In a 6-3 decision representing the Trump administration’s first major Supreme Court defeat in months, the Court blocks President Trump’s attempt to deploy federalized National Guard troops to Chicago without gubernatorial consent. The ruling turns on a critical statutory interpretation: …
U.S. Supreme CourtDonald TrumpJohn RobertsBrett KavanaughAmy Coney Barrett+8 moresupreme-courtnational-guardinsurrection-actexecutive-powerconstitutional-limits+3 more
The Supreme Court on December 19, 2025, delivered the Trump administration its first significant defeat on the emergency “shadow docket” since April 2025, refusing to block a lower court ruling that allows immigration judges to proceed with their First Amendment lawsuit challenging a …
Supreme Court of the United StatesDonald TrumpNational Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ)Department of Justice4th Circuit Court of Appeals+3 moresupreme courtimmigration-judgesfirst amendmentfree speechshadow docket+5 more
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Slaughter regarding President Trump’s firing of Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, with the conservative majority signaling strong support for overturning Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, the 1935 unanimous …
Supreme CourtDonald TrumpRebecca SlaughterJohn RobertsElena Kagan+3 moresupreme-courtexecutive-powerindependent-agenciesseparation-of-powersconstitutional-law+5 more
On October 29, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court took the rare step of requesting additional briefing in a high-profile emergency case challenging President Trump’s federalization of the National Guard in Chicago for immigration enforcement, signaling the Court is grappling with fundamental …
April PerryDonald TrumpJB PritzkerSupreme Courtchicagoconstitutional-crisisfederalismfederalizationmilitarization+5 more
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 CourtJohn RobertsConservative Majoritysupreme-courtjudiciarycourtsexecutive-powervoting-rights+1 more
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 CourtDonald TrumpRebecca SlaughterFederal Trade CommissionBrett Kavanaughsupreme-courtjudiciarycourtsexecutive-powerindependent-agencies+3 more
The Supreme Court took the extraordinary step of expanding the legal questions in Louisiana v. Callais (Nos. 24-109, 24-110), ordering supplemental briefs on whether creating majority-minority districts to remedy Voting Rights Act violations violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments. The …
Supreme CourtDepartment of JusticeLouisianaNAACP Legal Defense FundBrennan Center for Justice+2 morevoting-rights-actsupreme-courtracial-justicelouisianaredistricting+4 more
The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 stay allowing the Trump administration to proceed with mass federal workforce reductions at 22 agencies, overturning a preliminary injunction issued by Judge Susan Illston. The decision enabled immediate implementation of layoffs that had been blocked as likely …
Supreme CourtTrump AdministrationAmerican Federation of Government Employeessupreme-courtcivil-serviceinstitutional-dismantlingjudicial-enablement
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 CourtFederal AgenciesGSADepartment of Government Efficiency (DOGE)Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson+1 moresupreme-courtmass-firingsfederal-workforcejudicial-enablingworkforce-reduction+2 more
In Trump v. CASA de Maryland, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to significantly restrict the ability of federal district courts to issue nationwide injunctions blocking executive branch policies. The decision represents a major expansion of presidential power and reduction in judicial checks on executive …
Supreme CourtTrump AdministrationCASA de Marylandsupreme-courtexecutive-powerjudicial-reviewnationwide-injunctions
In a 6-3 decision in DHS v. D.V.D., the Supreme Court allowed DHS to deport immigrants to “third countries”—nations they’re not from—without meaningful opportunity to contest deportation. The ruling stayed a Massachusetts district court order that had required 15 days notice and …
Supreme CourtDepartment of Homeland SecuritySonia Sotomayorsupreme-courtdeportationdue-processimmigrationcivil-rights
