The Supreme Court heard oral argument today in the case of several members of the armed forces, who were convicted by military courts-martial of offenses ranging from the relatively minor (wrongful use of a controlled substance) to the serious (sexual misconduct). They appealed to the military courts of criminal appeals (CCAs), where their convictions were… Read More
Argument analysis: Justices debate the dual-officeholding ban and jurisdiction over military courts
More orders, but no new grants
The Supreme Court issued additional orders this morning from last Friday’s conference. The justices added 12 new cases, for a total of 11 hours of argument, to their calendar for this term last week, but they did not add any new cases today. After announcing on Friday that they would review a pair of appeals… Read More
Argument preview: When a defendant in a capital case says “not guilty,” can his attorney say “guilty”?
In 2011, Robert McCoy was tried on three counts of first-degree murder for the 2008 shooting deaths of Christine and Willie Young – the mother and stepfather of McCoy’s estranged wife, Yolanda – and Gregory Colston, Yolanda’s son, in Bossier Parish, Louisiana. Although McCoy steadfastly maintained that he was innocent, his attorney took a different… Read More
Argument analysis: Ohio voter-registration practices safe?
The Supreme Court heard oral argument today in a challenge to a practice that Ohio uses to maintain its voter-registration lists. Under Ohio law, a voter who does not vote for two years is sent a notice, which asks him to confirm that he is still eligible to vote. If the voter does not return… Read More
Argument analysis: Trying to draw lines on vehicle searches
The Supreme Court spent the first hour of oral arguments yesterday debating the Fourth Amendment, privacy rights and rental cars. The Fourth Amendment was also the focus of the second hour, when the justices heard oral argument in Collins v. Virginia. In Collins, the question before the court was the scope of the “automobile exception”… Read More
Argument preview: Justices to consider role of military judges and the dual-officeholding ban
In 2006, Congress – relying on its power under Article I of the Constitution to regulate the armed forces – created the United States Court of Military Commission Review. That court, known as the CMCR, hears appeals from military commissions, such as the one created at Guantanamo to try enemy combatants. Federal law outlines two… Read More
Court sends case of Georgia death-row inmate back to lower courts over Thomas dissent
This morning the Supreme Court issued orders from last Friday’s conference. The justices did not add any new cases to their merits docket, but they did issue a summary ruling in the case of a Georgia death-row inmate and called for the views of the U.S. solicitor general in three cases. The summary decision came… Read More
For the third time, justices take on union-fee issue: In Plain English
Like many employees, Mark Janus was upset about deductions from his paycheck – specifically, the roughly $45 per month that goes to the local branch of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the union that represents him. But unlike most employees, Janus – a child-support specialist at the state’s Department of Healthcare… Read More
Justices take on First Amendment challenge to state abortion disclosure laws: In Plain English
In 2015, California lawmakers enacted the Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act. The law, known as the Reproductive FACT Act, responded to concerns that crisis pregnancy centers – nonprofit organizations, often affiliated with Christian groups, that are opposed to abortion – were posing as full-service reproductive health clinics and providing pregnant women with… Read More
No new grants today
After adding seven new cases to their merits docket on Friday, the justices issued additional orders from last week’s conference. They did not add any more new cases to their docket, but they did deny review in a high-profile case in which they had been asked to decide whether a federal civil rights law barring… Read More