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CNN Live At Daybreak
Supreme Court Docket: Privacy, Affirmative Action
Aired June 16, 2003 - 06:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about privacy and what you can do in your own home. That issue before the U.S. Supreme Court today.
CNN's Skip Loescher joins us live now from Washington with details on that and another controversial case before the Supremes.
Good morning -- Skip.
SKIP LOESCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Time running out for this session of the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices generally take most of the summer off. Later today, they may decide one or both of the most noteworthy cases before them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SKIP LOESCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two of the more controversial Supreme Court cases came from Michigan and Texas. Jennifer Gratz was refused admission as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. She went to court claiming the university used a point system favoring minorities. She contended it was an illegal quota system. The Bush administration agreed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This plan violates every standard that this court has set for the examination of racial preferences.
LOESCHER: The university cited a 1978 ruling in a California case which stated quotas are unconstitutional but race can be considered. Michigan claimed it was simply trying to achieve diversity in its student body. Justice Anthony Kennedy was skeptical.
ANTHONY KENNEDY, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: I have to say that in looking at your program, it looks to me like this is just a disguised quota.
LOESCHER: The question in Texas is whether a state law that only prohibits sodomy between homosexuals is constitutional. Three other states have similar laws, while three times that many bans sodomy between hetero and homosexuals. The case involves two Houston men who were caught in a sexual act and briefly jailed by police investigating what turned out to be a bogus burglary report.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's sort of a Gestapo, but that's all I have to say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I feel like my civil rights was violated and I wasn't doing anything wrong.
LOESCHER: Texas contends it is charged with protecting public morals. The U.S. Supreme Court decides.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
The high court may rule on one or both of these cases later today or that decision may not come down for the next week or two.
We're live in Washington. I'm Skip Loescher.
Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: We'll be there whenever it comes down. Skip Loescher live from Washington this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 16, 2003 - 06:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about privacy and what you can do in your own home. That issue before the U.S. Supreme Court today.
CNN's Skip Loescher joins us live now from Washington with details on that and another controversial case before the Supremes.
Good morning -- Skip.
SKIP LOESCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Time running out for this session of the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices generally take most of the summer off. Later today, they may decide one or both of the most noteworthy cases before them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SKIP LOESCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two of the more controversial Supreme Court cases came from Michigan and Texas. Jennifer Gratz was refused admission as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. She went to court claiming the university used a point system favoring minorities. She contended it was an illegal quota system. The Bush administration agreed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This plan violates every standard that this court has set for the examination of racial preferences.
LOESCHER: The university cited a 1978 ruling in a California case which stated quotas are unconstitutional but race can be considered. Michigan claimed it was simply trying to achieve diversity in its student body. Justice Anthony Kennedy was skeptical.
ANTHONY KENNEDY, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: I have to say that in looking at your program, it looks to me like this is just a disguised quota.
LOESCHER: The question in Texas is whether a state law that only prohibits sodomy between homosexuals is constitutional. Three other states have similar laws, while three times that many bans sodomy between hetero and homosexuals. The case involves two Houston men who were caught in a sexual act and briefly jailed by police investigating what turned out to be a bogus burglary report.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's sort of a Gestapo, but that's all I have to say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I feel like my civil rights was violated and I wasn't doing anything wrong.
LOESCHER: Texas contends it is charged with protecting public morals. The U.S. Supreme Court decides.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
The high court may rule on one or both of these cases later today or that decision may not come down for the next week or two.
We're live in Washington. I'm Skip Loescher.
Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: We'll be there whenever it comes down. Skip Loescher live from Washington this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
