The Trump administration is facing legal pressure over its apparent failure to immediately resume processing of illegal aliens under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program after the Supreme Court ruled last month it failed to rescind the Obama-era program properly. … Continue reading Trump administration under fire for slow action on DACA
A property owner in New York City petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court last week to overturn a $6.75 million damages award granted to graffiti artists after the owner whitewashed street-art paintings at an experimental site where works were routinely painted over to clear the way … Continue reading Developer asks Supreme Court to overturn award for covering graffiti
Environmentalists asked the Supreme Court to stop the Trump administration from building parts of the U.S.-Mexico border wall after a federal appeals court determined in June that tapping $2.5 billion in military funding for the project was unlawful. The motion, part … Continue reading Environmentalists ask Supreme Court to block use of defense funds for border wall
Eight pro-life activists in Texas are suing pro-abortion groups to protect themselves from lawsuits they claim the groups filed to chill their constitutionally protected free speech rights. “These filings were prompted by aggressive attacks by abortion promoters in Texas: Afiya Center, … Continue reading Pro-life groups in Texas sue for right to call abortion a crime
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that counties may not keep for themselves as a windfall funds left over from the sale of real property for unpaid taxes, an unconstitutional practice the property owner’s lawyers denounce, calling it “home equity theft.” … Continue reading Michigan Supreme Court rules against overreaching county tax collector
The Supreme Court fast-tracked a request by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. last week to allow lower courts to move forward ahead of schedule on its ruling earlier this month that a New York grand jury may continue to seek his tax records. President Donald Trump vowed to fight on after the Supreme Court rejected his claim earlier this month that he enjoys immunity from state criminal proceedings while in office. Trump has refused to make his tax returns available to the public, something that other presidents have been doing for decades. The 7–2 decision in Trump v. Vance on July 9, which stems … Continue reading Supreme Court expedites NY grand jury request for Trump tax returns
Congressman John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, is dead at 80. He did something heroic in the civil rights era and virtually nothing else worthwhile after. He merits a footnote in history and not much else. Here’s a piece I did … Continue reading John Lewis is dead, and the world goes on
Before Prince William County, Virginia, recently refused to renew its cooperation agreement with federal immigration authorities, the county had helped provide U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with close to 10,000 illegal and criminal aliens for deportation proceedings since 2007, … Continue reading Virginia county ends ICE cooperation agreement after handing over nearly 10,000 illegal aliens
The Trump administration has joined Arkansas in filing papers with the Supreme Court asking it to reinstate Medicaid work requirements in the “Natural State” that were blocked by a federal appeals court. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that serves low-income people of all … Continue reading DOJ asks Supreme Court to restore Medicaid work rules
The unique problems posed by voting-by-mail are being blamed for election fraud in New Jersey and for a now-three-week delay in counting ballots for New York City’s primary elections, with many races yet to be decided. These difficulties may foreshadow larger … Continue reading New York, New Jersey mail-in voting problems may foreshadow difficulties in upcoming presidential vote
The Supreme Court agreed to review a First Amendment lawsuit in which a Georgia college belatedly expanded free speech on campus after a Christian student ran afoul of its constitutionally suspect campus “speech zone” policy. The court granted a petition for … Continue reading Supreme Court agrees to hear Christian student’s case against restrictive campus speech policy
President Donald Trump vowed to fight on after the Supreme Court rejected his claim that he enjoys immunity from state criminal proceedings while in office and found that a New York grand jury may continue to seek his tax records. At the … Continue reading Supreme Court allows NYC prosecutor, but not Congress, to access Trump’s tax returns
The Supreme Court ruled 7–2 that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause exempts religious organizations from employment discrimination lawsuits and from a requirement to provide contraceptive coverage to their employees. Both rulings are victories for the Trump administration. The First Amendment to the … Continue reading Supreme Court protects religious freedom in labor law, contraception rulings
The Supreme Court stayed a lower court ruling and allowed a slew of pipeline projects to move forward under a fast-track permitting process but left out the controversial, long-delayed expansion of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline. The 1,200-mile Keystone XL … Continue reading Supreme Court greenlights pipeline projects, except for Keystone XL
The Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the constitutionality of “faithless elector” laws that allow states to fine or remove Electoral College members who fail to vote for the presidential candidate they were pledged to support. While some states have laws that punish such electors for not voting for the candidate to which they pledged support, there have long been legal questions about the enforceability of such laws. The ruling in two separate appeals came July 6, as the next presidential election approaches on Nov. 3. “Today, we consider whether a State may also penalize an elector for breaking his pledge and voting for someone … Continue reading Supreme Court unanimously upholds ‘faithless elector’ laws
The Supreme Court agreed July 2 to consider the Trump administration’s appeal of a lower court’s decision compelling the U.S. Justice Department to give Congress documents from former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The case is cited as Department of Justice v. House Committee on the Judiciary. As is its custom, the Supreme Court didn’t provide reasons for its decision to review the March 10 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that ordered the Justice Department (DOJ) to produce the documents. The D.C. Circuit previously ruled … Continue reading Supreme Court to decide if Trump administration must hand over secret grand jury documents to House
Montana’s decision to exclude religious schools from a state scholarship program funded by tax credits violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a divided Supreme Court ruled June 30, handing school choice advocates a significant victory. The 5–4 decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue is also a victory for the Trump administration, which had supported the students and their parents. Oral arguments took place Jan. 22. It’s also “an important victory for religious liberty and religious equality in the United States,” U.S. Attorney General William Barr said in a statement after the opinion was released to the public. “As the Court explained, … Continue reading Supreme Court opens education tax credit program to religious schools
Although the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), formed in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, is unconstitutional, the powerful agency may continue to exist under new rules, a divided Supreme Court ruled. The 5–4 ruling handed down June … Continue reading Supreme Court allows consumer watchdog agency to stand, strikes down internal structure
A Louisiana law that requires abortionists to have hospital admitting privileges close to where the procedure takes place is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5–4 vote. The June 29 ruling in the case, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, … Continue reading Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana law that limits access to abortion
The Supreme Court refused last week to bend Ohio election rules to accommodate marijuana decriminalization advocates who failed to gather enough in-person petition signatures to get their referendum question on the Nov. 3 ballot in several cities. The emergency application to stop Ohio from enforcing its … Continue reading Supreme Court: Ohio pot referendum petitions must have signatures