December 2024 Archive

The morning read for Tuesday, Dec. 31

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

In year-end report, chief justice defends judiciary’s independence

At the end of an eventful year at the Supreme Court that included a ruling giving former President Donald Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution for his conduct while in office, reporting that controversial flags had flown at the homes of Justice Samuel Alito, and an ethics inquiry from

The morning read for Monday, Dec. 30

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

TikTok, Biden, Trump present arguments over app ban to justices

The Biden administration on Friday afternoon urged the Supreme Court to leave in place a federal law that would require TikTok to shut down in the United States unless its parent company can sell off the U.S. company by Jan. 19.

The morning read for Friday, Dec. 27

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

The morning read for Thursday, Dec. 26

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Thursday morning read: When could TikTok be banned? When is Supreme Court weighing in?

Origins of the Federal Constitution

The morning read for Tuesday, Dec. 24

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Tuesday morning read: What Would the Founders Have Thought About TikTok and Online Porn?

The morning read for Monday, Dec. 23

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

Chicago man asks justices to clarify when officers can search your cellphone at the border

The Petitions of the Week column highlights some of the cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here. Many of us carry our entire lives with us on our cellphones.

The morning read for Friday, Dec. 20

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Friday morning read: The Constitution Allows for Term-Limited Supreme Court Justices (Nancy Gertner, Brennan Center for Justice) Who Knocked on the Supreme Court’s Door in November?

Tick Tock, TikTok

The morning read for Thursday, Dec. 19

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

The morning read for Wednesday, Dec. 18

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

Justices to hear arguments on TikTok ban on Jan. 10

The Supreme Court will hear two hours of oral arguments on Jan. 10 in TikTok’s appeal to block enforcement of a federal law that would require TikTok to shut down in the United States unless its parent company can sell off the U.S. company by Jan. 19.

Court adds Medicaid lawsuit to docket

The Supreme Court on Wednesday morning agreed to take up a dispute over whether a South Carolina woman can bring a lawsuit challenging that state’s decision to end Planned Parenthood’s participation in its Medicaid program.

Southern Squabbles

The morning read for Tuesday, Dec. 17

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Tuesday morning read: The Supreme Court just took up its first religion case of the year. It could add 6 more.

The morning read for Monday, Dec. 16

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

Court won’t take New York broadband case or states’ EPA challenge

The Supreme Court on Monday morning declined to take up a challenge to New York’s caps on the price that its low-income residents pay for broadband internet access.

TikTok asks justices to temporarily block federal ban

UPDATED: A group of TikTok users filed a separate application on Monday afternoon, also asking the court to block enforcement of the law. Social media giant TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, on Monday asked the justices to block a federal law that would require TikTok to shut down in the United States unless ByteDance can sell off the U.S. company by Jan. 19.

The morning read for Friday, Dec. 13

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

Justices take up cases on religious tax exemption and California climate change mandate

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejecting efforts by Catholic Charities to seek an exemption from the state’s unemployment tax.

Shooting Down the Spirit of Aloha

The morning read for Thursday, Dec. 12

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court to debut new public seating lottery for arguments

Members of the public who want to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court can now apply through an online lottery to obtain advance reservations for seats at those arguments.

Sacred sites, religious tax exemptions, and whether to reconsider Feres

The Relist Watch column examines cert petitions that the Supreme Court has “relisted” for its upcoming conference. A short explanation of relists is available here. It’s been a big few days for the Supreme Court working through its backlog of relisted cases.

Justices inclined to respect corporate identity in trademark dispute

The justices showed little appetite for breaking new ground when they heard argument on Wednesday in Dewberry Group v. Dewberry Engineers, a long-running dispute between similarly named groups of real-estate companies.

The morning read for Wednesday, Dec. 11

We expect one or more opinions from the court again this morning, beginning at 10 a.m. EST. Follow us on Bluesky and TikTok for live coverage. The justices will then hear oral arguments in Dewberry Group, Inc. v. Dewberry Engineers, Inc. The case is a dispute over damages for trademark infringement.

Justices split on white-collar fraud conviction for government contractor

At oral arguments on Monday it was not clear how the Supreme Court will rule in the case of a Philadelphia-area government contractor found guilty of fraud after it failed to comply with a contract provision intended to promote diversity.

