Lyle Denniston

Oct 31 2020

The Supreme Court and religion: a major test

The Supreme Court is back in (remote) session on Monday, and will again allow “live” broadcasts of its hearings on pending cases.  This time, the hearings will be before nine Justices, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett taking part for the first time.  Issues of religious freedom, and Justice Barrett’s own work in the past in… Read More

Oct 16 2020

The Census: What’s going on?

This year, of course, is the year that the every-ten-year national Census is taken, but it has been significantly affected by legal controversy stirred up by the Trump Administration, and that continued this week with two orders by the Supreme Court. So, as of today, where does the 2020 Census stand, as a result of… Read More

Oct 13 2020

Wednesday at the Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday holds the final two hearings in the opening sitting of its new term.  Eight Justices will hear cases focusing on police use of force and on the threat of deportation for non-citizens.  The Court will begin its second sitting with hearings on November 2. First case, starting at 10 a.m.:… Read More

Oct 12 2020

Tomorrow at the Court, explained

The Supreme Court on Tuesday continues with the “live” broadcast of the audio portion of its hearings.  Two cases will be heard each day, tomorrow and Wednesday, for about one hour each.  Eight Justices will be taking part.  The technical complexity of the law in this week’s cases adds emphasis to the need for a… Read More

Oct 6 2020

Issues in Supreme Court hearings Wednesday

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will continue with the TV broadcast of the “live” audio portions of its hearings, with an eight-Justice Court.  The first case audio will be broadcast on C-SPAN1, one of its three TV networks.  Both hearings can also be heard on C-SPAN’s website at http://c-span.org by clicking on the words SUPREME COURT… Read More

Oct 5 2020

Tuesday hearings: what’s at issue

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will continue with the broadcast of the “live” audio portion of its hearings, with an eight-Justice Court. It is unclear whether it will be broadcast on any TV station. An audio broadcast is expected on the Supreme Court page of C-SPAN LIVE at this link: https://www.c-span.org/supremeCourt/ Both of the hearings held… Read More

Oct 4 2020

Supreme Court returns: Monday hearings

The Supreme Court’s summer recess is now over, and a new term is starting. For the hearings this week, only eight Justices will participate since a replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has not yet been approved by the Senate.  If nominee Amy Coney Barrett joins the Court later, she would have the option of… Read More

Sep 27 2020

Will the voters’ choice be defied? Part II

This is the second of two parts discussing the possible scenario this year of some state legislatures deciding to choose presidential electors, instead of leaving that to the voters.  The first part, appearing here yesterday, described the scenario and how it might play out.  This part describes how it might be challenged, in court or… Read More

Sep 26 2020

Will the voters’ choice be defied? Part I

This is the first of two parts.  It describes the possible scenario this year of some of the state legislatures deciding for themselves who will be their electors choosing the President, rather than leaving the choice to the states’ voters at the ballot box on November 3.  Part II, appearing tomorrow, will spell out possible… Read More

Sep 19 2020

What’s next for the Supreme Court?

In the hours after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Thursday evening from her latest bout with cancer, it became clear that politics over the Court’s future will not be suspended, even briefly, for the nation to mourn the loss of perhaps the most consequential woman in America’s history. The Republican leader of the… 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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