The Supreme Court on Monday declined to immediately resolve an attempt by 14 states to revive litigation over a controversial Trump-era immigration rule after the Biden administration declined to defend it in court. In a brief, unsigned order, the justices said the states must first make their arguments in the lower courts, but they left… Read More
Justices rebuff states’ request to reinstate public-charge rule, but leave door open for further litigation
Justices doubtful on California donor-disclosure requirement
The Supreme Court on Monday seemed poised to side with two conservative groups challenging the constitutionality of California’s requirement that charities and nonprofits operating in the state provide the state attorney general’s office with the names and addresses of their largest donors. The requirement, the state insists, helps it to police charitable fraud. But two… Read More
Court to take up major gun-rights case
Over a decade after it ruled that the Second Amendment protects the right to have a handgun in the home for self-defense, the Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide whether the Constitution also protects the right to carry a gun outside the home. The justices’ announcement that they will take up a challenge to… Read More
Justices to consider constitutionality of donor disclosure rule
The Supreme Court will close out its April argument session next week with two major First Amendment cases. On Wednesday, it will hear the case of a Pennsylvania student who was removed from her high school cheerleading team after posting offensive messages on social media. But on Monday, it will first hear a very different… Read More
Court upholds life-without-parole sentence for Mississippi man convicted as juvenile
This post was updated on Thursday, April 22, at 7:40 p.m. The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to impose new restrictions on the ability of states to sentence juveniles to life without parole, rejecting a challenge from a Mississippi man, Brett Jones, who was convicted of the 2004 stabbing death of his grandfather, a crime… Read More
Justices add confrontation-clause case to next term’s docket
The Sixth Amendment gives a defendant in a criminal prosecution the right “to be confronted with the witnesses against him.” On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case of Darrell Hemphill, who was convicted for the 2006 shooting death of a child, who was a passenger in a car that drove by… Read More
Divided court blocks California’s COVID-related restrictions on in-home religious gatherings
A divided Supreme Court on Friday night granted a request by a California pastor to put COVID-related restrictions on in-home Bible study and prayer meetings on hold. The ruling, issued just before midnight, was the most recent in a series of challenges, dating back almost to the start of the pandemic, to restrictions on in-person… Read More
Biden to create bipartisan commission on Supreme Court reform
President Joe Biden will issue an executive order to create a commission to study potential reforms to the Supreme Court, the White House announced on Friday. The announcement fulfilled a campaign promise by the president, who last fall proposed the idea of a commission after he declined to endorse efforts by liberals to expand the… Read More
In Harvard speech, Breyer speaks out against “court packing”
Emphasizing that the Supreme Court’s authority hinges on the public’s trust in the court, Justice Stephen Breyer used a speech on Tuesday at Harvard Law School to argue against efforts to expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court. The 82-year-old Breyer contended that public trust in the court rests in the public’s perception… Read More
Tennessee asks court to restore waiting period for abortions
Tennessee filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court on Monday, asking the justices for permission to enforce a 48-hour waiting period for abortions while it appeals a federal district court’s ruling that declared the waiting period unconstitutional. Characterizing the waiting period as “materially indistinguishable” from one the Supreme Court upheld nearly 30 years ago… Read More