Recent Decisions
Dunn v. Reeves (July 2, 2021)
Supreme Court reverses an Eleventh Circuit grant of habeas relief for a 1996 murder; the Alabama court did not unreasonably apply a categorical rule in evaluating the defendant's claim of ineffective assistance.
Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta (July 1, 2021)
California's requirement that charities disclose the names and addresses of major donors is facially invalid as burdening donors’ First Amendment rights and not narrowly tailored to an important government interest.
Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (July 1, 2021)
Supreme Court upholds Arizona voting rules that discount the votes of those who vote at the wrong precinct and that make it a crime for any person other than a postal worker, an elections official, or a voter’s caregiver, family member, or household member to knowingly collect an early ballot.
PennEast Pipeline Co. v. New Jersey (June 29, 2021)
The holder of a FERC certificate of public convenience and necessity to build a natural gas pipeline may exercise the federal eminent domain power to obtain necessary rights-of-way.
Johnson v. Guzman-Chavez (June 29, 2021)
Aliens subject to reinstated orders of removal are not entitled to bond hearings while seeking withholding of removal; their removal orders are "administratively final."
Latest Supreme Court News
Banning Abortion Doesn’t Protect Women’s Health
The New York Times,
Black women suffer from reproductive politicking more than other women.
The Supreme Court’s Hits and Misses on Children’s Civil Rights During the 2020 Term
Justia's Verdict,
Marci A. Hamilton, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and CEO of CHILD USA, discusses several decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court this past term that affect children’s rights: Fulton v. Philadelphia, addressing whether a religious social services agency can refuse to place children with same-sex couples; Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., addressing whether a teen could be punished for speech on Snapchat, off school grounds and addressed to her own audience; and NCAA v. Alston, addressing whether the NCAA can deny student-athletes education-related benefits while exploiting their athletic achievements. Professor Hamilton notes that two of these three benefit children, while Fulton, which focuses exclusively on the adults involved and not the children, leaves open the possibility that states can pass neutral laws to meaningfully value the needs of children.
Did the Supreme Court Just Kill the Voting Rights Act?
The New York Times,
For many advocates, last week’s decision upholding two voting restrictions could scarcely have come at a worse time.
The Troubling Implications of the SCOTUS Arizona Voting Rights Case
Justia's Verdict,
Cornell Law professor Michael C. Dorf comments on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, in which the Court upheld along ideological lines two Arizona voting laws, one of which restricted who could collect mail-in ballots and the other of which invalidated votes mistakenly cast in the wrong district. Professor Dorf argues that even if the bottom line in Brnovich is correct, the legal analysis and the Court’s broad acceptance of Republican talking points about voter fraud portend ill for the future of American democracy.
Summer Order Lists
Supreme Court of the United States,
For your planning purposes, summer order lists are scheduled to be issued on August 2, August 23, and September 10, 2021. Summer order lists usually consist of actions taken by the Court on motions in pending cases, petitions for rehearing, and other miscellaneous matters. Emergency orders, such as in applications for stays, will continue to be released as required.
Divided court invalidates California donor-disclosure rules
SCOTUSblog,
This article was updated on July 1 at 6 p.m. The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down California’s requirement that charities and nonprofits operating in the state provide the state attorney general’s office with the names and addresses of their largest donors. The 6-3 ruling... The post Divided court invalidates California donor-disclosure rules appeared first on SCOTUSblog.
Current Supreme Court Justices
Chief Justice of the United States
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Photos of the justices courtesy of the Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States
