Senate Secrecy: Can the Votes of Senators on President Trump’s Impeachment be Withheld from the Voting Public?

VIKRAM DAVID AMAR, JASON MAZZONE

Illinois law dean Vikram David Amar and professor Jason Mazzone evaluate the suggestion made by some that the votes of senators on President Trump’s impeachment can and should be private. Amar and Mazzone argue that while the text of the Constitution alone does not foreclose secrecy, structural, prudential, and logistical considerations strongly disfavor a secret vote on the matter.

Read More

Adoption by Stefan S.

Citation: 2020 ME 5

Opinion Date: January 9, 2020

Judge: Joseph Jabar

Areas of Law: Family Law

The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgments of the probate court terminating Father's parental rights to his two children in anticipation of adoptions, holding that the evidence was sufficient to support the court's findings that Father was an unfit parent and that termination of his parental rights was in the children's best interests. Mother and Stepfather of the children filed petitions to adopt the children. Thereafter, Mother filed petitions to terminate Father's parental rights, thereby freeing the children for adoption. The probate court subsequently entered judgments terminating Father's parental rights pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 18-A, 9-204(b) and Me. Rev. Stat. 22, 4055(1)(A)(2), (B)(2)(a), and (B)(2)(b)(ii). The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding (1) the evidence supported the court's findings of unfitness and that termination of Father's parental rights would be in the children's best interests; (2) any mistake by the court in arranging its findings within the termination orders was not obvious error; and (3) the court did not err by failing to consider open adoptions that would have left Father's parental rights intact.