In a landmark hearing, the Supreme Court began addressing complex constitutional challenges surrounding executive branch financial entanglements. The court explored unprecedented legal territory regarding potential emoluments violations, signaling a willingness to directly examine potential …
Supreme CourtDepartment of JusticeExecutive Branchemolumentssupreme-courtconstitutional-accountabilityjudicial-reviewexecutive-power
In a landmark series of rulings spanning multiple federal appeals courts and culminating on April 10, 2025, federal judges significantly reaffirmed and expanded legal frameworks for holding the executive branch accountable. The decisions centered on critical constitutional issues including …
Federal JudiciarySupreme CourtDepartment of JusticeRebecca SlaughterLisa Cook+2 morepresidential-accountabilityconstitutional-crisisjudicial-reviewlegal-precedentexecutive-power+1 more
U.S. Supreme Court allowed Virginia to purge over 1,600 voters within federally protected 90-day “quiet period” before 2024 election in 6-3 emergency decision, overturning lower court rulings in Beals v. Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive …
U.S. Supreme CourtGlenn Youngkin (Governor)Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rightsvoter-purgesupreme-courtnvra-violationnaturalized-citizensvoter-suppression+2 more
Judge Juan Merchan postponed Donald Trump’s sentencing from July 11 to September 18, 2024, to allow time to consider how the Supreme Court’s recent presidential immunity ruling might affect the case. The delay represented the first of what would become multiple postponements that …
Juan MerchanDonald TrumpAlvin Braggsentencingpresidential-immunitysupreme-courtaccountability-delay
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 CourtChief Justice John RobertsJustice Clarence ThomasJustice Samuel AlitoJustice Neil Gorsuch+9 moresupreme-courtjudicial-capturepresidential-powerrule-of-lawauthoritarian-consolidation+2 more
In a landmark 6-2 decision, the Supreme Court overruled the 40-year-old Chevron deference doctrine in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, fundamentally altering the balance of power between courts and federal agencies. The ruling requires courts to independently interpret ambiguous statutes rather …
Clarence ThomasSamuel AlitoChief Justice John RobertsSupreme CourtKoch Network+1 morejudicial-capturesupreme-courtchevron-deferenceregulatory-capturekoch-influence+2 more
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 StatesFood and Drug Administration (FDA)administrative-lawcourtsstandingsupreme-courtabortion-rights
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 StatesState of TexasBiden AdministrationJustice Samuel AlitoJustice Sonia Sotomayor+2 moreemergency-docketimmigrationstate-preemptionsupreme-courtjudicial-conflict
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 CourtJustice Neil GorsuchChief Justice John RobertsJustice Clarence ThomasJustice Samuel Alito+11 moresupreme-courtjudicial-capturelgbtq-rightsreligious-rightcivil-rights+2 more
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 CourtChief Justice John RobertsJustice Clarence ThomasJustice Samuel AlitoJustice Neil Gorsuch+11 moresupreme-courtjudicial-capturecivil-rightseducationracial-justice+1 more
Supreme Court rejected dangerous “independent state legislature” theory in Moore v. Harper with 6-3 decision, preserving state courts’ ability to review federal election laws under state constitutions. Theory would have given state legislatures unchecked power over federal …
U.S. Supreme CourtNorth Carolina LegislatureDemocracy advocatesindependent-state-legislaturesupreme-courtelection-lawconstitutional-lawchecks-and-balances+1 more
ProPublica exposed that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito failed to disclose an expensive luxury fishing trip to Alaska in July 2008, paid for by billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer and other Republican donors. Alito flew to Alaska on Singer’s private jet and stayed at the King Salmon …
Samuel AlitoPaul SingerElliott Investment ManagementLeonard LeoRobin Arkley II+1 morejudicial-capturesupreme-courtcorporate-influenceethics-violationsamuel-alito+3 more
The Supreme Court held that Alabama’s congressional map likely violated §2 of the Voting Rights
Act and ordered a remedy adding a second majority-Black district. The ruling preserved the
Thornburg v. Gingles framework for vote-dilution claims, affecting redistricting nationally.
