Justiceline: November 16, 2011

Welcome to Justiceline, ThinkProgress Justice’s morning round-up of the latest legal news and developments. Remember to follow us on Twitter at @TPJustice.

• C-SPAN is asking the Supreme Court to drop its usual ban on cameras in the courtroom when it hears arguments over President Obama’s healthcare reform law. The court has scheduled five and a half hours of oral argument for the case, the longest hearing in decades, underscoring its historical importance.
• New York State Supreme Court Justice Michael Stallman sided yesterday with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and against Occupy Wall Street Protesters, ruling that the city could block protesters from returning to their full-time protest. Protesters are now barred from returning to Zuccotti Park with their tents following yesterday’s raid by police in riot gear, who arrested nearly 200 people.
• Washington’s Secretary of State says the future of voting is email. Earlier this year Sam Reed pushed his state to join Oregon as an all vote-by-mail state. Now Reed says Washington may be able to expand the bill he pushed through the legislature last year that allows military and others overseas to vote by e-mail.
• Yesterday the Senate heard testimony from gun violence survivors and family members of victims who are trying to persuade Congress to pass a bill that would tighten loopholes in the background check system for people who buy firearms. One woman who testified in support of the legislation was Patricia Maisch, who wrestled a clip of ammunition away from alleged Tuscon shooter Jared Loughner in January.
• In response to a rash of crimes against Georgia Tech students, one Republican state legislator plans to introduce legislation to allow students to carry guns on campus.