Covering the Supreme Court and the Judiciary in (mostly) Plain English

The 2020 elections may be over, but the Supreme Court will soon hear oral argument in a pair of voting-rights cases from one of last year’s key battleground states, and the eventual outcome may determine how courts will assess allegedly discriminatory voting rules for years to come. The cases challenge two Arizona voting provisions: a… Read More

The Supreme Court on Thursday night ruled that the execution of an Alabama man must remain on hold unless the state allows the man, Willie Smith III, to have his pastor by his side in the execution chamber. The justices rejected a request by the state to undo a ruling by the U.S. Court of… Read More

Three months after the justices heard oral argument in the constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act, the Biden administration on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it should uphold the entire law, a shift from the position taken by the Trump administration. With the process of writing the opinion in the case likely well… Read More

More than eight months after the Supreme Court declined to intervene in a California church’s challenge to the state’s stay-at-home orders issued as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the justices late Friday night gave the go-ahead for California churches to resume indoor worship services. The court was divided in its ruling, which will still… Read More

The Supreme Court on Wednesday removed two cases from its February argument session after the Biden administration began to unwind the two immigration policies being challenged in the cases. Although the release of an order list on a Wednesday morning during the justices’ winter recess was unexpected, the decision to take Mayorkas v. Innovation Law… Read More

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of Germany in a lawsuit brought by the heirs of several Jewish art dealers who are seeking compensation for what they describe as the forced sale of medieval Christian relics under the Nazi regime. In Federal Republic of Germany v. Philipp, the justices unanimously vacated a lower-court… Read More

An already thin February argument calendar will likely become even lighter before the session begins on Feb. 22. Acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar asked the Supreme Court on Monday to remove two cases scheduled for argument during the February session from the argument calendar, citing changes in policy that President Joe Biden announced on his… Read More

The Supreme Court on Monday released the calendar for its March argument session, scheduling arguments on issues including student-athlete compensation, union organizing, Medicaid work requirements and the seizure of guns from the home of a man believed to be suicidal. The justices will hear oral argument in seven cases over six days –a lighter load… Read More

When the Senate’s impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump begins next month, one familiar face from Trump’s first impeachment won’t be there: Chief Justice John Roberts. Instead, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who serves as the president pro tempore of the Senate, will preside over the trial. As Frank Bowman explained in an article for… Read More

The Supreme Court on Monday morning released orders from the justices’ private conference on Friday, Jan. 22. The justices once again did not act on several high-profile petitions for review, including the challenge to Nevada’s limits on religious gatherings, the challenge to the constitutionality of a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after the 15th… Read More