SCOTUS Archives

Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican who became a liberal darling, dies at 85

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter has died at age 85. The ascetic bachelor and New Hampshire Republican became a darling of liberals during his nearly 20 years on the bench. The court says Souter died Thursday at his home in New Hampshire. Souter retired from the court in June 2009, giving Democratic President Barack Obama his first Supreme Court vacancy to fill. Obama chose Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s first Latina justice. Souter was appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Souter was a reliably liberal vote on abortion, church-state relations, freedom of expression and the accessibility of federal courts.… Continue Reading

Supreme Court allows Trump ban on transgender members of the military to take effect, for now

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed. The high court acted Tuesday in the dispute over a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service. The court’s three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold. Just after beginning his second term in January, Trump moved aggressively to roll back the rights of transgender people. Among the Republican president’s actions was an executive order that claims the sexual identity of transgender service members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness.… Continue Reading

US judge presses Trump administration on its refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge says she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison last month. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to return him. But the administration has so far refused. It claims he’s in the MS-13 gang. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys deny the allegations and say he was never charged with a crime. The president of El Salvador also said he would not return Abrego Garcia, likening it to smuggling “a terrorist into the United States.”… Continue Reading

Supreme Court will hear arguments over the law that could ban TikTok in the US if it’s not sold

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments next month over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it. The justices said Wednesday they will hear arguments Jan. 10 about whether the law impermissibly restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The law, enacted in April, set a Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok to be sold or else face a ban in the United States. The popular social media platform has more than 170 million users in the U.S. It’s unclear how quickly the high court might issue a decision.… Continue Reading

Supreme Court seems likely to uphold Tennessee’s ban on medical treatments for transgender minors

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hearing a high-profile culture-war clash, the Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed likely to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The justices’ decision, not expected for several months, could affect similar laws enacted by another 25 states and a range of other efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use. The case is being weighed by a conservative-dominated court after a presidential election in which Donald Trump and his allies promised to roll back protections for transgender people. The Biden administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer warned a decision favorable to Tennessee also could be used to justify nationwide restrictions on transgender healthcare for minors.… Continue Reading