Daily Supreme Court News Briefing - July 31, 2024

🗽Supreme Court updates to help us hold our leaders accountable. A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2024

People Power United declares the Supreme Court has become unhinged.

In response to recent Supreme Court shenanigans, People Power United - a progressive grassroots group - issued the following statement:

“The Supreme Court has become unhinged. There is no power like that of the people, and People Power United stands ready to protect our communities against any and all injustices,” said Laurie Woodward García of People Power United.

People Power United will continue to oppose such harm to our community and champion civil rights for all.

Daily Supreme Court News Briefing

Court Reform 

The Hill: McConnell: Biden’s Supreme Court reforms ‘dead on arrival’ in Congress

• Alexander Bolton reports that in response to President Biden’s announcement of support for Supreme Court reform, Senator Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said that term limits in particular are “unconstitutional” and will be “dead on arrival” in Congress. 

The Guardian: US supreme court reform is now on the table. The election stakes just got higher

• Laurence Tribe and Dennis Aftergut argue that the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Court reform increases the stakes of the election because there is now a real possibility that Kamala Harris and a Democratic Congress could actually implement these changes. 

Slate: The Most Important Thing to Focus on to Reform the Courts

• Dahlia Lithwick speaks with Judge David Tatel about the importance of reforming the federal courts.

The Hill: Biden’s Supreme Court reforms will never happen, but they’re still important. 

• Chris Traux argues that while the reforms proposed by President Biden are not destined to pass in Congress, it has kickstarted an important, and now mainstream, conversation about the future of the Court. 

The Guardian: Joe Biden is politicizing US supreme court reform – and that’s a good thing

• Austin Sarat argues that President Biden is right to politicize the Supreme Court, citing broad bipartisan support for reforms and ethics scandals that have damaged the reputation of the Court. 

Also covered by: Salon

MSNBC: Americans want SCOTUS reform — but 'arrogant' justices are standing in the way

• Claire McCaskill argues in favor of Supreme Court reform.  

Washington Post: Biden’s supreme stunt

• Jason Willick argues that President Biden’s support for Court reform is just a political stunt. 

The Guardian: The US supreme court is an electoral issue. Democrats can win on it

• Citing the public’s disapproval of the Supreme Court after multiple ethics scandals and dangerous rulings, Moira Donegan argues that Democrats can win by making Court reform a core electoral issue. 

Daily Beast: Biden Is Right: It’s Time to Fix a Very Broken Supreme Court

• Shan Wu proposes a Supreme Court reform: “a rotation system by which federal judges could be rotated through terms on the high court.” 

Washington Examiner: Democrats’ Supreme Court power grab is a real threat to democracy

• Zachary Faria argues that President Biden’s push for Court reform is a bigger threat to democracy than the January 6th insurrection. 

Kamala Harris

Politico: The fate of Biden’s Supreme Court proposal may lie with Kamala Harris

• Josh Gerstein and Samantha Latson speak to advocacy groups on the left about the future of Court reform under Kamala Harris. 

Slate: How Kamala Harris Can Upend the Supreme Court’s Horrible Immunity Ruling in One Move

• Lawrence Lessig argues that Kamala Harris should pledge to waive for herself the presidential immunity granted by the Supreme Court. 

New Appeals 

MSNBC: R. Kelly appeals sex crime convictions to U.S. Supreme Court

• Jordan Rubin reports that “R. Kelly is appealing his federal sex crimes convictions to the Supreme Court, pressing a statute of limitations argument that an appeals court flatly rejected.” 

Also covered by: The Hill

MSNBC: Mark Meadows cites Trump immunity ruling in his own Supreme Court appeal

• Jordan Rubin argues that Mark Meadows “who's charged alongside Donald Trump in Georgia state court, [is arguing that] the immunity ruling gives more reason to move his state case to federal court.”

General 

CNN: How Amy Coney Barrett broke away from Chief Justice Roberts on Trump immunity ruling

Video 

Fox News: Leonard Leo says efforts to ‘delegitimize’ Supreme Court through media attacks are meant to undermine rulings

• David Rutz and Brian Flood report on statements made by Leonard Leo this week claiming that Democrats and media on the left have been working for three or four years to delegitimize the Supreme Court and undermine its rulings. 

CNN: Exclusive: How Samuel Alito got canceled from the Supreme Court social media majority

• Joan Biskupic writes about the Supreme Court’s social media rulings this term and how Justice Alito’s hardline stance unexpectedly failed. 

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People Power United champions progressive values and power to the people. The 2024 election depends on us, and we are attempting to persuade people to vote for Freedom over Fascism. If you wish to support our efforts, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.