This post was updated on June 17 at 7:15 p.m. The Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a lawsuit alleging that two U.S.-based companies, Nestle and Cargill, facilitated human-rights abuses on cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast. By a vote of 8-1, the justices ruled that the lawsuit cannot go forward because it is based… Read More
Justices scuttle lawsuit against Nestle, Cargill for allegedly aiding child slavery abroad
Court holds that city’s refusal to make referrals to faith-based agency violates Constitution
This post was updated on June 17 at 6:52 p.m. In a clash between religious freedom and public policies that protect LGBTQ people, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Philadelphia violated the First Amendment’s free exercise clause when the city stopped working with a Catholic organization that refused to certify same-sex couples as potential foster… Read More
Court again leaves Affordable Care Act in place
This post was updated on June 17 at 5:16 p.m. In a much-anticipated decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected another effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, the health care reform law often regarded as the signature legislative achievement of former President Barack Obama. The justices did not reach the main issue in the… Read More
Reading the tea leaves: Remaining cases as of June 16
By the end of this month, the Supreme Court is expected to issue 18 opinions in cases that were argued during the 2020-2021 term, on topics ranging from the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act to whether schools can regulate off-campus speech by students. There is no way to know when a particular decision will… Read More
Federal government weighs in on five cases for June 24 conference
When the justices meet next week for their private conference, they will consider five cases in which the court had asked for the government’s views – a procedure known as a “call for the views of the solicitor general,” or “CVSG.” The Supreme Court is particularly likely to ask the solicitor general to weigh in… Read More
Justices request government’s views on Harvard affirmative-action dispute
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the federal government to weigh in on whether the justices should once again wade into the battle over affirmative action. In an order list issued from last week’s private conference, the court asked Acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar to file a brief expressing the government’s views on a challenge… Read More
Reading the tea leaves: Remaining cases as of June 13
Over the next two weeks or so, the Supreme Court is expected to issue 21 opinions in cases that were argued during the 2020-2021 term, on topics ranging from the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act to whether schools can regulate off-campus speech by students. There is no way to know when a particular decision… Read More
Less travel, plenty of royalties for justices in 2020
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were reflected in an unusual source: the justices’ 2020 financial disclosures, which the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts released (and Fix the Court posted online) on Friday. Unlike in previous years, the justices mostly stayed close to home, with only two justices reporting reimbursements for trips after the… Read More
Reading the tea leaves: Remaining cases as of June 8
Over the next three weeks or so, the Supreme Court is expected to issue 22 opinions in cases that were argued during the 2020-2021 term, on topics ranging from the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act to whether schools can regulate off-campus speech by students. There is no way to know when a particular decision… Read More
Justices grant state secrets case, won’t tackle male-only draft
The Supreme Court on Monday announced that it would add another case involving the state secrets privilege, which allows the government to block the release of sensitive national security information in litigation, to its argument calendar for next term. The court also turned down a challenge to the requirement that only men register for the… Read More