The U.S. Supreme Court

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The Supreme Court’s Next Gift For Its Billionaire Benefactors

After a nudge from billionaires’ think tank, justices agreed to hear a case designed to preemptively block a wealth tax.

https://www.levernews.com/the-supreme-courts-next-gift-for-its-billionaire_benefactors/?

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Supreme Court: Affirmative Action Is OK — If the Students Are Getting Sent to Die in Wars

By making an exception for military academies — and legacy admissions — the court once again sided with the ruling class.

https://theintercept.com/2023/06/29/supreme-court-affirmative-action-military-academy/?

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A 2003 Supreme Court decision upholding affirmative action planted the seeds of its overturning

Justices then and now thought racism an easily solved problem

https://arkansasadvocate.com/2023/07/03/a-2003-supreme-court-decision-upholding-affirmative-action-planted-the-seeds-of-its-overturning/?

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Legitimacy of ‘customer’ in Supreme Court gay rights case raises ethical and legal flags

A Christian graphic artist who the Supreme Court said can refuse to make wedding websites for gay couples pointed during her lawsuit to a request from a man named “Stewart” and his husband-to-be. The twist? Stewart says it never happened.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-gay-rights-lgbtq-website-9c058addfdd581ce0ead81eb59660130?

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‘A taste of victory’: galvanized by US supreme court, far right turns to ‘legal vigilantism’

Experts point to a new, lawsuit-threatening brand of rightwing activism in the wake of recent supreme court decisions

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/10/far-right-supreme-court-legal-vitilantism?

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⚖️ AP investigation supercharges SCOTUS ethics push

A months-long investigation by the AP revealed a pattern of conduct by Supreme Court justices that likely would violate ethics rules that cover other government officials, including lower federal court judges:

• Staff for Justice Sonia Sotomayor repeatedly prodded venues that hosted her for speaking engagements to buy her books, which have earned her at least $3.7 million since she was confirmed in 2009.
• The Supreme Court's restrictions on what qualifies as a "fundraiser" excludes events at public colleges in which organizers have used a justice's attendance to woo VIP donors.
• Visits to universities have also facilitated multiple encounters between justices and elected officials, despite being branded as academic in nature.

Why it matters: The Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to vote July 20 on legislation establishing a Supreme Court code of conduct — an effort Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said today is bolstered by the AP report.

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Senators call for Supreme Court to follow ethics code like other branches of government

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, responding to Associated Press investigative stories on the Supreme Court, said Tuesday it was time for the justices to bring their conduct in line with the ethical standards of other branches of government.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-congress-durbin-john-roberts-5d357f00cfdf42b6515f2cb80db4166b?

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The Supreme Court ruled that discrimination is protected speech. As the children of Holocaust survivors, we understand where this leads.

(JTA) — When the U.S. Supreme Court sided last month with a Colorado web designer who refuses to do work for same-sex couples because of her religious objection to same-sex marriage, it risked opening the floodgates to a host of discriminatory acts under the guise of First Amendment freedom of expression.

https://www.jta.org/2023/07/18/ideas/the-supreme-ruled-that-discrimination-is-protected-speech-as-the-children-of-holocaust-survivors-we-understand-where-this-leads?

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Senate committee approves legislation to impose stronger ethics standards on Supreme Court justices

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court would have to abide by stronger ethics standards under legislation approved on Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, a response to recent revelations about donor-funded trips by justices. The bill faced united opposition from Republicans, who said it could “destroy” the court.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-senate-clarence-thomas-3e34958536ce4fa464b6ff8cc1d71260?

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Ethics rules for Supreme Court justices approved on party-line vote by U.S. Senate panel

WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Thursday approved a proposal to impose a code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court, amid revelations that justices failed to disclose luxury travel and real estate deals, as well as directing staff to promote book sales.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/07/21/ethics-rules-for-supreme-court-justices-approved-on-party-line-vote-by-u-s-senate-panel/?

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Lindsey Graham worries making Supreme Court ethical would ‘destroy’ it

If so, it’s a damning indictment of the court that Republicans built.

https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/lindsey-graham-destroy-supreme-court-ethics-rcna95292?

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Ex-officer Derek Chauvin to ask US Supreme Court to review his conviction in murder of George Floyd

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review his conviction for second-degree murder in the killing of George Floyd, now that the Minnesota Supreme Court has declined to hear the case, his attorney said Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/george-floyd-derek-chauvin-minneapolis-minnesota-3fc979708c2db136df8c3054d754c359?

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The Church Of Leonard Leo

The Supreme Court’s dark-money operative bought a church near his tony summer home, where neighbors are protesting his political crusade.

https://www.levernews.com/the-church-of-leonard-leo/?

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Supreme Court Allows Construction of Manchin's Favorite Pipeline to Resume

One of Sen. Joe Manchin's top donors, NextEra Energy, is a stakeholder in the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/supreme-court-mountain-valley-pipeline?

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Supreme Court temporarily blocks 'ghost gun' ruling by federal judge

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday temporarily blocked a lower court’s decision to strike down a regulation aimed at reining in privately made firearms known as “ghost guns” that are difficult for law enforcement to trace.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-ghost-gun-ruling-federal-judge-rcna97010?

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📊 Dems pan Supreme Court

Data: Gallup. Chart: Axios Visuals Americans' approval of the U.S. Supreme Court is tied for a record low — 40%, Axios' Stef Kight writes from Gallup polling out this morning. Why it matters: Republicans used to hate the Supreme Court. Now Democrats do. 🔬 Zoom in: Look at that 45-point gap between GOP and Democratic approval. It's a flip from eight years ago, after the court legalized same-sex marriage. Back then, three-quarters of Democrats approved of the court — but just 18% of Republicans did.

