The Supreme Court on Monday morning added two new cases, both involving Native Americans, to its docket for this term. The justices also issued two unsigned decisions holding, without oral argument, that police officers are entitled to qualified immunity from lawsuits accusing them of using excessive force. The justices, however, did not act on several… Read More
Detainee can testify about his treatment at CIA black site, government tells justices
The Biden administration told the Supreme Court on Friday that a Palestinian man who has been in U.S. custody for nearly 20 years could provide testimony for use in a Polish criminal investigation into the man’s torture at a CIA “black site” in that country. However, Acting Solicitor General Brian Fletcher added, any testimony by… Read More
Justices appear to favor reinstating death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Wednesday in the case of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted for his role in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, which killed three people and badly injured hundreds more. A jury sentenced Tsarnaev to death, but a federal appeals court threw out Tsarnaev’s death sentences last year. That prompted… Read More
In mostly humdrum order list, court adds no new cases to its docket
The Supreme Court issued orders on Tuesday morning from the justices’ private conference last week. The list of orders was largely uneventful, as the court did not add any new cases to its merits docket for the term. The justices also did not act on several high-profile cases that they considered at Friday’s conference, instead… Read More
Justices appear inclined to allow Kentucky attorney general to intervene in abortion dispute
Anyone looking to the oral argument in Cameron v. EMW Women’s Surgical Center as a potential preview of the upcoming battle over abortion rights was likely disappointed on Monday. In Cameron, the justices are considering whether the Kentucky attorney general can intervene to defend a state law restricting abortion after another state official declined to… Read More
Justices to consider government’s appeal to reinstate death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber
Monday marked the 125th running of the Boston Marathon, moved from April to October this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear the United States’ effort to reinstate the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted for his role in the 2013 bombings at the finish line of… Read More
Justices to weigh Kentucky attorney general’s effort to intervene in abortion battle
When then-President Donald Trump released his updated list of potential Supreme Court nominees in September 2020, one name that garnered attention was that of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a protégé of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.. Trump did not choose the 35-year-old Cameron to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader… Read More
Argument over state secrets and CIA black sites takes unexpected turn in final few minutes
The justices on Wednesday were skeptical of efforts by a Guantanamo Bay detainee to obtain testimony and documents about his treatment under the U.S. government’s torture program at CIA “black sites” in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. The government has contended that the information is protected by the “state secrets” privilege, a doctrine that… Read More
Justices will consider whether details on post-9/11 CIA black sites are state secrets
It has been just over 20 years since the Sept. 11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in the worst terrorist attack in modern history. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in yet another legal battle arising from the government’s response to the attacks – specifically, the government’s efforts to block the disclosure… Read More
Court issues orders from “long conference,” but relists some high-profile cases
Before the justices returned to the courtroom on Monday morning for the first in-person oral arguments in over a year and a half, they issued a second set of orders from their private conference last week. As expected, the justices did not add any cases to their docket for the 2021-22 term; those grants came… Read More