Legal Beat

Legal Beat chronicles the relationship and tensions between Congress and the courts. It examines high-profile court cases that lawmakers are watching and takes you behind the scenes in the Senate battles over judicial nominations. It also explores lawmakers' attempts to rein in the courts and the judiciary's efforts to get more resources out of Congress.

Keith Perine is a legal affairs reporter for Congressional Quarterly. He covers judicial nominations and issues related to civil liberties, national security and executive power involving the House and Senate Judiciary Committees and the Justice Department. He also covers the Supreme Court. Previously, Perine was a staff writer for The Industry Standard, a San Francisco-based Web site and weekly magazine, covering technology-related politics and policy in Washington. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa.

Seth Stern is a legal affairs reporter for Congressional Quarterly. When he's not covering judicial nominations, he writes about other issues that include criminal justice, intellectual property, and relations between Congress and the Courts. Stern is also co-authoring a biography of Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. to be published by Houghton Mifflin. Stern previously reported for The Christian Science Monitor in Boston. He has a bachelor's degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, a master's degree from the Kennedy School of Government and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Kathleen Hunter covers the Senate leadership and the court proceedings of members of Congress charged with crimes. Before joining CQ, she was a staff writer for Stateline.org, where she followed tax policy and state-level politics. She holds a bachelor's degree is journalism and mass communication and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.