FAS

Judge Garland’s Opinions, and More from CRS

05.05.16 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

The Congressional Research Service continues to devote substantial attention to the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, even if the U.S. Senate remains unwilling or unable to act on the nomination. This week CRS issued a new report presenting an annotated tabulation of hundreds of decisions written by Judge Garland.

“To assist Members and committees of Congress and their staff in their ongoing research into Judge Garland’s approach to the law, this report identifies and briefly summarizes each of the more than 350 cases in which Judge Garland has authored a majority, concurring, or dissenting opinion. Arguably, these written opinions provide the greatest insight into Judge Garland’s judicial approach, as a judge’s vote in a case or decision to join an opinion authored by a colleague may be based upon a number of considerations and may not necessarily represent full agreement with a joined opinion.”

See Majority, Concurring, and Dissenting Opinions Authored by Judge Merrick Garland, May 2, 2016. (The larger implications of Judge Garland’s opinions were analyzed in a separate CRS report that was issued last week.)

Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

China’s Natural Gas: Uncertainty for Markets, May 2, 2016

Synthetic Drugs: Overview and Issues for Congress, updated May 3, 2016

Funding of Presidential Nominating Conventions: An Overview, updated May 4, 2016

Green Infrastructure and Issues in Managing Urban Stormwater, updated May 2, 2016

DHS Budget v. DHS Appropriations: Fact Sheet, May 2, 2016

Overview of Commercial (Depository) Banking and Industry Conditions, May 3, 2016

publications
See all publications
Emerging Technology
Blog
Team Science needs Teamwork: Universities should get in on the ground floor in shaping the vision for new NSF Tech Labs

At a time when universities are already facing intense pressure to re-envision their role in the S&T ecosystem, we encourage NSF to ensure that the ambitious research acceleration remains compatible with their expertise.

12.12.25 | 4 min read
read more
Emerging Technology
Blog
NSF Plans to Supercharge FRO-style Independent Labs. We Spoke with the Scientists Who First Proposed the Idea.

FAS CEO Daniel Correa recently spoke with Adam Marblestone and Sam Rodriques, former FAS fellows who developed the idea for FROs and advocated for their use in a 2020 policy memo.

12.12.25 | 10 min read
read more
Government Capacity
Blog
Demystifying the New President’s Management Agenda

In a year when management issues like human capital, IT modernization, and improper payments have received greater attention from the public, examining this PMA tells us a lot about where the Administration’s policy is going to be focused through its last three years.

12.11.25 | 20 min read
read more
Government Capacity
day one project
Policy Memo
A Digital Public Infrastructure Act Should Be America’s Next Public Works Project

Congress must enact a Digital Public Infrastructure Act, a recognition that the government’s most fundamental responsibility in the digital era is to provide a solid, trustworthy foundation upon which people, businesses, and communities can build.

12.08.25 | 18 min read
read more