Supreme Court

Trump taps lawyer who argued his immunity case for solicitor general

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he intends to nominate D. John Sauer, who successfully argued in the Supreme Court earlier this year that Trump is entitled to broad immunity from prosecution, to serve as the solicitor general of the United States.

Trump made the announcement in a statement on Thursday evening, calling Sauer a “deeply accomplished, masterful appellate attorney.”

The 50-year-old Sauer has many of the credentials associated with others who have served as the country’s top … Read the rest

Supreme Court

The morning read for Wednesday, Nov. 13

The world’s most valuable company is before the justices today for oral arguments in NVIDIA Corp. v. E. Ohman J:or Fonder AB. Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Wednesday morning read:

Sparks fly as justices spar with feds over deportation deadlines (Kelsey Reichmann, Courthouse News Service)
Mafia Case Tests Supreme Court on Crime of Violence Limits (Kimberly Strawbridge Robinson, Bloomberg Law)
US Supreme Court turns away

… Read the rest

Supreme Court

Wisconsin parents challenge school support plan for transgender students

The Relist Watch column examines cert petitions that the Supreme Court has “relisted” for its upcoming conference. A short explanation of relists is available here.

The Supreme Court continues to whittle down its backlog of relisted cases. At the last conference, the court disposed of four. It noted probable jurisdiction (the arcane term for when the court decides to review one of the few types of cases over which it has mandatory appellate jurisdiction) in a case involving … Read the rest

Supreme Court

The morning read for Friday, Nov. 8

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Friday morning read:

US Supreme Court mulls Facebook bid to escape securities fraud suit (John Kruzel, Reuters)
Trump will name more conservative judges. He may even pick a majority of the Supreme Court. (Sahil Kapur & Lawrence Hurley, NBC News)
As Trump grasps unprecedented power, the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity looms large (John Fritze, CNN)
Keep the Nine

… Read the rest

Supreme Court

Justices skeptical about Facebook’s data breach disclosure to investors

The justices heard arguments Wednesday in Facebook v. Amalgamated Bank, their first securities case of the year. The case involves the 2015 Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach, and considers whether Facebook’s disclosures to investors before the breach was public improperly downplayed the risks that data breaches posed to the company and its stock price.

Shareholders sued Facebook in 2018 after they learned that Cambridge Analytica had obtained the personal data of 30 million Facebook users. The shareholders conted that … Read the rest

Supreme Court

The morning read for Tuesday, Nov. 5

The court is still in session on Election Day with oral arguments this morning in Advocate Christ Medical Center v. Becerra and E.M.D. Sales v. Carrera. Security has been increased around the building. Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Tuesday morning read:

SCOTUS punts on review of standard that helped mentally disabled man avoid death penalty (Ryan Knappenberger & Kelsey Reichmann, Courthouse News Service)
Billions

… Read the rest

Supreme Court

Anti-abortion activists ask justices to overrule ban on expressive activity outside clinics

The Petitions of the Week column highlights some of the cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here.

In its 2000 decision in Hill v. Colorado, the Supreme Court upheld a Colorado law enacted to prevent groups or individuals who oppose abortion from protesting, handing out materials, or speaking to patients, doctors, or staff outside of medical facilities that offer the procedure. Two years ago, when the … Read the rest

Supreme Court

Court declines RNC request to intervene in Pennsylvania voting dispute

The Supreme Court on Friday night left in place a ruling by Pennsylvania’s highest court that requires election boards in the state to count provisional ballots submitted by voters whose mail-in ballots had been deemed invalid.

The brief unsigned order came just four days before election day. Recent polls show former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris tied in Pennsylvania, which both candidates regard as a key part of their hopes of winning the White House. The … Read the rest