Louisiana executed Jessie Hoffman on March 18, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5–4 to deny his request to halt the state’s first execution using nitrogen gas, which he argued would violate his Buddhist beliefs. Hoffman, 46, was pronounced … Continue reading Louisiana carries out first execution in 15 years after Supreme Court appeal fails

The Trump administration dropped the federal government’s appeal of a preliminary injunction that blocked the government from extending gender identity discrimination protections to the education sector. The appeal had been initiated by the Biden administration, which left office on Jan. … Continue reading Trump admin drops Biden-era appeal that sought gender-identity protection in schools

The U.S. Supreme Court on March 14 denied Alpine Securities Corporation’s emergency request to stop a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) enforcement action aiming to bar it from the securities business. The company is arguing that FINRA, a self-regulating organization … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t halt disciplinary proceeding against securities firm

The Justice Department on March 14 dropped Biden-era lawsuits challenging state laws in Oklahoma and Iowa that empowered those states to detain and apply consequences to illegal immigrants. Despite the federal government’s new actions, the Oklahoma and Iowa laws remain … Continue reading Justice Department drops lawsuits against Oklahoma, Iowa immigration laws

The U.S. Supreme Court this week revived a lawsuit about a valuable French impressionist painting confiscated by the Nazis from a Jewish woman whose American descendant wishes to reclaim it. The issue was whether “Saint-Honoré Street, Afternoon, Rain Effect,” an … Continue reading Supreme Court revives lawsuit over Nazi-looted painting

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on March 10 to take up the case of a veteran firefighter whose employment was terminated after he attended a leadership conference at a church. The decision to deny the petition in Hittle v. City … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear former fire chief’s religious discrimination appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court on March 10 turned away a lawsuit brought by Republican attorneys general in 19 states seeking to halt lawsuits filed by five Democrat-led states against major energy companies. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear 19 states’ bid to block Democrat-led states’ energy lawsuits

The U.S. Supreme Court decided on March 10 to hear a First Amendment challenge to a Colorado law that prohibits counseling for minors that aims to turn patients away from same-sex attraction. The petition in Chiles v. Salazar was granted … Continue reading Supreme Court will hear challenge to Colorado ban on ‘conversion therapy’ for youth

The U.S. Supreme Court considered on March 5 whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) may authorize a private company to store spent nuclear fuel at a Texas site. In the case, the court ordered two similar lawsuits—NRC v. Texas and … Continue reading Supreme Court hears dispute over nuclear waste storage in Texas oil field

The U.S. Supreme Court on March 3 left in place a Utah Supreme Court ruling that overturned the death sentence of Douglas Lovell, who was convicted of murdering a woman expected to testify against him. The Utah Supreme Court left … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t consider re-imposing death sentence in Utah murder case

The Trump administration on March 5 dropped a lawsuit filed by the Biden administration that sought to permit Idaho physicians to perform emergency abortions. Idaho’s Defense of Life Act forbids abortions except when “necessary to prevent the death of the … Continue reading Trump administration drops high-profile Idaho abortion case

American Airlines is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that blocked a now-abandoned partnership with JetBlue Airways on federal antitrust law grounds. The petition in American Airlines Group Inc. v. United States was docketed, or … Continue reading American Airlines asks Supreme Court to overturn ruling blocking JetBlue alliance

The Supreme Court on March 5 ruled 5–4 that the Trump administration must follow through with the payment of $2 billion in foreign aid. The new ruling was issued after the nation’s highest court on Feb. 26 temporarily blocked a … Continue reading Supreme Court rejects Trump admin’s bid to freeze foreign aid payments

The Trump administration intends to drop a lawsuit filed by the previous administration that sought to permit Idaho healthcare practitioners to perform emergency abortions, a new court filing shows. The court filing, which includes a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) … Continue reading Trump to drop Biden-era lawsuit seeking to allow emergency abortions in Idaho

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5–4 on March 4 that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) wastewater discharge permitting system violates federal law. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion in City and County of San Francisco v. EPA. The opinion … Continue reading Supreme Court rules EPA wastewater regulations too vague

The U.S. Supreme Court on March 3 decided to consider if the Constitution’s double jeopardy ban allows a person to be sentenced for two separate crimes arising out of the same robbery. Specifically, the petitioner, Dwayne Barrett, questions whether a … Continue reading Supreme Court will hear double jeopardy appeal from New York man convicted in robbery

The U.S. Supreme Court on March 3 turned away a free speech group’s challenge to so-called bias response teams that it claims unconstitutionally chill speech on campus. The court denied the petition in Speech First Inc. v. Whitten without comment. … Continue reading Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to campus speech authorities; Justice Thomas dissents

Gun owners in the nation’s capital are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the District of Columbia’s ban on magazines with more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The petition in Hanson v. District of Columbia was docketed, or … Continue reading Gun owners take DC magazine restrictions to Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court seemed sympathetic on Feb. 26 to the arguments of an Ohio woman who alleges the state demoted her because she is heterosexual. The court heard oral argument in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services. Petitioner … Continue reading Supreme Court leans in favor of Ohio state employee claiming demotion because she’s straight

The Supreme Court considered on Feb. 25 what factors federal judges may weigh when revoking a person’s supervised release and sentencing them for violating release conditions. Supervised release is a form of post-prison monitoring, similar to parole. A prisoner is … Continue reading Supreme Court grapples with dispute over supervised release revocations