Professor Amar's Winners and Losers of the Supreme Court Term
In the July 8, 2008, edition of his column for FindLaw, Professor Vikram D. Amar discussed some of the winners and losers of the 2007–2008 Supreme Court term. According to Amar, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy was the term's obvious big winner, while Senator John McCain was a less obvious loser. Amar noted that, although the position of Chief Justice is occupied by John Roberts, Justice Kennedy very much "owns" the current Court, being in the majority in all of the most important, attention-grabbing cases. As for Senator McCain, Amar discussed the need for a president with true knowledge and understanding of the Constitution. McCain's record during the 2007–2008 term was questionable, with the Court rejecting at least two major pieces of legislation in which he had a strong stake as a legislator— the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law and the Guantanamo detainee military tribunal statute.
Professor Amar has written extensively in the fields of civil procedure, criminal procedure, and remedies. His biweekly column for FindLaw, the leading provider of online legal information, centers on his expertise in constitutional law, on which he has authored numerous books and articles.