Covering the Supreme Court, lower courts, and the law

The Supreme Court will be on the bench Wednesday for a single hearing, focusing on a Californian’s plea for the right to get trademark protection for a T-shirt that is unflattering toward former President Donald Trump.  It is a dispute left over from one of the less-edifying moments of the Republican fight for the presidential… Read More

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court explores a lively constitutional question about public officials’ right to block critics or unwanted contacts from access to those officials’ social media pages.  The outcome of the case could have major implications for how the Internet’s content is controlled. Tuesday hearings: O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier, starting at 10 a.m., followed by Lindke… Read More

The Supreme Court resumes its hearings tomorrow, with a single case on property rights – specifically, the limits on the government’s power to take property as a form of punishment. Monday’s hearing:  Culley v. Marshall  Starting at 10 a.m., the hearing is scheduled for one hour. The Court will broadcast “live” the audio (no video)… Read More

The Supreme Court, in a single hearing on Wednesday, will make a new effort to sort out when state legislatures may rely on race in drawing new election districts for the U.S. House of Representatives.  This case from South Carolina could affect Democrats’ chances of controlling the House in 2025. Tomorrow’s hearing:  Alexander v. South… Read More

After a legal holiday on Monday, the Supreme Court returns to the bench tomorrow for two complex but fascinating hearings.  The first will examine the ancient tradition of “whistleblowing,” in a case testing the rights of employees who get fired after exposing misdeeds by companies in the securities industry.  The second involves a decades-long conflict… Read More

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

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

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

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

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