The Supreme Court announced on Friday afternoon that it would weigh in on the legality of the Trump administration’s approval of Medicaid work requirements in Arkansas and New Hampshire. In a brief order, the justices granted review in Azar v. Gresham and Arkansas v. Gresham and consolidated the cases for one hour of oral argument…. Read More
Justices tell lower court to take another look at California COVID-19 restrictions on indoor worship
Last week the Supreme Court granted requests from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and two Orthodox Jewish synagogues to lift New York’s coronavirus-related attendance limits on worship services. The broader impact of that ruling became even more apparent on Thursday morning, when the justices ordered a federal district court to take another look at… Read More
Complex retroactivity issues divide justices in jury-unanimity case
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Wednesday in the case of Thedrick Edwards, a Louisiana man serving a life sentence for his role in a series of crimes in 2006. The jury that convicted Edwards, who is Black, was not unanimous; the lone Black juror voted to acquit him. In April 2020, the Supreme… Read More
Justices send mixed messages on corporate liability for allegedly aiding child slavery abroad
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Tuesday in a pair of cases, Nestlé USA v. Doe I and Cargill, Inc. v. Doe I, that ask whether a lawsuit against American corporations under the Alien Tort Statute, which allows foreigners to bring lawsuits in U.S. courts for serious violations of international law, can continue. The plaintiffs… Read More
Justices will hear argument on whether unanimous jury ruling applies retroactively
In April, the Supreme Court ruled in Ramos v. Louisiana that the Sixth Amendment establishes a right to a unanimous jury that applies in both federal and state courts. On Wednesday in Edwards v. Vannoy, the justices will hear argument on whether inmates whose convictions became final before that decision can now take advantage of… Read More
Christian school in Kentucky asks justices to intervene in dispute over in-person classes at religious schools (updated)
Less than a week after the Supreme Court lifted New York’s COVID-related limits on attendance at worship services, a Christian school in Kentucky and the state’s attorney general asked the Supreme Court on Monday to allow in-person classes at faith-based schools. Danville Christian Academy and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican, argued that the… Read More
Justices seem inclined to put off ruling on merits of Trump’s plan for census data
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Monday in Trump v. New York, the challenge to the Trump administration’s plan to exclude people who are in the United States illegally from the state-by-state breakdown used to allocate seats in the House of Representatives. The stakes are high in the case: If the justices allow the… Read More
When can U.S. companies be sued for alleged violations of international human rights?
Enacted as part of the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Alien Tort Statute allows foreigners to bring lawsuits in U.S. courts for serious violations of international law. On Tuesday, the justices will hear oral argument in a pair of cases, Nestlé USA v. Doe I and Cargill, Inc. v. Doe I, that ask whether a… Read More
Justices lift New York’s COVID-related attendance limits on worship services
The Supreme Court late Wednesday night granted requests from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and two Orthodox Jewish synagogues to block enforcement of a New York executive order restricting attendance at houses of worship. Both the diocese and the synagogues claimed that the executive order violated the right to the free exercise of religion… Read More
Court releases January calendar (updated)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued the calendar for its January argument session. The session will be a relatively quiet one, with only five hours of argument over four days. The justices will not hear argument on two days: Jan. 18, which is a federal holiday observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Jan. 20,… Read More