Courts

Ninth Circuit Panel Allows Trump National Guard Deployment to Portland

| Importance: 8/10

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled 2-1 to overturn a district court order blocking President Trump’s deployment of approximately 200 Oregon National Guard troops to protect a Portland ICE facility. Circuit Judges Ryan D. Nelson and Bridget S. Bade …

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Donald Trump Oregon National Guard Karin Immergut Ryan D. Nelson +2 more judiciary courts appeals-court national-guard executive-power +2 more
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Supreme Court Begins 2025-2026 Term with Focus on Executive Power and Voting Rights

| Importance: 8/10

The Supreme Court began its 2025-2026 term on October 6, 2025, with a docket featuring critical cases on executive power, voting rights, and constitutional law. The October session includes 10 oral arguments over five days, with several cases that could fundamentally reshape American governance.

Key …

Supreme Court John Roberts Conservative Majority supreme-court judiciary courts executive-power voting-rights +1 more
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Supreme Court Agrees to Reconsider Humphrey's Executor, Review Trump's Power to Fire Agency Heads

| Importance: 10/10

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a rush appeal deciding whether President Trump acted lawfully in firing board members leading independent federal agencies, setting up oral arguments for December 2025. The case will reconsider the landmark 1935 precedent Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, …

Supreme Court Donald Trump Rebecca Slaughter Federal Trade Commission Brett Kavanaugh supreme-court judiciary courts executive-power independent-agencies +3 more
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NY Appeals Court Throws Out $527 Million Trump Fraud Judgment as "Excessive"

| Importance: 8/10

The New York Appellate Division, in a unanimous five-judge decision, threw out the $527 million civil fraud judgment against President Donald Trump and his companies, ruling the penalty was “excessive” and violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on excessive fines. The appeals …

New York State Appellate Division Donald Trump Trump Organization Letitia James Arthur Engoron +2 more financial fraud ny attorney general trump organization appeals court eighth amendment +2 more
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Federal judge says Los Angeles Guard/Marine deployment likely unlawful

| Importance: 6/10

A federal district judge in Northern California ruled on June 12, 2025, that the Trump administration’s federalization of California National Guard and deployment of 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles likely violated the Posse Comitatus Act and principles of federalism. The judge found the …

U.S. District Court State of California Governor Gavin Newsom Department of Defense 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines +2 more civil-military courts emergency-powers posse-comitatus federalism +2 more
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SCOTUS: Plaintiffs lack standing in social-media coercion case (Murthy v. Missouri)

| Importance: 6/10

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 26, 2024, that neither state nor individual plaintiffs established standing to enjoin federal officials over alleged coercion of social-media platforms. Justice Barrett’s majority opinion found plaintiffs failed to show government actions caused platforms to …

Supreme Court of the United States Justice Amy Coney Barrett Justice Samuel Alito Justice Clarence Thomas Justice Neil Gorsuch +2 more courts social-media standing first-amendment content-moderation +3 more
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SCOTUS: No standing in challenge to mifepristone changes (FDA v. AHM)

| Importance: 6/10

The Supreme Court unanimously held the plaintiffs lacked Article III standing to challenge FDA’s 2016/2021 actions on mifepristone, leaving the agency’s changes in place. Justice Kavanaugh delivered the opinion, with the Court finding that the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine failed to …

Supreme Court of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) administrative-law courts standing supreme-court abortion-rights
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