Supreme Court

Another follow-up from McGirt v. Oklahoma and a copyright dispute over an Icelandic song

This week we highlight cert petitions that ask the Supreme Court to consider, among other things, the requirements for defendants to prove “Indian” status under the Major Crimes Act and the proper test for when two songs (here, “Soknudur” and “You Raise Me Up”) are substantially similar for copyright claims.

The requirements for “Indian” status under the Major Crimes Act

Oklahoma v. Wadkins presents the justices with the latest in a series of cases emerging out of their 2020 … Read the rest

Supreme Court

The morning read for Thursday, March 17

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. To suggest a piece for us to consider, email us at roundup@scotusblog.com.

Here’s the Thursday morning read:

As Jackson Faces Senators, Her Criminal Defense Record Is a Target (Carl Hulse, The New York Times)
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Jackson a tough sell on racial-bias claims (Andrew Chung & Lawrence Hurley, Reuters)
The Pandemic Brought New Levels of Transparency to the

… Read the rest

Supreme Court

Duke Law School and O’Melveny to host virtual celebration of the lives of Walter and Anne Dellinger

On Saturday, March 19, at 1 p.m. EDT, Duke Law School and O’Melveny & Myers LLP will co-host a virtual memorial service for Walter Dellinger and his wife, Anne Dellinger. The event is open to all. Walter Dellinger, a constitutional scholar who argued 24 cases at the Supreme Court, died on Feb. 16, 2022. He was 80. Friends, colleagues, and former students wrote tributes to his life and work shortly after his death. Anne Dellinger, a longtime faculty member at the University … Read the rest

Supreme Court

The morning read for Friday, March 11

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. To suggest a piece for us to consider, email us at roundup@scotusblog.com.

Here’s the Friday morning read:

Murkowski on tough Supreme Court choice: ‘This is a different game’ (Manu Raju & Alex Rogers, CNN)
The Supreme Court Did the Right Thing. I’m Still Worried. (Jamelle Bouie, The New York Times)
The Marble Palace Blog: Tweeting Supreme Court History (Tony Mauro, The

… Read the rest

Supreme Court

The “Buffalo Billion” plan and Montana easement cases

This week we highlight cert petitions that ask the Supreme Court to consider, among other things, whether the statute of limitations in the Quiet Title Act is a jurisdictional rule or a claims-processing rule and whether the government can prosecute wire fraud under a “right to control” theory of property.

In Wilkins v. United States, two landowners ask the justices to decide that the 12-year statute of limitations in the Quiet Title Act is not jurisdictional, with the … Read the rest

Supreme Court

The morning read for Wednesday, March 9

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. To suggest a piece for us to consider, email us at roundup@scotusblog.com.

Here’s the Wednesday morning read:

Susan Collins signals Biden Supreme Court pick could win her vote after ‘productive’ meeting (Clare Foran & Manu Raju, CNN)
The Supreme Court’s Elections Docket (Editorial, The Wall Street Journal)
Back off, Supreme Court. There’s no need to tie the EPA’s hands as

… Read the rest

Supreme Court

Justices decline to reinstate GOP-backed congressional voting maps in North Carolina, Pennsylvania

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to block orders by courts in North Carolina and Pennsylvania that threw out the congressional maps enacted by the states’ Republican legislatures and replaced them with maps drawn by the trial courts. The justices’ rulings mean that the states’ 2022 congressional elections will go ahead using the court-drawn maps.

But although the justices declined to intervene now, four justices signaled that they believe the court should soon take up the theory at the … Read the rest

Supreme Court

A 27-year solitary confinement and a dispute about discharging settlement payments in bankruptcy

This week we highlight cert petitions that ask the Supreme Court to consider, among other things, whether a prisoner’s 27-year period in solitary confinement violates either the Eighth Amendment or the 14th Amendment, and whether a settlement can include a provision in which a debtor agrees that any payments are non-dischargeable in bankruptcy.

Constitutional challenges to a 27-year solitary confinement

Dennis Wayne Hope has been in solitary confinement for 27 years since 1994. In Hope v. Harris, Hope … Read the rest