I often post news roundups on Fridays. Somehow, lighter fare seems appropriate for the last day of the work week. But the news has been piling up since the last roundup, and the backlog has become so large that I can't wait even one more day. Already, interesting stuff is being crowded out! 1. Solicitor General Elena Kagan has been nominated to be a Supreme Court Justice. The New York Times has the basics here. It seems likely that she'll be confirmed, though of course, not everyone is happy about her as a nominee. She doesn't have much of a track record on criminal justice issues, so it's hard to guess what impact she'll have on criminal law. 2. In other personnel news, Dr. John Butts, the long-time chief medical examiner, is retiring July 1, as the News and Observer reports here. According to a quick Westlaw search, his work is referenced in almost 100 opinions of our appellate courts, so he leaves quite a legacy. 3. Arizona's new immigration law continues to be front-page material. The Los Angeles Times reports that the law was amended to make clear that officers can't use race as a factor in determining whether there is reason to suspect that a person is an illegal immigrant. The Christian Science Monitor implies that North Carolina is among 10 states inspired by Arizona to consider similar legislation. (In fact, as far as I can tell from the General Assembly's website, the only immigration-related bills introduced this biennium [...]
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