Supreme Court to consider death row plea for DNA testing

Supreme Court to consider death row plea for DNA testing

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The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Feb. 24 in the case of a man on Texas death row who has long tried to obtain postconviction DNA testing on evidence that he says would exonerate him. Ruben Gutierrez was sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of 85-year-old Escolastica Harrison in Brownsville, Tex. Gutierrez has maintained his innocence and says DNA from several pieces of evidence — such as a hair and nail scrapings from Harrison’s finger and … Read the rest

Supreme Court to consider IRS’s claim on pre-bankruptcy tax payments

Supreme Court to consider IRS’s claim on pre-bankruptcy tax payments

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When someone makes a payment to a creditor shortly before filing for bankruptcy, the Bankruptcy Code requires the creditor to return the funds. But whether those same obligations apply to the Internal Revenue Service is less clear. On Monday, the justices will consider whether the IRS is protected by sovereign immuinity from the requirement to return funds from insolvent debtors that private creditors face.

The case, United States v. Miller, involves Section 544(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, which … Read the rest

Consider the wild gray squirrel, Kagan rebukes her colleagues as court overrules Chevron

Consider the wild gray squirrel, Kagan rebukes her colleagues as court overrules <em>Chevron</em>

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Something on television last night seems to have stolen the attention from the Supreme Court in its end-of-term push. But today, the justices will issue three big and newsworthy decisions, taking back the spotlight, with the end of the term now in clear sight.

At the security line to enter the courtroom, I bump into Michael Dreeben, who argued Trump v. United States on behalf of Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Justice Department. He was here on Wednesday … Read the rest

Justices consider liability for officials who block critics on social media

Justices consider liability for officials who block critics on social media

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On Tuesday the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a pair of cases involving liability for public officials who block critics on their personal social-media accounts. The two cases, O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier and Lindke v. Freed, are the first in a series of disputes this term arising out of the relationship between government and social media.

O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier

In the first case on Tuesday, the justices are reviewing a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for … Read the rest