Daily Supreme Court News Briefing - June 11, 2024
🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 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
Alito
Politico: Alito and his wife are captured in audio recordings talking about abortion leak, flag controversy
New recordings released by filmmaker Lauren Windsor capture Justice Alito and his wife Martha Ann talking candidly about the Court, the political landscape in the U.S. and more. Notably, Justice Alito can be heard saying he blames the media for eroding trust in the Supreme Court, and that he agrees that we need to “return our country to a place of godliness.” Martha Ann can be heard calling her opponents “feminazis,” and criticizing a neighbor flying an LGBTQ+ Pride flag near their home.
Also covered by: Daily Beast, Washington Post, CNN, New York Times, Washington Examiner, The Hill
NBC: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse requests information about Alito's 'improper' WSJ interview
Zoë Richards reports that in a letter made public on Friday, “Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse… requested information from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito tied to an interview with The Wall Street Journal last year in which Alito questioned whether Congress has the power to impose ethics rules on the Supreme Court.”
Also covered by: Politico
Slate: The Astonishing Lengths Samuel Alito Will Go to Execute Death Row Inmates
Austin Sarat argues against the Supreme Court’s decision in Jones, in which Justice Alito sends a “chilling message” that “defense lawyers in capital cases should be deemed ineffective only if they do nothing, or next to nothing, to try to save their client’s life in the sentencing phase of a capital case.”
General
Slate: The Supreme Court Has Planned for a June So Awful It Will Be Impossible to Keep Up
Mark Joseph Stern warns about an awful June to come, as the Supreme Court has 14 high-profile cases to dump on us, three or four times more than a regular term. He says this pile up is the “direct result of a cynical approach to the docket that front-loads the right-wing bloc’s priorities.”
The Hill: Democrats see Supreme Court leverage in spending bills
Alexander Bolton reports that “some Democrats want to tie Supreme Court funding to the justices’ adoption of an ethics code in the funding bill overseen by the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.” However the move does not currently have the support of Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray.
AP: 3 Nixon justices helped end his presidency. Will the 3 Trump appointees force him to stand trial?
Mark Sherman compares Trump to Nixon, noting that three Nixon-appointees on the Supreme Court ruled against him in the Watergate tapes case and asking whether Trump’s three appointees will do the same.
NPR: Democratic members of Congress say Supreme Court is embroiled in an 'ethics crisis'
“NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) about alleged ethics violations at the Supreme Court.”
Court Reform
The Hill: The Supreme Court is broken. More justices can fix it.
Steven Lubet argues in favor of adding seats to the Supreme Court, because the current justices have been so resistant to reforms.
New Appeals/Cases
CNN: Supreme Court to hear Facebook appeal tied to Cambridge Analytica breach
John Fritze reports that on Monday the Supreme Court agreed “to hear an appeal from Facebook that is tied to how the social media platform disclosed the Cambridge Analytica data breach to investors.”
CBS: Supreme Court seeks Biden administration's views in major climate change lawsuits
Melissa Quinn reports that on Monday the Supreme Court “asked the Biden administration to share its views in a pair of cases involving the city of Honolulu's efforts to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for the impacts of climate change.”
Rejected Appeals
USA Today: Supreme Court rejects dad's appeal to record school meetings about autistic son's needs
Reuters: US Supreme Court rejects Kroger challenge to Grubhub trademark win
Bloomberg: FCC’s $8 Billion Phone Subsidy Survives Supreme Court Challenge
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People Power United champions progressive values and power to the people.