Outside the Beltway

For the second time in two years, the Supreme Court starts a new term down one Justice. That isn’t as big a problem as it might seem.

Saturday Night Live inevitably mocked the Ford/Kavanaugh hearing on Thursday in their cold open.

After four days of hearings, the fate of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court seems assured.

The second day of questioning for Judge Brett Kavanaugh was a bit rockier than the first, but nothing happened that seriously threatens his eventual confirmation.

Day One of questions for Judge Brett Kavanaugh went about as you’d expect.

The first day of the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings was much ado about pretty much nothing, but then that can be used to describe a process whose outcome is pretty much foreordained.

A good excuse to consider reform.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh reportedly told Senator Susan Collins that he considers Roe v. Wade
“settled law.” This will likely be enough to get her support and that of another holdout Republican Senator.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she’d like to stay on the Court at least until she turns 90, but it’s unlikely she’ll go anywhere voluntarily as long as Donald Trump is President.

Initial polling on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court find the public more divided than they have been for other recent SCOTUS picks, but that’s unlikely to impact the fate of his nomination.

As Washington gets ready to fight a new battle over Roe v. Wade an new poll shows that most Americans oppose overturning that decision.

The current discussion about SCOTUS is a good excuse to look at how other countries handle these things.

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court struck down a California law requiring Crisis Pregnancy Centers to provide information about abortion.

In a ruling that largely relies on the authority granted by Congress to the President to regulate immigration on national security grounds, the Supreme Court has upheld the final version of the Administration’s travel ban.

The Supreme Court has largely rejected a challenge to state and Federal redistricting maps in the State of Texas.

In a case that pit the new rules of cyberspace against the old rules about when the Fourth Amendment protects privacy, the Supreme Court ruled today in a way that breathes new life into both privacy and the Fourth Amendment.

Overruling precedent dating back 51 years, the Court has ruled that states can require businesses that sell to residents within their state collect and remit appropriate sales taxes.

With two more weeks to go, there are plenty of “big” cases still awaiting the release of a decision.

In Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, Samuel Alito authored a 5-4 opinion ruling that removing voters from the rolls after four years is perfectly legal.

Some legal scholars are speculating that the Court’s ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop could impact the ruling on the President’s Muslim Travel Ban. This seems unlikely.

In an exceedingly narrow ruling, the Supreme Court sided with a Colorado baker who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding reception. However, the ruling did not address the broader issues raised by the case.

How far should judicial confirmation hearings go in asking potential Judges and Justices their opinions about issues that may come before them?

A Federal Judge in New York has ruled that President Trump cannot block users from reading his tweets.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that reaffirmed a principle that should be axiomatic, namely the idea that a Defendant has the sole authority to decide whether or not to concede guilt.

The former Senate Majority Leader had surgery in Maryland after an apparently early diagnosis.

While the Trump Administration slowly tries to remake the Federal Judiciary, states are moving to pass radical new challenges to Roe v. Wade.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in the challenge to President Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban. It didn’t appear to go well for the challengers.

Republicans are planning on pushing judicial nominees through the Senate in case they lose control in November. Meanwhile, the possibility of a Supreme Court vacancy raises the stakes.

The Supreme Court heard argument yesterday on the issue of whether online sellers can be required to collect sales taxes, and the status of the issue remains as confused as ever.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in the second partisan gerrymandering case of the term, and once again they appear to be divided.

The Supreme Court appears ready to strike down a California law requiring Crisis Pregnancy Centers to provide information on abortion.

The Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether an American company can be required to turn over data stored on servers located overseas.

After yesterday’s oral argument, the Supreme Court seems poised to deal a major blow to public-sector unions.

The Supreme Court has declined to stay a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling requiring the legislature to redraw the state’s Congressional District map.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the Government’s appeal of the Trump Administration’s revised Muslim Travel Ban

The Supreme Court heard argument yesterday in an important case dealing with the circumstances under which voters can be purged from the voting rolls.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is making it clear she has no intention of leaving office before the 2020 election.

The Supreme Court is allowing the latest version of Donald Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban to go into effect.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is making it clear she will not be leaving the court anytime soon.

The Supreme Court appears split on the question of whether or not partisan Gerrymandering is unconstitutional.

Previewing the next term of the Supreme Court, which starts today.

Justice Kennedy is telling prospective law clerks for the term that beings in October 2018 that he is considering retiring at the end of the term that begins this October.

The Supreme Court ruled today that states may not exclude church-run schools from an aid program with a wholly secular purpose.

With tomorrow marking the end of the Court’s current term, there’s speculation that we could see Justice Anthony Kennedy stepping down.

The Supreme Court rules that states cannot bar convicted felons from using social media sites.

The Supreme Court made it harder for states to keep fines and other payments in cases where defendants are exonerated.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument yesterday in a case dealing with whether Missouri can deny a religious school from participating in a program to make school playgrounds safer.

The Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is hinting at a new Supreme Court vacancy this summer.