The court on Monday morning issued orders from the justices’ private conference on Friday, Feb. 26. The justices added two cases, both involving benefits through the Social Security Administration, to their merits docket for next term. The first case, United States v. Vaello-Madero, is a major challenge to the exclusion of Puerto Rico residents from… Read More
Court clears way for indoor worship services in northern California
In the latest of a line of challenges to restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court ordered a California county to allow churches to hold indoor worship services. In a brief order on Friday night, the justices granted a request to block county public health restrictions imposed in light of the pandemic while… Read More
Justices hear argument on whether “hot pursuit” for misdemeanors allows police to enter home without a warrant
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Wednesday in the case of Arthur Lange, a northern California man convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. The evidence used to convict Lange was obtained by a California highway patrol officer, who had followed Lange in his car and then on foot into his garage. The… Read More
Case preview: Justices to consider whether “hot pursuit” justifies entering the home without a warrant
An old English maxim instructs that a man’s home is his castle – a refuge from the outside world. On Wednesday the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case testing how much protection the Constitution provides to the home. At issue in Lange v. California is whether, when police are pursuing someone for… Read More
Justices add new cases, turn down Pennsylvania election disputes
The justices on Monday issued their first regularly scheduled order list since late January. Perhaps the most noteworthy part of the orders was the justices’ denial of former President Donald Trump’s plea to block a subpoena for his financial records, but the order list was significant in other respects as well: The justices added three… Read More
Justices will not block New York grand jury subpoena for Trump’s records
The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for a New York grand jury to obtain former President Donald Trump’s financial records. Over four months after Trump asked them to intervene, the justices turned down a request by the former president to stay a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit… Read More
Case preview: Justices to consider whether Arizona’s voting rules discriminate against minorities
The 2020 elections may be over, but the Supreme Court will soon hear oral argument in a pair of voting-rights cases from one of last year’s key battleground states, and the eventual outcome may determine how courts will assess allegedly discriminatory voting rules for years to come. The cases challenge two Arizona voting provisions: a… Read More
Court won’t allow Alabama execution without a pastor
The Supreme Court on Thursday night ruled that the execution of an Alabama man must remain on hold unless the state allows the man, Willie Smith III, to have his pastor by his side in the execution chamber. The justices rejected a request by the state to undo a ruling by the U.S. Court of… Read More
Biden administration notifies court of new position on Affordable Care Act
Three months after the justices heard oral argument in the constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act, the Biden administration on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it should uphold the entire law, a shift from the position taken by the Trump administration. With the process of writing the opinion in the case likely well… Read More
Divided court allows indoor worship services to resume in California
More than eight months after the Supreme Court declined to intervene in a California church’s challenge to the state’s stay-at-home orders issued as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the justices late Friday night gave the go-ahead for California churches to resume indoor worship services. The court was divided in its ruling, which will still… Read More