The Supreme Court has rejected a North Carolina woman’s request to have her drug sentence reduced under the Trump-era First Step Act. The decision to reject First Step Act relief for this criminal defendant is expected to be followed by … Continue reading Supreme Court rebuffs drug defendant’s First Step Act application

The Supreme Court considered during a hearing whether a judge or a jury gets to decide whether criminal defendants’ prior convictions justify enhanced sentencing under a federal three-strikes gun law. The court heard oral arguments on March 27 in Erlinger … Continue reading Supreme Court considers mandatory minimum sentences under 3-strikes gun law

The Supreme Court appeared skeptical of a challenge brought by a doctors’ group against the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) loosening of regulations of the abortion pill mifepristone. In oral arguments on March 26, several justices seemed to question whether … Continue reading Supreme Court seems skeptical of bid to restrict abortion pill access

The Supreme Court declined to take up two lawsuits challenging the ability of the U.S. president to declare federal lands to be national monuments. The nation’s highest court denied the petitions for certiorari, or review, on March 25, in the … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear challenges to president’s power to create national monuments

The Supreme Court seemed sympathetic on March 25 to the argument of a furloughed U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) employee who waited five years for an understaffed government board to decide on his compensation claim. The employee argued that his … Continue reading Supreme Court considers furloughed Pentagon employee’s long-delayed claim

Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer says he has “theories” about who leaked the 2022 court opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade but that he would “be amazed if it was a judge.” In a March 24 interview with “Meet … Continue reading Breyer has ‘theories’ about who leaked ruling that reversed Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal by Indiana parents who were denied custody of their teenage son who identifies as female. In recent years, the issue of children who identify as transgender has been prominent, as the concepts … Continue reading Supreme Court rejects appeal from parents denied custody of transgender teen

The Supreme Court’s refusal this week to take up McDonald’s appeal of a lower court ruling means the fast food giant will have to face a class action that alleges the company violated antitrust laws. The burger chain was sued … Continue reading Supreme Court denies McDonald’s appeal in class action

The Supreme Court denied an injunction against Apple Inc. that might have allowed iPhone apps to be distributed outside the company’s proprietary App Store. App makers had sued Apple, claiming that it had violated antitrust laws, but the U.S. Court … Continue reading Supreme Court refuses injunction against Apple over its App Store

A Texas grandmother and former city council member who was arrested after criticizing a city manager should be able to sue for retaliation, according to the petitioners in a case in which the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on March … Continue reading Supreme Court hears case of Texas councilwoman claiming her arrest was politically motivated

U.S. Supreme Court justices seemed receptive this week to an insurer’s claim that it should have a voice in a bankruptcy reorganization plan that it claims will leave it open to paying fraudulent asbestos exposure claims. The oral argument in … Continue reading Supreme Court sympathizes with insurer in bankruptcy proceeding

Organizers of an award named after late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg abruptly canceled this year’s awards gala when the liberal jurist’s family complained after learning that some of this year’s awards were to be given to non-liberal honorees. … Continue reading RBG Award organizers scuttle gala after criticism by late Supreme Court justice’s family

Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical of state arguments on March 18 that the federal government was wrong to communicate with social media platforms about public health issues during the recent pandemic. At the same time, during oral argument in Murthy … Continue reading Supreme Court appears wary of limiting Biden admin’s social media contacts in free speech case

The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s ruling that reversed regulations that had made abortion pill mifepristone easier to obtain. The case, to be heard on March 26, is the Supreme Court’s most important abortion-related … Continue reading Biden DOJ asks Supreme Court to toss abortion pill restrictions

The Supreme Court ruled 6–3 against a man convicted of felony distribution of methamphetamine, a ruling that seems likely to frustrate the efforts of many federal prison inmates who seek to reduce their sentences under the Trump-era First Step Act. … Continue reading Supreme Court narrows Trump’s First Step Act in 6-3 vote

Public officials may block people on social media in certain situations, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on March 15. At the same time, the court held that public officials who post about topics pertaining to their work on their personal … Continue reading Supreme Court rules public officials may block their constituents on social media

The company that makes the abortion pill mifepristone urged the Supreme Court to throw out a challenge to loosened regulations that made the pill more accessible to women. The case, which will be heard later this month, is the Supreme … Continue reading Abortion pill maker urges Supreme Court to throw out legal challenge

A federal judge in Louisiana paused an entertainer’s trial for gun possession until the U.S. Supreme Court decides if a federal law barring certain people from having firearms is constitutional. The criminal proceeding comes after the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 … Continue reading Rapper’s gun trial delayed until upcoming Supreme Court ruling

A civil rights group claims Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is trying to short-circuit a recently filed racial discrimination lawsuit. The American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) filed a federal lawsuit last month against Ms. Ivey, a Republican, claiming that Alabama … Continue reading Civil rights group asks court to block Alabama appointments law

The Alabama Supreme Court’s finding last month that frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) are considered minor children under state law has been hailed by the pro-life movement. But the effect of the ruling was soon blunted when … Continue reading Pro-Life activists embrace Alabama IVF ruling