Names and faces
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is proving why she has called herself “Rapid Ruth” for her speed at writing opinions. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court handed down its first opinion in a case heard this term. And it was Ginsburg, the court’s oldest justice, who wrote the unanimous opinion. During a speech in September at Georgetown University’s law school the 84-year-old referred to herself as “Rapid Ruth” and to Justice Sonia Sotomayor as “Swift Sonia.” The Supreme Court began its new term in October. The case decided Wednesday was argued on Oct. 10. Releasing an opinion in less than a month is quick by Supreme Court standards. The court ruled that a lower court improperly dismissed on appeal a case involving a woman who had filed an employment discrimination claim.
Several top comedians — including John Oliver, Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah and Conan O’Brien — helped raise money for military veterans Tuesday night at a raucous event at New York’s Madison Square Garden in which many of the best barbs were hurled at the current commander in chief. “It’s a strange time to be in love with America right now. Some would offer you are not at your finest. Falling in love with America right now is like falling in love with a girl who’s throwing up all over herself,” Oliver said. “You hold her hair back and say, ‘Let it all out. You just made a mistake, that’s all.’” The annual Stand Up for Heroes event is co-presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival. It kicks off the festival and raises money for the Woodruff foundation, which funds programs for injured veterans and their families. The foundation is named for the ABC news anchor injured in Iraq in 2006 and has raised some $40 million.
Swiss prosecutors won’t pursue an investigation of Oscar-winning director
Roman Polanski over allegations by a German woman that he raped her when she was a teenager 45 years ago. Prosecutors in the Swiss capital, Bern, said Wednesday that the statute of limitations for the alleged crime of sexual actions with children had long since expired.
The 61-year-old plaintiff filed a criminal complaint in September alleging Polanski raped her at his chalet in Gstaad in 1972. The statute of limitations was 15 years at the time. Polanski’s lawyer, Herve Temime, said in an email to The Associated Press that he “takes note” of the Swiss prosecutors’ decision. Temime added that the allegations mentioned in the complaint were “contested by Mr. Polanski and unfounded.” Polanski, 84, has been a fugitive from U.S. justice since he fled to France in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a minor in California.