Editorial: US Supreme Court’s Contrived Immunity Decision Undermines Rule of Law
It has been a longstanding principle of judicial restraint in the US that judges ought not to read their politics or personal preferences into the laws of the republic. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, dissenting in the same-sex marriage case Obergefell v. Hodges, wrote that “Under the Constitution, judges have power to say what [...]
US Supreme Court rules Trump immune to criminal prosecution for official acts
In a split decision, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that former US presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for actions taken within their constitutional purview, thus clearing a path for Donald Trump to challenge a federal indictment accusing him of conspiring to sabotage the 2020 elections. The case, US v. Trump, centers on the former [...]
US Supreme Court allows cities to enforce homeless encampment bans
The US Supreme Court ruled Friday in a 6-3 decision to allow cities to enforce bans on homeless encampments even when shelter space is unavailable. In City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, the plaintiffs filed a class action on behalf of the homeless population living in Grants Pass, alleging that the city’s ordinances against [...]
US Supreme Court limits scope of obstruction statute in January 6 Capitol riot case
In a closely watched decision stemming from the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, the US Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the government must prove a defendant impaired or attempted to impair the availability or integrity of evidence to be convicted under a key obstruction statute. On January 6, 2021, a crowd of supporters of then-President Donald [...]
The US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a controversial provision in Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy plan that would have shielded members of its former owners from lawsuits related to the opioid crisis. Prior to Purdue’s bankruptcy declaration in 2019, it had been owned by the Sacklers, one of the countries wealthiest families. The Sacklers attempted [...]
US Supreme Court splits along partisan lines in overturning Indiana mayor's bribery conviction
JURIST Editorial Director Ingrid Burke Friedman contributed to this report. In a decision that fell along starkly partisan lines, the US Supreme Court reversed the bribery conviction of former Portage, Indiana mayor James Snyder on Wednesday. The case, Snyder v. United States, involves James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana. Snyder was convicted under 18 U.S.C. [...]
US Supreme Court finds citizens lack right to have non-citizen spouses allowed into country
The US Supreme Court ruled on Friday that citizens do not have a right to have their non-citizen spouses allowed into the country. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for a 6-3 majority that “a citizen does not have a fundamental liberty interest in her noncitizen spouse being admitted to the country” after a US citizen [...]
The US Supreme Court struck down a bump stock ban Friday enacted in 2018 following a deadly mass shooting in California. In a 6-3 vote, the court held that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) exceeded its authority in enacting the bump stock ban. The case known as Garland v. Cargill was [...]
The Supreme Court decided Thursday that government officials cannot indirectly suppress free speech through coercion, reinforcing their previous decision in Bantam Books, Inc. v. Sullivan. Justice Sotomayor, writing for a unanimous court, said a government official “can share her views freely and criticize particular beliefs, and she can do so forcefully in the hopes of [...]
US Supreme Court upholds civil forfeiture without immediate hearing
The US Supreme Court decided Thursday that police officers may continue to seize cars that defendants allegedly use to commit a crime, without an immediate hearing. States often allow that kind of seizure—known as civil forfeiture—when officers believe that the car is connected to a crime in which the owner is not involved. Justice Kavanaugh, [...]
