Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Supreme Court lifts injunctions, enables mass firings at 19 federal agencies

| Importance: 9/10

In a controversial 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court lifted lower court injunctions blocking the Trump administration’s mass firing plans, enabling reductions of up to 50% in 19 federal agencies. The ruling temporarily permits widespread federal workforce terminations, with Justice Ketanji Brown …

Supreme Court Federal Agencies GSA Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson +1 more supreme-court mass-firings federal-workforce judicial-enabling workforce-reduction +2 more
Read more →

Supreme Court Grants Broad Presidential Immunity in Trump v. United States, Creating King-Like Powers

| Importance: 10/10

Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for acts within their “core constitutional powers,” presumptive immunity for “official acts” within the outer perimeter of their responsibilities, and no immunity for unofficial acts. …

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Justice Clarence Thomas Justice Samuel Alito Justice Neil Gorsuch +9 more supreme-court judicial-capture presidential-power rule-of-law authoritarian-consolidation +2 more
Read more →

SCOTUS allows Texas SB 4 to take effect temporarily

| Importance: 8/10

The Supreme Court allowed Texas’s SB 4 immigration law to take effect pending further proceedings, before subsequent Fifth Circuit action. A 6-3 ruling temporarily permitted Texas to criminalize border crossings and allow state police to arrest and potentially deport migrants, creating a …

Supreme Court of the United States State of Texas Biden Administration Justice Samuel Alito Justice Sonia Sotomayor +2 more emergency-docket immigration state-preemption supreme-court judicial-conflict
Read more →

Supreme Court Allows Religious Exemptions from Anti-Discrimination Laws in 303 Creative v. Elenis

| Importance: 8/10

Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause prohibits states from enforcing anti-discrimination laws against businesses providing “expressive” services when doing so would compel speech that violates the owner’s religious beliefs. Justice Gorsuch …

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch Chief Justice John Roberts Justice Clarence Thomas Justice Samuel Alito +11 more supreme-court judicial-capture lgbtq-rights religious-right civil-rights +2 more
Read more →

Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action in College Admissions in Students for Fair Admissions Decisions

| Importance: 9/10

Supreme Court ruled 6-3 (Harvard) and 6-2 (UNC) that race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and University of North Carolina violate the Equal Protection Clause, effectively ending affirmative action in higher education nationwide. Chief Justice Roberts authored the majority opinion, joined …

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Justice Clarence Thomas Justice Samuel Alito Justice Neil Gorsuch +11 more supreme-court judicial-capture civil-rights education racial-justice +1 more
Read more →

Supreme Court Establishes Major Questions Doctrine in West Virginia v. EPA, Limiting Regulatory Power

| Importance: 9/10

Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the EPA lacked authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants through generation shifting, formally establishing the “major questions doctrine” for the first time by name in a majority opinion. Chief Justice Roberts …

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Justice Clarence Thomas Justice Samuel Alito Justice Neil Gorsuch +9 more climate-change supreme-court judicial-capture deregulation administrative-state +2 more
Read more →