The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Wednesday in a high-stakes battle over the regulation of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the wake of the 2008 housing crisis. Shareholders in the company have challenged both the constitutionality of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which Congress created to oversee the two companies, and… Read More
Argument analysis: “Very hard questions” in dispute over Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac shareholder suit
Trump asks to enter Texas election lawsuit
President Donald Trump on Wednesday joined Texas in a last-ditch and unprecedented effort to persuade the Supreme Court to delay the Electoral College vote and block four states – Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – from casting votes for President-elect Joe Biden, who won the popular vote in each state. Trump argued that election officials… Read More
Case preview: The $124 billion questions – Justices to hear argument in dispute over Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac shareholder suit
The Supreme Court in June ruled in Seila Law v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that statutory restrictions on the president’s ability to remove the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau violated the Constitution’s separation of powers. On Wednesday, the court will consider whether a different set of restrictions, governing the removal of the director… Read More
Justices won’t stop Pennsylvania from certifying election for Biden
The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down a request from Pennsylvania Republicans to block the state from certifying the results of the Nov. 3 election for President-elect Joe Biden. With less than eight hours remaining before the “safe harbor” deadline for states to finalize the post-election certification of their votes in the Electoral College, the… Read More
Texas tries Hail Mary to block election outcome (updated)
In a last-ditch effort to forestall the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, Texas sought late Monday to file a lawsuit directly in the Supreme Court, attempting to delay the Electoral College vote and prevent four states – Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – from casting their Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, who… Read More
Argument analysis: Many questions, few solutions on immunity in claims arising from Nazi-era art sale
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Monday in a dispute over a collection of medieval Christian art on display at a Berlin museum. The question before the justices in Federal Republic of Germany v. Philipp is whether the lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C., by the heirs of several German Jewish art dealers who allege… Read More
Justices seek government’s views in antitrust case
The Supreme Court issued orders on Monday from the justices’ private conference on Dec. 4. The justices had already granted two new petitions for review, involving the legality of Medicaid work requirements, from that conference on Friday, so it was no surprise that the justices did not add any new cases to their merits docket… Read More
Case preview: Justices to consider immunity for Germany in claims arising from Nazi-era art sale
It has been nearly 90 years since Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, and 75 years since the end of World War II. Despite the passage of time, efforts to recover valuable works of art that were seized by the Nazis, or sold to them under duress, are still ongoing. On Monday, the Supreme… Read More
Justices agree to review legality of Medicaid work requirements
The Supreme Court announced on Friday afternoon that it would weigh in on the legality of the Trump administration’s approval of Medicaid work requirements in Arkansas and New Hampshire. In a brief order, the justices granted review in Azar v. Gresham and Arkansas v. Gresham and consolidated the cases for one hour of oral argument…. Read More
Justices tell lower court to take another look at California COVID-19 restrictions on indoor worship
Last week the Supreme Court granted requests from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and two Orthodox Jewish synagogues to lift New York’s coronavirus-related attendance limits on worship services. The broader impact of that ruling became even more apparent on Thursday morning, when the justices ordered a federal district court to take another look at… Read More