The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejecting efforts by Catholic Charities to seek an exemption from the state’s unemployment tax. Catholic Charities contends that both it and the four agencies that operate under its umbrella qualify for the exemption because they are operated “primarily for religious… Read More
Supreme Court to debut new public seating lottery for arguments
Members of the public who want to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court can now apply through an online lottery to obtain advance reservations for seats at those arguments. The Supreme Court announced in a press release on Thursday afternoon that it has launched a pilot lottery program, beginning with seats for the court’s… Read More
Supreme Court turns down Kentucky utility’s request to block EPA coal ash rule
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request from a Kentucky utility company to temporarily block an Environmental Protection Agency rule governing the disposal of coal ash while a challenge to it moves forward in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The denial came just under six months after the… Read More
Justices split on white-collar fraud conviction for government contractor
At oral arguments on Monday it was not clear how the Supreme Court will rule in the case of a Philadelphia-area government contractor found guilty of fraud after it failed to comply with a contract provision intended to promote diversity. In Kousisis v. United States, the justices are considering whether the federal wire fraud laws… Read More
Court turns down challenges to school admissions, gender support plans, and gun licensing
The Supreme Court on Monday morning declined to take up several hot-button issues, including a challenge by parents to a school district’s plan to provide support for transgender and non-binary students, a dispute over the admissions policy used during the 2021-22 school year for three of Boston’s elite public high schools, and the case of… Read More
Justices take up disputes over terrorism damages suits and habeas filings
The Supreme Court on Friday afternoon agreed to decide whether a 2019 law that seeks to give U.S. courts the power to hear claims by victims of terrorism against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority violates the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of fair treatment. Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization and United States v. Palestine… Read More
Supreme Court appears ready to uphold Tennessee ban on youth transgender care
During almost two-and-a-half hours of debate on Wednesday, nearly all of the court’s conservative majority expressed skepticism about a challenge to Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender teenagers. Three transgender teens, their families, and a Memphis physician, along with the Biden administration, contend that the law violates the Constitution’s guarantee of… Read More
Former Roberts clerk appointed to argue deportation case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appointed a former clerk to Chief Justice John Roberts to defend a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in an immigration case after the Biden administration declined to do so. The announcement that the court had appointed Stephen Hammer, an associate in the Dallas office… Read More
Justices weigh Holocaust survivors’ right to sue Hungary for compensation
A long-running dispute reached the Supreme Court again on Tuesday over efforts by survivors of the Hungarian Holocaust to receive compensation for property that was seized by the Hungarian government during its extermination campaign in collaboration with the Nazis. The survivors and their heirs brought their suit in U.S. court. At issue in the case… Read More
Supreme Court to hear challenge to ban on transgender health care for minors
The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a challenge to a Tennessee law that bans the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender teens. The dispute could be one of the most significant decisions of the term. And with similar laws in 23 other states, the court’s ruling is likely to have broader… Read More