President Joe Biden on Monday proposed three reforms to the Supreme Court. Stressing that he has “great respect for our institutions and the separation of powers,” but contending that “[w]hat is happening now is not normal,” Biden pointed to the court’s recent decision finding that former presidents have broad immunity for crimes that they commit… Read More
Justices appoint former clerk to argue First Step Act cases
The Supreme Court on Friday afternoon appointed a former clerk to Justice Samuel Alito (who also served as a clerk to then-Judge Neil Gorsuch on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit) to defend a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in a pair of cases involving the… Read More
Court schedules first cases for 2024-25 term
The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the Biden administration’s efforts to regulate so-called “ghost guns” in the first week of the 2024-25 term in October, followed the next day by an unusual death-penalty case – in which the state’s attorney general supports the condemned man’s efforts to overturn his conviction and sentence. Garland… Read More
Roberts court hands major wins to Trump, conservative movement in 2023-24 term
Former President Donald Trump loomed large over the Supreme Court’s 2023-24 term. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024 brought two cases to the justices and fared well in both; Trump could also benefit from the decision in a third case, brought by a defendant charged in the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol…. Read More
Supreme Court expands time frame to sue federal agencies
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a North Dakota truck stop can bring a challenge to a regulation issued 13 years ago by the Federal Reserve Board. In a 6-3 vote divided along ideological lines, the justices significantly expanded plaintiffs’ ability to sue federal regulators, ruling that the statute of limitations to challenge an… Read More
Justices add five cases out of clean-up conference
The Supreme Court on Tuesday added five new cases – two of which will be argued together – to its docket for the 2024-25 term. The justices declined to take up a number of notable cases, including challenges to Illinois’s regulation of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and a challenge to the power of federal… Read More
Court sends social media moderation cases back to lower courts
The Supreme Court on Monday sent a pair of challenges to laws in Texas and Florida that would regulate how large social media companies control content posted on their sites back to the lower courts for another look. In a decision by Justice Elena Kagan, the court explained that both lower courts had focused too… Read More
Justices rule Trump has some immunity from prosecution
This post was updated on July 1 at 3:31 p.m. In a historic decision, a divided Supreme Court on Monday ruled that former presidents can never be prosecuted for actions relating to the core powers of their office, and that there is at least a presumption that they have immunity for their official acts more… Read More
Court declines to delay Bannon’s prison sentence
The Supreme Court on Friday afternoon declined a request from Stephen Bannon, who served as an aide to former President Donald Trump, to delay the start of his four-month prison sentence while he asks the Supreme Court to review his case. Bannon is scheduled to report to prison on Monday, July 1. After failing to… Read More
Justices uphold laws targeting homelessness with criminal penalties
This post was updated on June 28 at 5:45 p.m. The Supreme Court on Friday upheld ordinances in a southwest Oregon city that prohibit people who are homeless from using blankets, pillows, or cardboard boxes for protection from the elements while sleeping within the city limits. By a vote of 6-3, the justices agreed with… Read More