SCOTUS

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Obergefell (Yes, That Obergefell) Is Concerned

Lead plaintiff in gay marriage case fears Supreme Court will backtrack like it did on abortion rights

(Newser) - You might not have heard of Jim Obergefell , but you will have heard all about the Supreme Court case in which he featured. Ruling in his favor in 2015's Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. "Ten years later, I certainly wasn't expecting to...

SCOTUS: States Can Nix Planned Parenthood Funding

If it comes from Medicaid, per Supreme Court ruling

(Newser) - The Supreme Court allowed states to cut off Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood in a ruling handed down Thursday amid a wider Republican-backed push to defund the country's biggest abortion provider. The case centers on funding for other health care services Planned Parenthood provides in South Carolina, but the...

SCOTUS Upholds Tenn. Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Kids

It's a big blow for the transgender community

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, reports the AP , a stunning setback to transgender rights. The justices' 6-3 decision effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Trump's administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people....

SCOTUS Clears the Way for Nuclear Waste Site in Texas

Justices restarted plans to temporarily store nuclear waste at site in Andrews

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Wednesday restarted plans to temporarily store nuclear waste at sites in rural Texas and New Mexico, even as the nation is at an impasse over a permanent solution. What to know about the decision, per the AP :
  • The vote: The justices, by a 6-3 vote, reversed
...

SCOTUS Will Hear Pregnancy Center's Appeal of NJ Probe

NJ pro-life pregnancy center investigated for misleading people about its services

(Newser) - The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear from a faith-based pregnancy center in New Jersey challenging a state investigation into whether it misled people into thinking its services included referrals for abortion. The justices agreed to consider an appeal from First Choice Women's Resource Centers, which wants to...

SCOTUS Rules Catholic Charity Should Be Tax Exempt

Ruling may impact tax status of religiously affiliated nonprofits nationwide

(Newser) - In a third unanimous decision of the day, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of granting a tax exemption to a Wisconsin Catholic charity that could reshape how religiously-affiliated nonprofits nationwide are treated under the law, per the AP . The ruling addresses whether charitable work rooted in faith deserves...

Supreme Court Blocks Mexico's $10B Suit vs. US Gunmakers

Blockbuster case claimed that flow of guns over the border have fueled cartel violence

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a $10 billion lawsuit that Mexico filed against top firearm manufacturers in the US, alleging the companies' business practices have fueled tremendous cartel violence and bloodshed. The unanimous ruling tossed out the case under US laws that largely shield gunmakers from liability when their...

SCOTUS Clears Way for 'Reverse Discrimination' Cases

Unanimous decision sides with woman who said she was demoted because she's straight

(Newser) - A unanimous Supreme Court made it easier Thursday to bring lawsuits over so-called reverse discrimination, siding with an Ohio woman who claims she didn't get a job and then was demoted because she's straight. The justices' decision affects lawsuits in 20 states and the District of Columbia where,...

SCOTUS Rejects Challenge to State Assault Weapons Ban

Maryland law to remain in place—for now

(Newser) - The Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge to Maryland's ban on assault weapons—semiautomatic rifles that are popular among gun owners and have also been used in multiple mass shootings. The justices turned down a case against the Maryland law passed after the 2012 shooting at...

Divided Supreme Court 'Hands Trump a Loss'

Administration had challenged judge's deadline to release frozen funding

(Newser) - A sharply divided Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a Trump administration push to rebuke a federal judge who gave it a quick deadline to release billions in foreign aid that President Trump froze in January. By a 5-4 vote, the court told US District Judge Amir Ali to clarify his...

Supreme Court Throws Out a High-Profile Death Sentence

Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip had been served a last meal 3 times

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the murder conviction and death penalty for Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma man who has steadfastly maintained his innocence and averted multiple attempts by the state to execute him. The justices found that Glossip's trial violated his constitutional rights, reports the AP . The...

Glossip Has Unusual Ally in SCOTUS Fight

Both he and Oklahoma are pushing for new trial, citing prosecutorial misconduct

(Newser) - Glossip v. Oklahoma, a highly watched case before the Supreme Court, isn't quite what its name suggests. Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip is pushing for a new trial, arguing the one that resulted in his murder conviction and death sentence was rife with errors. But Oklahoma is of...

SCOTUS Sides With GOP on Challenged SC Voting Map

6-3 opinion found Republican-controlled state legislature did nothing wrong during redistricting

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Thursday preserved a Republican-held South Carolina congressional district, rejecting a lower-court ruling that said the district discriminated against Black voters. The court's conservative majority said in a 6-3 decision that the Republican-controlled state legislature did nothing wrong during redistricting when it strengthened Rep. Nancy Mace'...

Trump's Immunity Case Gets Underway Today

In one scenario, he could be handed 'a get-out-of-jail-free card'

(Newser) - Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments Thursday about whether former presidents are immune from criminal prosecution in a case that "could affect both Donald Trump's legal and political fates," per the BBC . Trump's lawyers claim a 1982 court decision that decided presidents are immune from...

An 1873 Law May Be New Front in Abortion Fight
An 1873 Law May Be New
Front in Abortion Fight
the rundown
Mar 29, 2024 9:24 AM CDT

An 1873 Law May Be New Front in Abortion Fight

Comstock Act, banning the mailing of 'obscene' materials, hasn't been applied in nearly a century

(Newser) - A century and a half ago, before women had the right to vote, a federal law was enacted banning the mailing of "obscene, lewd, [or] lascivious" materials, including abortion drugs. Though never fully repealed, the 1873 Comstock Act hasn't been applied in nearly a century and some experts...

SCOTUS Says Texas Can Start Arresting Migrants

Divided court allows law to take effect while legal battle plays out

(Newser) - A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a stay on a Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the US-Mexico border illegally while a legal battle over immigration authority plays out. The Biden administration is suing to strike down the measure, arguing it's...

With Trump Case, SCOTUS Steps 'Into Freshly Fallen Snow'

It will consider whether the 14th Amendment prevents Trump from holding office

(Newser) - Of all the Donald Trump-related court moments of recent months, Thursday's will be among the most consequential, and certainly the most historic. As the New Republic puts it: The Supreme Court is "stepping out into freshly fallen snow." It will be the first time a case about...

Supreme Court Will Take on Abortion Pill, Trump Cases

Court could set limits on mifepristone, undo Capitol riot charges against hundreds, including Trump

(Newser) - The Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to take up a dispute over a medication used in the most common method of abortion in the United States, in what the AP reports is its first abortion case since it overturned Roe v. Wade last year. Also Wednesday, the court agreed to...

Kavanaugh: SCOTUS Ethics Changes Are on the Way

He predicts 'concrete steps' in the near future

(Newser) - Public confidence in the Supreme Court is at a 50-year-low, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh says change is on the way. When asked about "perceived ethical issues" at a judicial conference Thursday, Kavanaugh said the court is "continuing to work on those issues," as Chief Justice John Robert...

SCOTUS Decision a Win for 'Freedom to Wear Pants'

Court leaves in place a ruling against charter school's skirts-only dress code for girls

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has declined to hear a case involving a North Carolina charter school's dress code, leaving in a place a lower court's ruling that girls at Charter Day School can choose to wear pants instead of skirts. Parents of Charter Day students challenged the skirts-only dress...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser