Big decisions at the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has started releasing the blockbuster opinions everyone's been waiting for. This week brought major decisions on property rights, religious liberty, immigration, and the Second Amendment. Here's what stood out to me. The Pungs live to fight another day The Supreme Court handed down its decision in Pung v. Isabella County, Pacifi ...
The Calm Before the Avalanche
The Calm Before the Avalanche But first… Guys, your new favorite podcast is out! I love a good Supreme Court dissent—so I created a podcast about them. In the first season, we get meta; we talk about America's first great dissent—The Declaration of Independence—through the lens of Supreme Court dissents. We trace the Declaration's pr ...
Let the big cases begin!
Last night I talked with Jesse Weber of NewsNation about the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which significantly shifted how courts will consider certain claims under the Voting Rights Act. Watch it here. The last oral argument of the term! The Court heard the last oral argument of the term yesterday in M ...
Tariffs, Takings, and Les Mis
Two quick, but important scoops. First, the Court released its opinion in the highly anticipated tariffs case. Second, PLF is back at SCOTUS (baby!). The Tariffs Case: 170 Pages, Six Opinions, One Historic Result Last week the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the tariffs case, and wow. Historic. Nuanced. A 170-page opinion in all, even tho ...
New year, new SCOTUS opinions
The Supreme Court has issued its first handful (or scoop, if you will) of opinions. And it heard oral arguments in one of the most closely watched cases of the term. But first, the bad news. On Monday, the Court rejected six PLF petitions for review: Hierholzer (challenging racial preferences in federal contracting), Lincinio (asking the Court t ...
Why can’t we hold rights violators accountable?
Are you still full from Thanksgiving? Here's a scoop of SCOTUS to go with your leftover mashed potatoes. Why can't we hold rights violators accountable? The Court recently heard arguments in the case of a man whose dreadlocks were forcibly shaved—contrary to his religious belief—just before he was released from prison, after prison staff thre ...
Guns, drugs, and ghosts of doctrines past
Happy Halloween, SCOTUS lovers. Need a last-minute costume? Don't want to be Taylor "Swift Justice?" Go as "The Dissenter." All black robe, dramatic lace jabot à la RBG, and add fake blood on a scroll for Halloween flair. You are now: "When your dissent was so good, it came back to haunt the majority." Alternatively: Lochner-era Bakery Owner. A ...
The justices and I are back
Bust out your pumpkin spice lattes and pocket Constitutions. It's October, which means the justices (and I) are back. What can you expect this term? Extra pumpkin spice. We're getting cases involving conversion therapy, trans athletes in sports, and executive power. The big ones The Court will hear two major cases involving executive power: Trump ...
Judges should judge
The term hath endeth! The justices are slathering on the SPF, teaching classes in Italy, gallivanting in their RVs, and doing whatever else it is that the justices do for the summer. Justices, they're just like us—but with robes. After this scoop of SCOTUS, we'll have one final recap of the term before I, too, break for summer. Except my "break" ...