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After Mitt Romney denied to a journalist Thursday that he had described the economy under President Obama as “worse” than before his term, other members of the media were quick to point out that he had said exactly that on at least three occasions in recent weeks.

The dust-up began when an NBC producer asked Romney to defend his contention the economy has worsened. “You continue to say the economy was worse,” the producer said. “But unemployment is lower than it was in 2009. The stock market was tumbling, and is now above 2,000 and it is growing slowly…How can you continue to say that things are worse?”

Romney’s response: “I didn’t say that things are worse. What I’ve said is t

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The New York Times is criticizing the behavior of some Supreme Court justices and offering a solution: The court should be bound by the code of conduct that applies to other federal judges.

Justices ethical judgments were an important issue in the last term, the New York Times says in an editorial. In several instances, the newspaper says, justices acted in ways that weakened the courts reputation for being independent and impartial.

The newspaper cites as examples appearances at political events by Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel A. Alito Jr.

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For those following campaign finance law, this week’s Supreme Court decision to throw out one provision of Arizona’s public financing system came as no surprise. The Court’s one swing vote, Justice Anthony Kennedy, tipped his hand when, during oral argument, he bluntly asked if it was fair to say the law restricted speech.

After last year’s sweeping decision in Citizens United, campaign finance reform advocates have come to expect the worst. In five years, the Roberts Court has heard five campaign finance cases. And in those five cases, voters lost out to powerful, wealthy interests every time.

Although this case is a setback, there is one clear silver lining — public financing remains constitutionally sound. The Chief

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Mayer Brown is launching in Singapore with the relocation of Hong Kong projects partner Kevin Owen to head up the new office.

The new base will be Mayer Brown’s seventh presence in Asia following its 2008 tie-up with Johnson Stokes & Master (JSM).

Mayer Brown JSM already operates offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Min City, Hanoi and Bangkok.

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British intelligence officers who question prisoners at risk of torture while in the hands of foreign governments are committing no offence, lawyers for the government have argued at the high court.

Only if they “know or believe” that torture will take place as a result of their actions could they face criminal liability, according to a legal defence of instructions under which MI5 and MI6 officers operate.

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July 1, – A U.S. District Court judge declined on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co, that accused the lender of reducing or suspending home-equity lines of credit without a permissible reason, according to court documents.

Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer ruled that some claims in the suit could go forward but dismissed allegations of fraud and unjust enrichment against the bank.

The case relates to JPMorgan Chase reducing the amount of money some customers could borrow against their homes, citing a decline in home values.

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ALBUQUERQUE – Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez is running for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the Albuquerque-area 1st Congressional District. Chavez announced his candidacy on Wednesday in a video posted on his website, www.martychavez.com. He touted his record as a three-term mayor and said he would bring “a forward-looking progressive record of change” to Congress. He criticized Republican proposals for revamping Medicare and scrapping a federal health care overhaul. The 1st District seat is open in next year’s election because incumbent Democrat Martin Heinrich is running for the U.S. Senate. Chavez joins state Sen. Find more…

Donald Ellis Lehmbeck, 64, was charged March 24 with two counts of child sexual abuse and one count of possessing obscene or indecent writings. Those abuse counts involved a 6-year-old girl who is a relative of a woman who lived with Lehmbeck, records show. At a March hearing, Deputy Jeremy Yerton said the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office received information regarding allegations against Lehmbeck made by two girls who were in his foster care. A prosecutor said then that those accusations were being investigated. Two sex-abuse counts against Lehmbeck involving two foster children were added June 17, records show. Find more…

Senate Republicans, pummeled Wednesday by President Obama over the stalled debt ceiling talks, fought back by announcing plans to vote next month on a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., flanked by a dozen Republicans, said he wants a vote on a balanced-budget proposal the week of July 18, adding that House Republicans plan to vote on a similar measure the following week of July 25.

The vote will put pressure on Democrats to take steps to seriously rein in federal spending, an issue that has increasingly resonated with voters.

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Michael Tanner

During his news con ference yesterday, President Obama re peatedly laid out his case by calling for new taxes on “corporate jets.” The sound bite is designed to seem extremely reasonable. After all, those bankers and hedge-fund managers who can afford to fly around on corporate planes can undoubtedly pay a bit more for the privilege.

We’ve been here before. In the 1990 deal between President George H.W. Bush and a Democratic Congress, yacht owners were the designated villain. Yachts were, after all, owned by “millionaires and billionaires” who didn’t pay their fair share of taxes. Who could object to taxing them a bit more?

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