the widespread effects of the subprime mortgage crisis in the housing and credit markets. The growth in job creation has slowed, and unemployment has inched up. But he said that there were some encouraging signs in the nonfinancial markets.

Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI’s blog, Open Market.

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