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Supreme Court

The latest developments on the United States Supreme Court.

The latest in Supreme Court

Alito says the Supreme Court’s fake ethics code allows him to be unethicalAlito says the Supreme Court’s fake ethics code allows him to be unethical
Supreme Court

The Supreme Court’s new ethics code is worse than nothing — Alito just proved it.

By Ian Millhiser
The Comstock Act, the long-dead law Trump could use to ban abortion, explainedThe Comstock Act, the long-dead law Trump could use to ban abortion, explained
Abortion

A defunct federal law is Republicans’ best hope of banning abortion throughout the United States.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court’s new voting rights decision is a love letter to gerrymanderingThe Supreme Court’s new voting rights decision is a love letter to gerrymandering
Supreme Court

Thanks to an opinion by Sam Alito, rigged maps now enjoy the Supreme Court’s unambiguous support.

By Ian Millhiser
The Republican Party’s man inside the Supreme CourtThe Republican Party’s man inside the Supreme Court
Supreme Court

Justice Samuel Alito brings no vision and no unique insights to his job — other than unrelenting loyalty to the GOP.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court decides not to trigger a second Great DepressionThe Supreme Court decides not to trigger a second Great Depression
Supreme Court

Two justices dissent.

By Ian Millhiser
The messy SCOTUS drama about Black voters in Louisiana, explainedThe messy SCOTUS drama about Black voters in Louisiana, explained
Supreme Court

Multiple federal courts are fighting over Louisiana’s illegal racial gerrymander.

By Ian Millhiser
The 9 worst court decisions since Trump remade the federal judiciaryThe 9 worst court decisions since Trump remade the federal judiciary
Supreme Court

This is what happens after four years under an insurrectionist president. It will get much worse if he gets eight.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court: The most powerful, least busy people in WashingtonThe Supreme Court: The most powerful, least busy people in Washington
Supreme Court

The justices are quietly quitting their day jobs as judges, even as they become more and more political.

By Ian Millhiser
Donald Trump had a fantastic day in the Supreme Court todayDonald Trump had a fantastic day in the Supreme Court today
Supreme Court

It’s unclear if the Court will explicitly hold that Trump could commit crimes with impunity, or if they’ll just delay his trial so long that it doesn’t matter.

By Ian Millhiser
How the Supreme Court weaponizes its own calendarHow the Supreme Court weaponizes its own calendar
Supreme Court

The justices already effectively gave Trump what he wants in his Supreme Court immunity case.

By Ian Millhiser
A new Supreme Court case seeks to make it much easier for criminals to buy gunsA new Supreme Court case seeks to make it much easier for criminals to buy guns
Supreme Court

The fight over “ghost guns” is back before the justices.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court’s likely to make it more dangerous to be pregnant in a red stateThe Supreme Court’s likely to make it more dangerous to be pregnant in a red state
Supreme Court

But it’s not yet clear they’ve settled on a rationale for doing so.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court doesn’t seem eager to get involved with homelessness policyThe Supreme Court doesn’t seem eager to get involved with homelessness policy
Supreme Court

Grants Pass v. Johnson is probably going to end badly for homeless people, but it’s not yet clear how broad the Court’s decision will be.

By Ian Millhiser
Donald Trump already won the only Supreme Court fight that matteredDonald Trump already won the only Supreme Court fight that mattered
Supreme Court

This case is about delaying his trial, and the GOP-controlled Supreme Court has given him everything he could reasonably hope for and more.

By Ian Millhiser
What the Supreme Court case on tent encampments could mean for homeless peopleWhat the Supreme Court case on tent encampments could mean for homeless people
Supreme Court

This week, the justices will hear the biggest case on homelessness in decades.

By Rachel Cohen
The Supreme Court case that could turn homelessness into a crime, explainedThe Supreme Court case that could turn homelessness into a crime, explained
Supreme Court

Grants Pass v. Johnson could make the entire criminal justice system far crueler. It also tests the limits of judicial power.

By Ian Millhiser
January 6 insurrectionists had a great day in the Supreme Court todayJanuary 6 insurrectionists had a great day in the Supreme Court today
Supreme Court

Most of the justices seem to want to make it harder to prosecute January 6 rioters.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court’s confusing new anti-trans decision, explainedThe Supreme Court’s confusing new anti-trans decision, explained
Supreme Court

The Court mostly reinstates Idaho’s ban on transgender health care for children.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court effectively abolishes the right to mass protest in three US statesThe Supreme Court effectively abolishes the right to mass protest in three US states
Supreme Court

It is no longer safe to organize a protest in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court will decide if states can ban lifesaving abortionsThe Supreme Court will decide if states can ban lifesaving abortions
Supreme Court

A federal law requires hospitals to provide abortions when necessary to prevent serious health consequences. The justices could neutralize that law.

