Justice Samuel Alito on Friday rebuffed a call from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee for him to recuse himself from a tax dispute because of his links to an attorney in the case. Alito contended that when – as in this case – “there is no sound reason for a Justice to recuse, the… Read More
Supreme Court sets seven cases for November argument session
A major Second Amendment dispute and a challenge to the constitutionality of efforts by public officials to block constituents on social media headline the Supreme Court’s November argument calendar, which was released on Wednesday. The session, which begins on Oct. 30, is a relatively light one, with the justices scheduled to hear oral arguments in… Read More
Thomas and Alito file 2022 financial disclosures
Justice Clarence Thomas took three trips in 2022 hosted in part or in full by Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow, according to a financial disclosure form made public on Thursday morning. The form also revealed that on at least two of those trips, Thomas traveled by private jet – according to Thomas, at the recommendation of… Read More
Justices put Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan on hold
The Supreme Court on Thursday put a bankruptcy plan for Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the highly addictive opioid painkiller OxyContin, on hold while it reviews a challenge to the legality of the plan, which would shield the Sackler family, which currently owns the drug company, from lawsuits. In the brief order the justices agreed… Read More
Supreme Court temporarily reinstates ban on “ghost guns”
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Biden administration to temporarily reinstate a rule by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives regulating “ghost guns” while a challenge to the rule continues in a federal appeals court. In June, a federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, had barred the ATF from enforcing the rule… Read More
Court allows bar on Tulsa’s enforcement of municipal laws against Native Americans to remain in place
The Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place a federal appeals court ruling that bars the city of Tulsa from enforcing municipal ordinances against Native Americans. In a brief unsigned order without any public dissents, the justices rejected the city’s request to put a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit… Read More
Justices allow execution of Missouri man who argued mental incompetency
The Supreme Court on Tuesday night refused to stay the execution of Johnny Johnson, scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT. The court’s liberal justices dissented from the decision to allow the execution to go forward, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor arguing that Johnson was entitled to a hearing to determine whether he is mentally competent to be… Read More
Supreme Court rules in favor of Mountain Valley Pipeline
The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a controversial $6.6 billion natural-gas pipeline spanning just over 300 miles, from West Virginia’s northwestern border to southern Virginia. In a brief unsigned order, the justices lifted orders by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit that… Read More
Supreme Court clears the way for Alabama to resume executions
On Friday morning the Supreme Court declined to block the execution of James Barber, who was sentenced to death in 2003 for the brutal murder of 75-year-old Dorothy Epps. Barber died by lethal injection at a prison in southern Alabama a few hours later. Barber’s execution followed a trio of botched lethal injections in 2022,… Read More
Justices schedule first cases of the 2023-24 term
Just two weeks after the justices finished releasing their opinions from the 2022-23 term, the court is now looking ahead to next term. The Supreme Court on Friday released the calendar for its October oral argument session. The justices will hear just six cases over five days between Oct. 2 and Oct. 11. The session… Read More