Supreme Court of the United StatesState of AlabamaDOJ Civil Rights Divisionsection-2section-2-vravoting-rights-actredistrictingracial-discrimination+4 more
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 CourtChief Justice John RobertsJustice Clarence ThomasJustice Samuel AlitoJustice Neil Gorsuch+9 moreclimate-changesupreme-courtjudicial-capturederegulationadministrative-state+2 more
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to block the Biden administration’s CDC eviction moratorium covering areas with high COVID transmission, finding the agency exceeded its statutory authority. The Court held that ‘[i]f a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must …
Supreme CourtCDCJoe BidenAlabama Association of Realtorsexecutive-overreachemergency-powerssupreme-courtcovid-19housing
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and board member of the Council for National Policy’s lobbying arm CNP Action, attended the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, before the violent attack on the U.S. …
Ginni ThomasClarence ThomasCouncil for National PolicyCNP ActionTurning Point USA+4 morejanuary-6insurrectionsupreme-courtcnpconflicts-of-interest+4 more
On October 26, 2020, the Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court by a vote of 52-48, installing her on the bench just eight days before the November 3 presidential election and while millions of Americans had already cast their ballots. Barrett’s confirmation created a 6-3 …
On September 26, 2020, President Trump held a Rose Garden ceremony announcing Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court that became what Dr. Anthony Fauci would later call a “superspreader event,” with more than 150 attendees packed together without masks for both an …
On September 18, 2020, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87 from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer, creating a Supreme Court vacancy just 46 days before the November 3 presidential election and while early voting was already underway in some states. In her final days, …
On June 30, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue that states cannot exclude religious schools from programs that provide public funding to private schools, striking down Montana’s “Blaine Amendment” and similar provisions in 37 state …
Chief Justice John RobertsJustice Clarence ThomasJustice Samuel AlitoInstitute for JusticeBecket Fund for Religious Libertyeducationsupreme-courtreligious-schoolsvouchersestablishment-clause+2 more
The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Rucho v. Common Cause that partisan gerrymandering claims present “political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts,” effectively eliminating federal judicial oversight of even extreme partisan redistricting. The decision gives state legislatures …
On October 6, 2018, the Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court by a vote of 50-48, making him the first justice in modern history confirmed with credible sexual assault allegations pending and despite obvious temperament problems that raised serious questions about his fitness for the …
On September 27, 2018, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her at a house party in 1982 when she was 15 and he was 17. Ford delivered four hours of credible, detailed, emotionally raw testimony …
On June 27, 2018, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Janus v. AFSCME that public-sector unions cannot collect “fair share” fees from non-members to cover the costs of collective bargaining, overturning the Court’s 1977 precedent in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. The decision, …
Justice Samuel AlitoJustice Neil GorsuchNational Right to Work FoundationState Policy NetworkBradley Foundation+3 moreeducationlaborsupreme-courtteachers-unionsright-to-work+2 more
The Supreme Court rules 5-4 to uphold Ohio’s aggressive voter purge system—the most severe in the nation—that removes voters from registration rolls if they fail to vote in a single federal election and don’t return a mailed confirmation notice. Justice Samuel Alito’s majority …
The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis that employers can require workers to sign mandatory arbitration agreements waiving their right to join class action lawsuits over wage theft, discrimination, or other labor law violations. Justice Neil Gorsuch—a Federalist Society member …
Supreme CourtNeil GorsuchFederalist SocietyCorporate employersWorkerslabor-suppressionsupreme-courtarbitrationclass-actionjudicial-capture+1 more
Twenty Republican state attorneys general and governors, led by Texas, filed Texas v. Azar (later California v. Texas) in federal district court, arguing that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s zeroing of the individual mandate penalty rendered the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. The …
