U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court, rarely sympathetic in death penalty cases, finds a few with merit this term

Most, though not all, death penalty defendants seek 11th-hour relief that reaches the Supreme Court on its emergency docket. The justices deny almost all of those applications, usually without dissent. But last week, the court provided a rare win to a death row inmate by rejecting Alabama’s emergency request to allow it to execute convicted murderer Jeffery Lee by nitrogen hypoxia.

Jun 18, 2026 10:24 AM CDT

Government can’t restrict gun ownership over marijuana use, Supreme Court rules

The Supreme Court on Thursday found that a Texas man could not be prosecuted under a federal law that prohibits regular users of controlled substances, such as marijuana, from possessing firearms.

Jun 18, 2026 9:52 AM CDT

Federal judge denies SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein’s bid for acquittal, new trial

A federal judge has denied SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein’s bid for an acquittal or a new trial, rejecting claims that issues with jury instructions and excluded evidence tainted his tax evasion and mortgage fraud case, Law360 reports.

Jun 17, 2026 10:04 AM CDT

SCOTUS declines to hear appeal of oldest active federal judge’s suspension

The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from a 98-year-old judge—who's also the oldest active federal judge—of an order suspending her from her duties.

Jun 16, 2026 2:24 PM CDT

Jury service builds trust in courts, while overall confidence in judicial system has eroded, new survey says

While public confidence in the judiciary, particularly the U.S. Supreme Court, has eroded significantly in recent years, those who served on juries offer a more favorable of the judicial system, according to new research.

Jun 16, 2026 10:01 AM CDT

Trump’s first-term China tariffs survive Supreme Court challenge

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to put new limits on President Donald Trump’s tariff authority, leaving in place import taxes imposed during his first term on hundreds of billions of dollars in goods from China.

Jun 15, 2026 1:46 PM CDT

Judge halts use of nitrogen gas for execution, citing cruel and unusual punishment

A federal judge in Alabama has prohibited the state from executing an inmate this week using nitrogen gas, ruling that it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Jun 10, 2026 9:26 AM CDT

Trump will ask Supreme Court to revive $475M CNN suit

President Donald Trump told the US Supreme Court he intends to ask the justices to revive his $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN over use of the term “Big Lie” in reporting on his claim that the 2020 election was rigged against him. Trump’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court for…

Jun 9, 2026 1:27 PM CDT

DOJ seeks 8-year prison sentence for SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to sentence former U.S. Supreme Court lawyer and SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein to eight years in prison after a jury convicted him on tax and financial crime charges earlier this year.

Jun 4, 2026 11:40 AM CDT

Supreme Court allows Alabama to use voting map favoring GOP

The Supreme Court on Tuesday night allowed Alabama to hold upcoming elections using a congressional map that a lower court found discriminates on the basis of race and dilutes the political power of the state’s Black voters.

Jun 3, 2026 10:08 AM CDT

There are no Supreme Court vacancies, but some judges are acting like there might be

One judge appears to have dropped his long-standing support for birthright citizenship. Another wrote that the federal judiciary should not demand President Donald Trump’s “homework.” A third opened a recent dissent with a crude term for male genitalia.

Jun 1, 2026 10:27 AM CDT

Justice Barrett’s home targeted in attempted swatting call

Police responded Wednesday night to what they thought was a swatting attempt at the northern Virginia home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

May 29, 2026 10:46 AM CDT

Supreme Court sides with Mississippi man on death row in racial bias case

The Supreme Court on Thursday tossed the conviction of a Mississippi man sent to death row for his role in the murder of a shopkeeper, finding that his attorneys were not given the proper chance to challenge potential racial bias during jury selection at his trial 20 years ago.

May 28, 2026 11:37 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: What to expect from SCOTUS in the coming month

As always, this time of year is filled with major decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court. Some of the most important cases of the term already have been decided, including Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump, which invalidated President Donald Trump’s tariffs; and Louisiana v. Callais, which significantly lessened protections under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But many likely blockbuster decisions remain.

May 27, 2026 3:07 PM CDT

SCOTUS allows coach’s race discrimination suit against NFL to move forward

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings to pursue some of his claims of racial discrimination against the National Football League, rather than move them into arbitration, Bloomberg Law reports.

May 27, 2026 9:35 AM CDT