Lyle Denniston

Oct 3 2023

Back to constitutional basics

The Supreme Court on Wednesday takes up, again, an issue as old as the Constitution: who is allowed to file a lawsuit in federal courts?  There are limits, and they are not always easy to satisfy. Tomorrow’s hearing: Acheson Hotels v. Laufer  Beginning at 10 a.m., the hearing is scheduled for one hour. The Court… Read More

Oct 2 2023

At the Court: Congress and the power to spend

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court takes up a rare constitutional test of one of Congress’s most basic powers: its control over government spending.  Only once before in the nation’s history has the Court faced a case like this one; the outcome this time could affect much of the federal budget. Tomorrow’s hearing: :  Consumer Financial… Read More

Oct 1 2023

Tomorrow, new Supreme Court begins

On Monday, the Supreme Court begins a new term; it almost certainly will be a momentous one.  But opening day will seem a lot like a game of legal trivia: the first hearing will focus on the meaning of the word “and.”  As always with the Court, there is a larger meaning in that case…. Read More

Sep 26 2023

Court acts on Alabama voting map

With no Justice filing a dissent, the Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for a lower federal court to draw a new election map that probably will assure Alabama’s black voters a chance to elect a second member of the U.S. House of Representatives next year. Since 1992, they have had only one House… Read More

Sep 19 2023

Testing a Supreme Court footnote

Emboldened by its success in ending race-based admissions policies at civilian colleges, a conservative advocacy group moved on Tuesday to end a similar policy at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point – the 221-year-old institution founded by President George Washington and other early leaders. The lawsuit filed in federal court in White Plains, N.Y.,… Read More

Sep 12 2023

Challenges to Trump moving ahead

The campaign to use the U.S. Constitution to block Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy moved ahead briskly with new developments on Tuesday.  With the presidential primary season approaching rapidly across the nation, there is wide interest in a final ruling – without delay — on Trump’s eligibility. In Minnesota, a liberal advocacy group, Free Speech for… Read More

Sep 9 2023

Mark Meadows loses first round

Raising higher the legal risk facing ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark R. Meadows, a federal judge on Friday probably weakened the chances that Meadows will be able to fight off state criminal charges in Georgia. In a 49-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones of Atlanta blocked Meadows’ attempt to shift his case… Read More

Sep 7 2023

New challenge to Trump’s candidacy

The widening effort to block Donald Trump from the Presidency took a significant turn this week in a new, carefully crafted lawsuit filed in a state court in Colorado. The lawsuit was filed by a government reform group based on the same constitutional theory that the organization had already used successfully to oust a county… Read More

Aug 17 2023

Mark Meadows’ legal maneuver: explained

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, in a legal maneuver that is expected to be imitated by former President Donald Trump, has asked a federal court to clear him of criminal charges in the new case in Georgia state court over the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The tactic is based… Read More

Aug 11 2023

Is Trump barred from office?

Donald Trump is now barred from the Presidency or any other government office – even if not yet convicted of any crime, two law professors conclude in a new constitutional and historical study.  What is already known about his role in trying to stay in power is enough, the paper argues. The analysis, to be… Read More

Lyle Denniston continues to write about the U.S. Supreme Court, although he “retired” at the end of 2019 following more than six decades on that news beat. He was there for three revolutions – civil rights, women’s rights, and gay rights – and the start of a fourth, on transgender rights. His career of following the law began at the Otoe County Courthouse in his hometown, Nebraska City, Nebraska, in the fall of 1948. His online, eight-week, college-level course – “The Supreme Court and American Politics” – is available from the University of Baltimore Law School, and it is free.

Recent Posts

  • Back to constitutional basics
  • At the Court: Congress and the power to spend
  • Tomorrow, new Supreme Court begins
  • Court acts on Alabama voting map
  • Testing a Supreme Court footnote
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