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Supreme Court reinstates regulation of ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is reinstating a regulation aimed at reining in the proliferation of ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers that have been turning up at crime scenes across the nation in increasing numbers.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ghost-guns-biden-administration-lawsuit-46b871969dc6a7da35605c2ebc5385e5?

Why this matters: The Justice Department reported that local law enforcement agencies seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in just five years.   The rule issued last year changed the definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts, like the frame of a handgun or the receiver of a long gun, so they can be tracked more easily. Those parts must be licensed and include serial numbers and manufacturers must run background checks before a sale. The requirement applies regardless of how the firearm was made - including ghost guns made from individual parts, kits or by 3D printers.   Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal members to form the majority. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas would have kept the regulation on hold during the appeals process. Neither side provided an explanation.

Related coverage ➤ EXPLAINER: What are ghost guns? Why is Biden taking action? Appeals court casts doubt on Biden administration rule to curb use of handgun stabilizing braces California AG: 54 ghost guns seized in unique state program

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Roberts and Barrett join liberals as Supreme Court revives federal ghost gun restrictions

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to freeze a lower court order that bars the government from regulating so-called ghost guns – untraceable homemade weapons – as firearms under federal law.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/08/politics/supreme-court-ghost-guns/index.html?

The Big Question Behind Amy Coney Barrett’s Surprise Vote on Ghost Guns

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court sided against criminals who wish to purchase untraceable guns online for the purpose of committing crimes. The vote was 5–4. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the three liberals to preserve a new federal rule that restricts the sale of “ghost guns” to licensed firearm dealers. These guns can be purchased on the internet anonymously, without a background check, and assembled in less than an hour. They are heavily favored by violent offenders because they are virtually impossible to trace, and their use in the United States has spiked by more than 1,000 percent since 2017. Despite all this, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh voted to block the new ghost gun regulations nationwide on the shadow docket. And it remains unclear whether Roberts and Barrett will ultimately uphold these regulations on the merits when the court takes up the case on its regular docket.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/08/amy-coney-barrett-surprise-supreme-court-ghost-guns.html?

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Supreme Court says Apple can keep its App Store payment rules for now

The Supreme Court has rejected Fortnite publisher Epic’s request to make Apple loosen its App Store rules as a legal battle progresses. As first reported by Bloomberg and Reuters, Justice Elena Kagan declined to vacate a stay on a lower court order about Apple’s anti-steering rules, which limit how iOS app developers can direct users to alternate payment methods. Kagan did not issue an explanation for the decision, but Epic’s petition was noted as denied on the Supreme Court’s website.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/9/23826043/epic-apple-app-store-supreme-court-petition

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Supreme Court blocks Purdue Pharma's multi-billion opioid settlement, will hear appeal

WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked a settlement reached with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that required members of the Sackler family who once controlled the company to pay $6 billion but shielded them from future lawsuits over the nation's opioid crisis .

https://local.newsbreak.com/colorado-state/3118620758389-supreme-court-blocks-purdue-pharmas-multi-billion-opioid-settlement-will-hear-appeal?

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Supreme Court blocks, for now, OxyContin maker bankruptcy deal that would shield Sacklers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-opioid-crisis-purdue-bankruptcy-bd417e036d9f6db4b2916fdfbdb56252?

Why this matters:

The deal would have allowed the company to emerge from bankruptcy as a different entity, with its profits used to fight the opioid epidemic. Members of the Sackler family would contribute up to $6 billion but a key component of the agreement would shield family members, who are not seeking bankruptcy protection as individuals, from lawsuits.   Opioids have been linked to more than 70,000 fatal overdoses annually in the U.S. in recent years. Most of those are from fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. But the crisis widened in the early 2000s as OxyContin and other powerful prescription painkillers became prevalent.

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“Friends of the Court” Ask SCOTUS To Raise Rents

Billionaire real estate interests and conservative megadonors with ties to Supreme Court justices want the high court to end rent stabilization.

https://www.levernews.com/friends-of-the-court-ask-scotus-to-raise-rents/?

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Top Dems Press Supreme Court To Block Billionaire Tax

Obama’s former acting Solicitor General and a senator-turned-lobbyist are helping a dark money group pressure the high court.

https://www.levernews.com/top-dems-press-supreme-court-to-block-billionaire-tax/?

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The Supreme Court will hear a case with a lot of ‘buts’ & ‘ifs’ over the meaning of ‘and’ How to interpret a simple conjunction has prompted a complicated legal fight set to land in the Supreme Court on Oct. 2, the first day of its new term. The decision reached by the justices could impact thousands of prison sentences each year. Read more.

Why this matters: The case requires the close parsing of part of a federal statute, the First Step Act, which aims to reduce mandatory minimum sentences and give judges more discretion. Different federal courts disagree about whether the word, as used in a bipartisan 2018 criminal justice overhaul, means “and” or if it means “or.”    The justices will examine a so-called safety valve provision meant to spare low-level, nonviolent drug dealers from longer sentences if they agree to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors.   Nearly 6,000 people convicted of drug trafficking in the 2021 budget year alone are in the eligibility pool for reduced sentences, according to U.S. Sentencing Commission data. Overall, more than 10,000 people could be affected, according to a sentencing expert.

Related coverage ➤ Supreme Court to decide whether Alabama can postpone drawing new congressional districts Appeals court takes up transgender health coverage case likely headed to Supreme Court Past high-profile trials suggest stress and potential pitfalls for Georgia judge handling Trump case

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The Supreme Court will let Alabama’s congressional map be redrawn to better represent Black voters

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the drawing of a new Alabama congressional map with greater representation for Black voters to proceed. The new districts also could help Democrats trying to flip control of the House of Representatives.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-alabama-black-voters-redistricting-congress-66b1ae2f84a2a1e8352c983e7eb88387?