Supreme Court Strikes Down Anti-Abortion Law. The Nebraska law banning “partial birth abortion” (a heinous propagandistic term for the medical procedure flogged by its opponents) is unconstitutional. You never know with this Court, but you do know where some of its justices sit. The usual Gang of Three — Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas — were joined in dissenting by Kennedy.

In a 6-3 vote, the Court also upheld the states’ rights to protect those going into or out of medical facilities from anti-abortion protesters. Kennedy wrote the opinion, and Kennedy and Scalia wrote dissents.

Regrettably, a 5-4 vote upheld the right of the Boy Scouts to exclude gays, overturning a decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in the case of a Scout leader dismissed once known to be gay. Rehnquist wrote for the majority. Let’s see how the Boy Scouts fare now as an openly anti-gay institution.