Texas Attorney General Ken PaxtonJudge Reed O'Connor20 Republican State Attorneys GeneralCalifornia Attorney General Xavier BecerraU.S. Supreme Court+1 morehealthcareaca-sabotagelegal-challengesrepublican-attorneys-generalsupreme-court+2 more
The Supreme Court unanimously rules in TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC (581 U.S. 258) that for patent infringement suits, a domestic corporation ‘resides’ only in its state of incorporation under 28 U.S.C. § 1400(b), overturning nearly 30 years of Federal Circuit …
Supreme CourtClarence ThomasTC HeartlandKraft FoodsRodney Gilstrap+1 moreintellectual-propertypatent-abusepatent-trollssupreme-courtjudicial-reform+2 more
Gorsuch sells Colorado property for up to $500,000 to Brian Duffy, CEO of Greenberg Traurig, nine days after confirmation without disclosing buyer’s identity, raising conflict concerns
Neil GorsuchBrian DuffyGreenberg Traurigjudicial-capturesupreme-courtreal-estateconflict-of-interestdisclosure-failures+1 more
On April 6, 2017, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked the “nuclear option”—a parliamentary procedure to change Senate rules by simple majority vote—to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster requirement for Supreme Court nominations, lowering the threshold to a simple 51-vote …
On March 16, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick B. Garland, the widely respected Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death one month earlier. Garland was considered a …
On February 13, 2016, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died of apparent natural causes at a luxury resort in West Texas, creating a vacancy on the Court with nearly 11 months remaining in President Obama’s term. Within hours of Scalia’s death being announced, Senate Majority Leader …
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in King v. Burwell that premium tax credits are available to qualifying individuals in all states, rejecting a challenge that would have eliminated subsidies for millions in the 34 states using the federal healthcare exchange (HealthCare.gov). The lawsuit, filed by …
U.S. Supreme CourtChief Justice John RobertsJustice Antonin ScaliaKing (Plaintiff)Sylvia Burwell (HHS Secretary)healthcareaca-sabotagesupreme-courtsubsidieslegal-challenges+1 more
Crow company purchases properties from Thomas and relatives for $133,363 including house where Thomas’s mother lives, marking first known direct money transfer from donor to justice
Clarence ThomasHarlan CrowLeola Williams (Thomas's mother)Crow Holdingsjudicial-capturesupreme-courtreal-estateundisclosed-transactionsfinancial-corruption+1 more
The Supreme Court unanimously rules in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International (573 U.S. 208) that abstract ideas implemented on generic computers are not patent-eligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101, establishing a two-step framework for patent eligibility. Justice Thomas delivers the opinion holding that …
Supreme CourtClarence ThomasAlice CorpCLS Bank InternationalUSPTOintellectual-propertypatent-abusesoftware-patentssupreme-courtbusiness-methods+1 more
In Republic of Argentina v. NML Capital (2014), the Supreme Court held that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act does not bar post‑judgment discovery into a foreign sovereign’s assets, facilitating creditor collection efforts including by Paul Singer’s NML Capital. Justice Samuel Alito …
Samuel AlitoPaul SingerElliott ManagementRepublic of ArgentinaSupreme Courtjudicial-capturesupreme-courtconflict-of-interestpaul-singerargentina-debt+1 more
Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that aggregate limits on total contributions an individual can make to federal candidates, parties, and PACs over a two-year election cycle violate the First Amendment. Chief Justice Roberts authored the majority opinion, joined by Justices Scalia, Kennedy, and Alito, with …
Supreme CourtChief Justice John RobertsShaun McCutcheonRepublican National CommitteeJustice Anthony Kennedy+5 morecampaign-financedark-moneysupreme-courtjudicial-capturecorporate-power+2 more
Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen were indicted on 14 counts of fraud and conspiracy by a federal grand jury, making McDonnell the first Virginia governor to be indicted or convicted of a felony. The charges stemmed from their acceptance of more than $175,000 in gifts, …
Bob McDonnellMaureen McDonnellJonnie Williamscongressional corruptiongubernatorial corruptionrepublican partyvirginiabribery+2 more
The Supreme Court strikes down Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in a 5-4 decision, effectively nullifying Section 5’s preclearance requirement that prevented jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination from changing voting laws without federal approval. Chief Justice …