Lyle Denniston

Mar 22 2021

How sovereign are Indian tribes?

Continuing its remote hearings, via telephone, the Supreme Court tomorrow looks into the power of Indian tribes to make arrests of non-Indian suspects on roads or streets within the reservation.  As usual, the audio portion of the hearing (but not the video) will be broadcast on c-span.org/supreme court Hearing starts at 10 a.m., and will… Read More

Mar 21 2021

The Constitution and unwanted visitors

The Supreme Court resumes public hearings tomorrow, still using a remote process with everyone on the telephone because of the public health threat.  (Cases to be heard in the April sitting will also follow that format, the Court has announced.)  The first case for argument this week involves one of the longest-running constitutional fights but… Read More

Mar 18 2021

Once more, a new start on ERA

In July, two years from now, America will mark a poignant anniversary – a full 100 years since women’s rights activist Alice Paul first put forth the idea that women should have equal rights enshrined in the Constitution.  Supporters have been trying ever since to make that a constitutional reality, and the U.S. House of… Read More

Mar 8 2021

The quiet storm inside the Court

It won’t make it into the daily headlines, but it will be deeply important in the annals of history.  That is the quiet but intense debate among the Supreme Court Justices over how far the Court should go in using its powers.  The storm broke out again on Monday, as the Court ruled in a… Read More

Mar 2 2021

The Appointments Clause — Again

For the second time this week, the Supreme Court on Wednesday will examine how government officials are to be appointed.  The case involves a different kind of judge than the ones involved in Monday’s hearing.  As usual, the audio portion (but not the video) will be available at c-span.org/supremecourt Hearing starts at 10 a.m.: Carr… Read More

Mar 1 2021

Will voting be made harder for minorities?

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hold a hearing in one of the most significant cases in years on the meaning of a key part of the federal Voting Rights Act.  As before, the audio portion (not the video) of the one-hour hearing in two combined cases will be broadcast on c-span.org/supreme court Hearing starts… Read More

Feb 28 2021

Small dispute, large meaning

On Monday, the Supreme Court takes a look at a present-day version of a constitutional debate that has been raging for generations over presidential power to appoint officials in the U.S. government.  The Court will be hearing three appeals combined for a one-hour hearing.  The audio will be available on c-span.org/supremecourt Hearing starts at 10… Read More

Feb 23 2021

How private is a private home?

Wednesday’s hearing in the Supreme Court involves a single case.  It focuses on the authority of police to enter a private home without a warrant authorizing entry.   As usual, the audio (but not the video) portion of the hearing will be broadcast at c-span.org/supremecourt Hearing, scheduled for one-hour, starts at 10 a.m.: Lange v. California… Read More

Feb 23 2021

New threat to voting rights

With Republican-controlled legislatures in many states moving quickly to cut back voting rights, especially mail-in balloting and voting before election day, three Supreme Court Justices on Monday sent a strong signal that these efforts may survive future court challenges.  In arguing that the Court should now step in to resolve disputes that arose in the… Read More

Feb 22 2021

Prosecutor to see Trump tax returns

Former President Trump’s two-year courthouse battle to keep secret his financial records and his tax returns came close to ending Monday morning, in a one-sentence order issued by the Supreme Court.  There was no sign of any dissent, and there was no explanation. This does not mean that the public will be able to view… 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.

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