Chris Dodd for President

Chris Dodd today released the following statement in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling which allows sentences for crack cocaine convictions to be reduced.

"I welcome the Supreme Court's decision allowing judges to reduce sentences involving crack cocaine convictions. But we need to fix the problem where it lies, in the guidelines themselves. As President, I will work with Congress to eliminate the discrepancy between crack and powder cocaine sentencing which disproportionately affects people by race, geography and economics."

SCOTUS Blog, TalkLeft, Daily Kos, and Lawyers, Guns and Money have more.

SCOTUSblog reports on the Supreme Court's December case load:

The Supreme Court will hear the two consolidated cases testing the legal rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. — the only case scheduled for that day.
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Wednesday, Dec. 5

* Boumediene v. Bush (06-1195) and Al Odah v. U.S. (06-1196) — whether Guantanamo Bay detainees have a constitutional or common law right to challenge their detention through habeas claims in U.S. federal courts (consolidated, one hour hearing).

In June Senator Dodd said this on giving habeas rights to Guantanamo Bay detainees:

[W]e cannot wait for the next President to restore our moral authority - we have to restore our standing in the world by having the conviction to stand up to this President now. This begins with closing the prisons at Guantanamo Bay and restoring Habeas Corpus rights to those in our custody.

We'll be looking forward to the Supreme Court hearing these cases. Stay tuned for further updates.

Earlier today Senator Dodd issued the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision to hear Guantanamo Bay detainees:

"I am hopeful that the Court sees that several provisions of the Military Commissions Act cannot pass Constitutional muster. In its current form, the Military Commissions Act does not provide a credible process for bringing suspected terrorists to justice, stripping our nation of its moral authority and further imperiling our military personnel abroad. "Indeed, the erosion of Constitutional rights does not achieve their intended goal of increasing our security. Instead, it has reduced our standing in the world, making us more isolated and ultimately more vulnerable and less secure. "While the Supreme Court's review is necessary, I hope that Congress will also do its part to immediately change this law by supporting the Restoring the Constitution Act which develops a tough but fair system of bringing terrorists to justice."

Senator Chris Dodd released the following statement on today's Supreme Court ruling that limits criteria schools can use to create a diverse environment.

"I am deeply disturbed by the Supreme Court's decision to limit the ability of schools to create a diverse learning environment, which runs counter to the letter and spirit of Brown v. Board of Education. With their ruling today, the court will add to the resegregation that is already occurring in our nation's schools. "Diversity benefits all children and improves educational quality. In our increasingly global society, a greater understanding of other cultures is not simply a benefit, but a necessity. I have long supported affirmative action in higher education because I believe our colleges have an obligation to foster a multicultural environment and prepare our children for lives as members of a diverse society. I find it appalling that the court is now willing to disregard over fifty years of educational policy and racial progress in our elementary and secondary schools to the detriment of the American people. "Unfortunately, today's ruling is not an isolated incident. I am greatly disappointed that the Roberts court continues to show blatant hostility toward existing precedent, eroding the rights of free speech, fair elections, and education policy in the process. As Justice Stevens so eloquently stated, 'Until today, this Court understood the Constitution as affording the people, acting through their elected representatives, freedom to select the use of "race-conscious" criteria from among their available options. Today, however, the Court restricts (and some Members would eliminate) that leeway. I fear the consequences of doing so for the law, for the schools, for the democratic process, and for America's efforts to create, out of its diversity, one Nation.'"

For more on the ruling, check out TalkLeft, DailyKos, and SCOTUSBlog.