By Ian Millhiser
Why Republican federal judges are fighting among themselvesWhy Republican federal judges are fighting among themselves
Supreme Court

Simmering tensions between traditionalist Republican judges and MAGA judges are starting to boil over.

By Ian Millhiser
Even the Supreme Court seems sick of its abortion pills caseEven the Supreme Court seems sick of its abortion pills case
Supreme Court

The lawsuit challenging mifepristone should have never been heard by any court.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court will weigh in on the January 6 insurrection. What could possibly go wrong?The Supreme Court will weigh in on the January 6 insurrection. What could possibly go wrong?
Supreme Court

The Court’s decision could potentially undermine over 300 January 6 prosecutions, including Trump’s.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court’s abortion pills case, explainedThe Supreme Court’s abortion pills case, explained
Supreme Court

The stakes in the Supreme Court’s mifepristone case go way beyond abortion.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court’s confusing new border decision, explainedThe Supreme Court’s confusing new border decision, explained
Supreme Court

It is hard to believe that Justice Amy Coney Barrett actually agrees with her own opinion.

By Ian Millhiser
Brett Kavanaugh rides to the Biden administration’s defense in a big First Amendment caseBrett Kavanaugh rides to the Biden administration’s defense in a big First Amendment case
Supreme Court

The Supreme Court’s center right appears increasingly frustrated with the judiciary’s far right.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court’s puzzling decision to allow the government to ban drag shows, explainedThe Supreme Court’s puzzling decision to allow the government to ban drag shows, explained
Supreme Court

This is a serious blow to the First Amendment and a victory for a notoriously anti-LGBTQ judge.

By Ian Millhiser
Republicans will no longer get to handpick their judges when they sue BidenRepublicans will no longer get to handpick their judges when they sue Biden
Supreme Court

The federal judiciary’s new rules target “judge shopping.” That’s terrible news for Matthew Kacsmaryk and other partisan judges.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court may let Texas get away with a totally unconstitutional deportation lawThe Supreme Court may let Texas get away with a totally unconstitutional deportation law
Supreme Court

Texas Republicans are trying to rewrite the Constitution — and this Supreme Court could let them.

By Ian Millhiser
The NRA has a case before the Supreme Court that it absolutely should winThe NRA has a case before the Supreme Court that it absolutely should win
Supreme Court

It’s one of two cases asking whether the government is allowed to speak freely to private companies.

By Ian Millhiser
Do Americans still have a right to privacy?Do Americans still have a right to privacy?
Supreme Court

With courts coming for abortion and IVF, it’s hard not to wonder what the Supreme Court will go after next.

By Ian Millhiser
The courts were never going to save America from Donald TrumpThe courts were never going to save America from Donald Trump
Supreme Court

No one is coming to save US democracy, except for ourselves.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court just crushed any hope that Trump could be removed from the ballotThe Supreme Court just crushed any hope that Trump could be removed from the ballot
Supreme Court

This is the second major victory the Supreme Court handed Trump in less than one week.

By Ian Millhiser
How Mitch McConnell broke CongressHow Mitch McConnell broke Congress
Today, Explained newsletter

Say goodbye to the GOP leader, but not the all-powerful Supreme Court that is his legacy.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court just handed Trump an astonishing victoryThe Supreme Court just handed Trump an astonishing victory
Supreme Court

So much for the rule of law.

By Ian Millhiser
How Amy Coney Barrett could save us from fully legal automatic weaponsHow Amy Coney Barrett could save us from fully legal automatic weapons
Supreme Court

Most of the justices appeared uncomfortable with “bump stocks,” devices that allow semiautomatic weapons to fire automatically.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court appeared lost in a massive case about free speech onlineThe Supreme Court appeared lost in a massive case about free speech online
Supreme Court

The justices look likely to reinstate Texas and Florida laws that seize control of much of the internet — but not for long.

By Ian Millhiser
The Alabama Supreme Court opinion holding that embryos are children, explainedThe Alabama Supreme Court opinion holding that embryos are children, explained
Abortion

Did Alabama’s Supreme Court just ban IVF treatments?

By Ian Millhiser
Justice Alito is mad that George W. Bush was too wokeJustice Alito is mad that George W. Bush was too woke
Supreme Court

In a dissenting opinion, Alito takes a potshot at Bush’s signature racial justice program.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court will decide whether to let civilians own automatic weaponsThe Supreme Court will decide whether to let civilians own automatic weapons
Supreme Court

Garland v. Cargill asks whether gun makers can evade the ban on machine guns with a device called a bump stock.

By Ian Millhiser