Mathew Planalp

/Mathew Planalp
Mathew Planalp

About Mathew Planalp

Mathew is an attorney and licensed mediator, holding a Juris Doctorate from Creighton University School of Law and undergraduate degrees in journalism and sports medicine from Colorado State University. Prior to joining the staff at Cockle, he honed his legal writing skills as an attorney and law clerk in both civil and criminal arenas. Named the Colorado State University Feature Writer of the Year in 2007, Mathew has cultivated a passion for storytelling and the written word. Additionally, he is a Fourth Circuit specialist and writes about Supreme Court matters for The CockleBur.
13 Apr, 2023

Who Are the U.S. Supreme Court Justices?

2023-04-13T13:40:16-05:00April 13th, 2023|Tags: , , |

Nine Justices make up the current Supreme Court: one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. The Honorable John Roberts, Jr. is the 17th Chief Justice of the United States, and there have been 104 Associate Justices in the Court’s history.  Supreme Court justices serve lifetime appointments after being nominated by the president and approved by [...]

11 Apr, 2023

Conflicting Court of Appeals Mifepristone Rulings

2023-04-11T14:40:20-05:00April 11th, 2023|Tags: , , , , |

On April 7, 2023, two conflicting rulings on the provision of mifepristone—the drug used for medication abortion—were issued by two separate federal court judges, one in Texas and one in Washington State. U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Judge Kacsmaryk issued a preliminary injunction in his case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. [...]

6 Apr, 2023

Are Supreme Court Justices Bound by Ethics Rules?

2023-04-06T10:46:54-05:00April 6th, 2023|Tags: , , |

Answer: No!  The nine U.S. Supreme Court Justices are the only federal judges not bound by the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges, which goes beyond the basic ethics laws enacted after the Watergate scandal and creates uniformity around thorny issues like recusals and participation in political activities. History: The Code of Conduct for U.S. [...]

27 Mar, 2023

Circuit Court Newsletter: March 2023

2023-03-27T14:52:52-05:00March 27th, 2023|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Order Implementing Procedures for the Filing of Highly Sensitive Documents On February 9, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued this order implementing new procedures for the filing of highly sensitive documents (HSDs). HSDs are documents containing information that is likely [...]

16 Mar, 2023

What Makes for a Controversial Supreme Court Decision?

2023-03-16T14:54:03-05:00March 16th, 2023|Tags: , , , |

The Supreme Court is the United States’ most powerful court of law. The Court’s rulings routinely shape the course of American public policy. It ended its last term with the conservative justices bending the law sharply rightward in a series of momentous decisions on abortion, gun rights, environmental regulations and religious rights that will reverberate [...]

14 Mar, 2023

Supreme Court Poised for Controversial Finish

2023-03-14T13:14:33-05:00March 14th, 2023|Tags: , , , |

During the last week of June 2022, the Court issued landmark decisions overturning abortion rights (Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization) and expanding gun rights (New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen), demonstrating a shift of power to the Court’s new 6-3 conservative supermajority. Legal commentators have long speculated that the Justices prefer [...]

28 Feb, 2023

Federal Courts Explained—Federal Circuit

2023-02-28T14:35:51-06:00February 28th, 2023|Tags: , , |

The United States federal court system is a hierarchical structure consisting of three levels: the district courts, the courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court. District courts are trial-level courts who have jurisdiction over a wide range of federal cases, including criminal cases, civil cases involving federal law, and cases involving federal agencies. The courts [...]

28 Feb, 2023

Federal Courts Explained—Eleventh Circuit

2023-02-28T14:33:49-06:00February 28th, 2023|Tags: , , |

The United States federal court system is a hierarchical structure consisting of three levels: the district courts, the courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court. District courts are trial-level courts who have jurisdiction over a wide range of federal cases, including criminal cases, civil cases involving federal law, and cases involving federal agencies. The courts [...]

28 Feb, 2023

Federal Courts Explained—Tenth Circuit

2023-02-28T14:30:51-06:00February 28th, 2023|Tags: , , |

The United States federal court system is a hierarchical structure consisting of three levels: the district courts, the courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court. District courts are trial-level courts who have jurisdiction over a wide range of federal cases, including criminal cases, civil cases involving federal law, and cases involving federal agencies. The courts [...]

28 Feb, 2023

Federal Courts Explained—Seventh Circuit

2023-02-28T14:28:51-06:00February 28th, 2023|Tags: , , , |

The United States federal court system is a hierarchical structure consisting of three levels: the district courts, the courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court. District courts are trial-level courts who have jurisdiction over a wide range of federal cases, including criminal cases, civil cases involving federal law, and cases involving federal agencies. The courts [...]