Jesse Choper

How could the next president reshape the Supreme Court?

Jesse Choper interviewed by CBS News, Jan. 5, 2016

“If you were to replace one of the conservatives, Kennedy or any of them, with a liberal, then you would have a radical change going forward and you may even have some changes going backwards,” said Choper, who pointed out that a court with a liberal majority could reverse earlier cases.

9th Circuit panel reverses judge’s decision declaring state death penalty unconstitutional

Franklin Zimring and Jesse Choper interviewed by Daily Journal, (registration required), Nov. 13, 2015

Zimring noted that the effort was not for naught, as its “legacy in relationship to death penalty politics is likely to be substantial.” While all previous attempts to “slow down the death penalty” had been procedural and incremental, this case was a “big picture, comprehensive attack,” he said.

“If I were a 9th Circuit judge, I’d have done the same thing,” said Jesse H. Choper. … “While the systemic delays may ultimately be unconstitutional, only the United States Supreme Court can say so.”

Supreme vitriol in high court’s dissent

Jesse Choper quoted in San Francisco Chronicle, July 4, 2015

Choper said the current court consists of nine justices who are “all very smart, and they write strong opinions.” They also are, he added, “highly polarized and highly partisan” even as they profess to “get along famously” on a personal level.

Supreme Court same sex marriage ruling could impact California law

Jesse Choper interviewed by NBC Bay Area, June 24, 2015

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of gay marriage bans, Choper says it will be up to California itself to decide what is and is not state law. … “My guess is they’ll say … [Proposition 8] is the law of California, and there will be no gay marriage in California unless you change—you the people of the state or the state legislature—change the law,” Choper said.

Sorry, protesters: Oakland is right to impose new rules

Jesse Choper quoted in San Francisco Chronicle, May 28, 2015

“Government restrictions have got to be reasonable,” added Professor Jesse Choper. … “They can restrict what (protesters) are carrying, whether it’s a garbage-can lid or weapons of mass destruction,” Choper said. “You can’t hold a peaceful antiwar march on the Bay Bridge in the middle of the afternoon, so I think the burden of proof will be on the city to show these are reasonable restrictions.”