Daily Supreme Court News Briefing - June 10, 2024
🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10, 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
Financial Disclosures
NBC: Clarence Thomas acknowledges trips with billionaire Harlan Crow in financial disclosure
Lawrence Hurley reports that in the justices’ financial disclosures, released on Friday, Justice Thomas reported a 2019 trip to Bali with Harlan Crow. While ProPublica’s reporting detailed an extensive trip paid for by Crow, including travel on his yacht, Thomas only reported lodging costs for trips to Bali and California. Other notable disclosures include major advances for book deals for Justices Jackson, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch and Beyonce tickets for Jackson. Justice Alito requested an extension on submitting his disclosures.
Also covered by: New York Times, Washington Post, Common Dreams
The Hill: 5 revelations from Supreme Court justices’ latest financial disclosures
Zach Schonfeld and Ella Lee report on five major takeaways from the justices’ financial disclosures, including that the justices were reimbursed for 19 trips, Justice Thomas’s trips with Harlan Crow, and Justice Sotomayor’s new rental property.
Newsweek: Supreme Court: Gifts for Justices Explained in 3 Charts
Joe Edwards writes about new financial disclosures and highlights charts that emphasize the significant gap between the average gift values for justices and the monetary value of gifts received by Justice Thomas.
Alito
New York Times: Senate Democrats Face Escalating Calls for Broader Investigation Into Supreme Court
Carl Hulse reports on calls from the left for the Senate Judiciary Committee to open an investigation into Justice Alito. He notes that Durbin has emphasized the barriers in the Senate to subpoenas and other actions. Sen. Whitehouse is also cited saying that progress is being made as legislation reforming the Court gains steam.
The Hill: Supreme Court’s John Roberts has edge on Democrats amid subpoena talk
Al Weaver reports that John Roberts has an edge over Democrats because they are divided on whether to subpoena Chief Justice and he clearly has no other prerogative to cooperate with an investigation.
NPR: Alito neighbor gives detailed account of 'nasty' dispute that became national news
Tom Dreisbach outlines recent reporting from the New York Times about a dispute between Martha Ann Alito and a liberal neighbor.
Slate: The Supreme Court’s Appeal to Heaven
Amicus episode focused on “the worrying signs of the growing power of extremist christian ideologies at the highest court in the land.”
Rulings
CNN: Why the unanimous Supreme Court ruling for the NRA won’t cure the group’s troubles
Stephen Gutowski argues that the Supreme Court’s First Amendment ruling in favor of the NRA wont “undo much of the self-inflicted reputational damage it suffered among its own membership.”
General
NBC: Supreme Court to rule on pivotal abortion cases two years after overturning Roe v. Wade
Lawrence Hurley reports on the two major abortion cases the Supreme Court has yet to decide and what is at stake for medication abortion access and emergency abortion care.
Vox: Justices Sotomayor and Kagan must retire now
Ian Millhiser argues that Justices Sotomayor and Kagan should retire now to avoid repeating Justice Ginsburg’s “historic mistake.” He outlines the ways in which the Court has become a partisan institution and argues that acting like retirements and appointments are not political would be foolish.
Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court’s Strains Intensify as Term’s End Approaches
Jess Bravin reports on “strains” between the Supreme Court justices that are intensified by ideological differences and ethics questions and notes that the Court’s slow pace of decisions this term is evidence of that divide.
The Hill: Where are the checks and balances against the Supreme Court?
William S. Becker argues that Congress needs to act as a check on the Supreme Court, and that claims of “judicial independence” are a means of evading the limits that the Constitution places on the Court.
Washington Post: A scientific controversy at the Supreme Court
Katelyn Jetelina and Heidi Moseson argue that the foundational argument behind the mifepristone case before the Supreme Court is based on faulty science from research articles that have since been retracted from journals in which they were published.
Boston Globe: The Supreme Court has a conservative supermajority. And yet conservatives don’t always win.
New Appeals
New York Times: In Arizona, Life Sentences for Juveniles Test Supreme Court Precedents
Adam Liptak reports on an Arizona case that disregards Supreme Court precedent by sentencing a juvenile to life in prison. The case is being appealed to the Supreme Court.
Trump
New York Times: I’m an Appellate Lawyer in Manhattan. If Trump Appeals His Conviction, He Faces Long Odds.
Roger L. Stavis argues that Donald Trump is not likely to have his conviction overturned on appeal because only one legal theory is likely to hold out in his favor. He says an appeals court is not likely to find anything wrong with his fair jury conviction.
Washington Post: Here’s the No. 1 reason why Trump should win on appeal
Hugh Hewitt argues that Trump should win on appeal because “New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan had no business presiding over” the hush money trial because of “partisan” behaviors.
Media
Daily Beast: The Fall of Roe: You Thought Dobbs Was Bad? They’re Coming for Brown v. Board
Lloyd Green writes about Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer’s new book,The Fall of Roe,which is about “how the Supreme Court took away federal abortion rights” and increasing attacks onBrown v. Board.
Leonard Leo
Politico: Nonprofit connected to Leonard Leo sent millions to his firm
Hailey Fuchs reports that “a key advocacy group in conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo’s network paid millions to his consulting firm, a new filing shows, the latest example of Leo’s web of nonprofits sending money to his business amid government scrutiny of his dealings.”
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People Power United champions progressive values and power to the people.