Topic: Sandra Day O'Connor

Opinion: Elena Kagan: Would she embody empathy as a Supreme Court justice?

President Obama praised Elena Kagan for her intellect and passion, but he only hinted at the quality he earlier deemed an essential ingredient in a Supreme Court justice: empathy.

President Obama to nominate Elena Kagan to Supreme Court

Solicitor General Elena Kagan will be nominated Monday to the Supreme Court.

Filling John Paul Stevens Supreme Court vacancy big test for Obama

Replacing retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens depends largely on who President Obama nominates. But given Obama's political standing these days, confirmation by the Senate is unlikely to be quick and easy.

This Valentine's Day, can Justice Kennedy preside over your wedding?

He could, but probably wouldn't (although he attended White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi's wedding). But he might help you say 'I do' if you're a close personal friend or served as one of his law clerks.

Supreme Court: Campaign-finance limits violate free speech

The Supreme Court campaign finance ruling on Thursday means corporations can spend freely on political ads leading up to elections. The Thursday decision invalidates a part of 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign-finance reform law that sought to limit corporate influence.

After 19 years, Souter and the Supreme Court part, with poetry

As the New Englander retires, he and Chief Justice John Roberts exchange warm letters of farewell – and a few verses of Robert Frost.

Opinion: Five questions for Sotomayor

GOP senators should probe her views on key Supreme Court decisions.

Gingrich on Sotomayor: "Latina woman racist should also withdraw"

Sotomayor opponents in weak field position so far

Obama's high-court pick is no 'stealth candidate.' She has made some 450 judicial decisions. What's more, she has not been shy about expressing her opinions publicly.

The Monitor's View: Does Sotomayor practice identity justice?

The Senate must weigh her comments about judicial impartiality

What another woman would bring to Supreme Court

Expectations are high that Obama will nominate a woman. Though female jurisprudence is not much different from that of male judges, women tend to be more pro-women's rights and to tilt more toward plaintiffs in sex-discrimination cases.

Classic review: The Nine

Jeffrey Toobin examines the nine personalities that sit on the nation's highest court.

Opinion: Supreme Court's bench has never been less diverse

Race and gender are important, but with six Harvard justices, President Obama should consider geographic, professional, and social backgrounds, too, when he evaluates nominees.

The Monitor's View: Obama's next test on bipartisanship

His drive to curb the rancor of Washington must continue with his picks for judges.

Opinion: A democracy without civics?

When asked, a third of eighth-graders didn't know the significance of the Declaration of Independence.

USA

Workers can sue firms over retaliation, Supreme Court rules

In two rulings Tuesday, the justices took an expansive view of civil rights law.

Employer retaliation cases reach U.S. Supreme Court

When can workers sue against acts of retaliation by employers? Two cases slated for hearing this week may help clarify.

USA