Supreme Court dismisses NVIDIA’s securities fraud appeal

The justices on Wednesday dismissed a dispute over a securities fraud case brought against graphics chip maker NVIDIA. Shareholders argued that NVIDIA did not disclose the extent to which sales to crypto-miners, rather than gaming companies, put their shares at risk.

William Hennessy, Jr., prolific courtroom sketch artist, dies at 67

William Hennessy, Jr., a classically trained artist and SCOTUSblog contributor who chronicled oral arguments at the Supreme Court and legal proceedings around the country for decades, died on Tuesday.

Supreme Court turns down Kentucky utility’s request to block EPA coal ash rule

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request from a Kentucky utility company to temporarily block an Environmental Protection Agency rule governing the disposal of coal ash while a challenge to it moves forward in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Can Tennessee Ban Transgender Care for Minors?

The morning read for Tuesday, Dec. 10

The Supreme Court will issue one or more opinions from the current term this morning at 10 a.m. EST, followed by oral arguments in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado. Follow along for our live coverage.

Federal trademark law and doctrines of corporate identity

In a long-running trademark dispute between two companies marketing real-estate development services, and both using the name Dewberry, a trial court held that Dewberry Group entities infringed the “Dewberry” marks of Dewberry Engineers.

The morning read for Monday, Dec. 9

The court will meet for oral arguments this morning in Kousisis v. U.S., a question about what constitutes wire fraud, and Feliciano v. Department of Transportation on differential pay for federal civilian employees called to active military duty during a national emergency.

Court turns down challenges to school admissions, gender support plans, and gun licensing

The Supreme Court on Monday morning declined to take up several hot-button issues, including a challenge by parents to a school district’s plan to provide support for transgender and non-binary students, a dispute over the admissions policy used during the 2021-22 school year for three of Boston’s elite public high schools, and the case of a Hawaii man prosecuted for carrying a handgun without a license.

Personal jurisdiction, habeas, and a possible replacement case

UPDATE Dec. 6: Plumbers Local has filed a motion to dismiss its petition for review in Plumbers Local #290 Pension Trust Fund v. Root, so the justices will not consider the case at their conference on Friday.

The morning read for Friday, Dec. 6

Follow us on Bluesky; we’ll have live updates as the court announces opinions on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

New York man challenges fraud conviction based on virtual video testimony

The Petitions of the Week column highlights some of the cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here. The Sixth Amendment gives defendants in criminal trials the right “to be confronted with the witnesses against” them.

Justices take up disputes over terrorism damages suits and habeas filings

The Supreme Court on Friday afternoon agreed to decide whether a 2019 law that seeks to give U.S. courts the power to hear claims by victims of terrorism against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority violates the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of fair treatment.

What’s an Invasion?

The morning read for Thursday, Dec. 5

We are now officially on Bluesky. Follow us there for breaking news and updates on orders, arguments, and opinions. Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court.

The morning read for Wednesday, Dec. 4

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this morning in what could be one of the most significant cases of the term, a challenge to Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender teens. Twenty-four states have enacted similar laws in the past three years.

Supreme Court appears ready to uphold Tennessee ban on youth transgender care

This article was updated on Dec. 4 at 4:43 p.m. During almost two-and-a-half hours of debate on Wednesday, nearly all of the court’s conservative majority expressed skepticism about a challenge to Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender teenagers.

Inside the Supreme Court arguments on transgender care

The biggest case of the term, so far, is being argued this morning and there is anticipation in the chilly Washington air. Demonstrators on each side of United States v. Skrmetti, the dispute over access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender teenagers, have arrived early in front of the court building and will still be there when the argument is finished after noon.

Pardoning Hunter

The morning read for Tuesday, Dec. 3

The justices will hear oral arguments this morning in Republic of Hungary v. Simon. The case involves a lawsuit brought by survivors of the Hungarian Holocaust and their heirs who sued Hungary and its national railway, MÁV, for compensation for property seized during the extermination campaign that killed over two-thirds of the country’s Jewish population.

Justices debate IRS’s claim on pre-bankruptcy tax payments

Typically, in bankruptcy proceedings a creditor must return payments made shortly before the debtor filed for bankruptcy. At Monday’s argument in United States v. Miller, the justices were asked to decide whether that same rule applies to the Internal Revenue Service.