The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to reconsider the role of race in college admissions. In a brief order, the justices agreed to take up two cases asking them to overrule their landmark 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, holding that the University of Michigan could consider race as part of its efforts to assemble… Read More
Court will hear challenges to affirmative action at Harvard and University of North Carolina
Justices will review scope of McGirt decision, but won’t consider whether to overturn it
Less than two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in McGirt v. Oklahoma by a vote of 5-4 that a large portion of eastern Oklahoma, which was reserved for the Creek Nation in the 19th century, remains a reservation for purposes of a federal law that gives the federal government sole power to try certain… Read More
Majority turns down request to send Texas abortion litigation back to federal district court
The Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon rejected abortion providers’ request to order a federal appeals court to send their challenge to a Texas law banning almost all abortions in the state promptly back to the friendlier confines of a federal district court in that state. The providers argued that failing to do so would “derail… Read More
Court rebuffs Trump’s bid to block release of documents related to Jan. 6 riot
In a major victory for the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court turned down a request by former President Donald Trump to block the release of presidential records that the committee is seeking. The ruling clears the way for the National Archives to turn over several… Read More
Government faces skeptical bench in defending campaign-finance law challenged by Ted Cruz
Sen. Ted Cruz is no stranger to the Supreme Court. In the 1990s, he served as a law clerk to the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, and between 2003 and 2010 he returned as a lawyer to argue nine cases there. On Wednesday, Cruz was before the court in a different capacity, challenging a federal… Read More
Over Gorsuch dissent, justices deny review in dispute over definition of “minister” for tax-exemption purposes
After adding five cases to its merits docket for the spring on Friday, the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning issued more orders from the justices’ private conference last week. As expected, the justices did not grant any new cases. Perhaps most notably, they once again did not act on a pair of petitions challenging the… Read More
Justices debate speech and religion in spat over flag-flying at Boston city hall
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Tuesday in a free speech case arising from Boston’s practice of allowing outside groups to fly their flags on one of the three flagpoles in front of city hall. A group that was denied permission to fly a “Christian flag” argued at the Supreme Court that it would… Read More
Justices will hear Ted Cruz’s challenge to loan restrictions in campaign-finance law
The 2018 Texas Senate race between Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto O’Rourke was one of the closest races in Texas in 40 years, with O’Rourke falling short of unseating Cruz by roughly 200,000 votes out of 8.3 million cast. It was also expensive, with the candidates collectively raising more than $100 million. On Wednesday,… Read More
Boston’s refusal to fly a Christian flag over city hall raises First Amendment questions
When it hears oral argument on Tuesday in Shurtleff v. City of Boston, the Supreme Court will return to the role of religion in public spaces. The question comes to the court in an important free speech case arising from Boston’s practice of allowing outside groups to fly their flags on one of the three… Read More
Court will take up five new cases, including lawsuit from football coach who wanted to pray on the field
In a term in which the justices are already slated to weigh in on disputes over public funding for private schools that teach religion, the role of spiritual advisers in the execution chamber, and the flying of a religious flag on a city flag pole, the Supreme Court on Friday added another religion case to… Read More