The U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s 200th judge to the federal bench on May 22, a landmark that emphasized, ahead of the upcoming November election, the power a president has to leave a lasting impression on the judicial branch. … Continue reading Senate confirms Biden’s 200th judge as Democrats applaud ‘milestone’
Critics need to leave the Supreme Court “alone,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on May 21. The comment came days after Justice Samuel Alito acknowledged that his wife briefly flew a U.S. flag upside down outside their Virginia … Continue reading Sen. McConnell tells critics to leave Supreme Court alone
The Supreme Court declined on May 20 to take up an appeal by a Canadian former Guantanamo Bay detainee who sought to set aside his convictions for the 2002 murder of a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan and for various crimes … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear former Guantanamo detainee’s appeal
The Supreme Court refused on May 20 to take up a challenge to Maryland’s law that bans so-called assault weapons such as the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. The ruling leaves the prohibition against such weapons in place in the state for … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to Maryland’s AR-15 rifle ban
A patient with a dangerous bleeding disorder, along with an out-of-state specialist who treats cancer, is suing California in federal court over a state law that forbids doctors not licensed in the state from providing telehealth services to Californians. Telehealth, … Continue reading Doctor, patient sue California over telehealth restrictions
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on May 16 that if a federal court determines that a lawsuit involves an arbitrable dispute, and a litigant requests a stay of the proceeding pending arbitration, a federal arbitration law requires the court to … Continue reading Supreme Court rules 9-0 that lower court should have put delivery drivers’ lawsuit on hold
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on May 16 that a furloughed Department of Defense (DOD) employee who was forced to wait five years for an understaffed government board to decide on his compensation claim is entitled to move forward with … Continue reading Supreme Court sides 9–0 with furloughed Pentagon employee
The Supreme Court on May 16 rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of the unusual means Congress uses to fund the powerful Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by a vote of 7–2. Some had speculated that the court’s conservative majority … Continue reading Supreme Court votes 7-2 to uphold controversial funding structure for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Supreme Court voted on May 15 to direct Louisiana to use a disputed congressional map that creates a second black-majority district in the state in upcoming elections. Opponents of the redistricting plan said it discriminates against non-black voters, but … Continue reading Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with 2 black-majority districts
A man who claimed he had ties to a militia group received a 10-year prison term on May 14 for pouring gasoline over several Supreme Court Police cars and setting them on fire in 2020. U.S. District Court Judge Royce … Continue reading Man who set Supreme Court Police cars ablaze given 10-year sentence
The Supreme Court turned away, on May 13, a request from a New Jersey-based network of pro-life pregnancy help centers to halt a subpoena from the pro-choice state that would compel it to disclose information about its donors. Donor information … Continue reading Supreme Court allows New Jersey’s subpoena of pregnancy help centers’ sensitive information
The Supreme Court on May 13 rejected an appeal from California prison officials who claimed immunity from lawsuits for transferring inmates with COVID-19 to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in 2020, which allegedly caused an outbreak that left a guard and … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear California’s claim of immunity for COVID-19 deaths at prison
A group of non-black voters urged the Supreme Court on May 13 to reject a Louisiana redistricting plan that creates two black-majority districts in the state, arguing the congressional electoral map is racially discriminatory. However the Supreme Court eventually rules … Continue reading Non-black voters urge Supreme Court to reject Louisiana map
The Supreme Court refused on May 13 to take up the case of app developers who accuse Apple of antitrust violations for refusing to make COVID-19 tracking and bitcoin apps available in the company’s App Store. App makers had sued … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear app developers’ antitrust suit against Apple
Louisiana officials asked the Supreme Court on May 10 to reinstate a congressional election map after a federal district court ruled that upcoming elections may not be conducted using the map, which created a second black-majority district. Louisiana says the … Continue reading Louisiana asks Supreme Court to reinstate congressional election map to avoid ‘chaos’
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s new book, which reflects his belief that the United States is over-regulated, will be published this summer. The work, “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law,” is scheduled to be published on Aug. … Continue reading Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch to release book on over-regulation
The Supreme Court voted 6–3 on May 9 to uphold the legal process used to forfeit two Alabama women’s cars that were used to commit drug offenses, finding that the U.S. Constitution does not require a separate hearing to determine … Continue reading Supreme Court votes 6–3 to uphold state process for seizing innocent owners’ cars used in drug crimes
The Supreme Court recently granted Virginia’s request to consider whether a plaintiff who wins a preliminary injunction but fails to secure a final judgment is entitled to be awarded attorney’s fees. If the court ends up ruling against Virginia, it … Continue reading Supreme Court to decide if states can avoid plaintiff attorney fees
Black voters and liberal groups asked the Supreme Court on May 8 to intervene in the racially tinged fight over the congressional map in Republican-dominated Louisiana. The decision the court makes could have nationwide ramifications given Republicans’ razor-thin majority in … Continue reading Groups ask Supreme Court to reinstate Louisiana map with 2 majority-black congressional seats
The Supreme Court agreed last week to consider if two veterans were improperly denied medical benefits needed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) thought to have arisen during their military service. PTSD, which used to be called “shell shock” and … Continue reading Denial of veterans’ benefits for PTSD to be reviewed by Supreme Court