SCOTUStoday for Thursday, September 25

Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in on Sept. 25, 1981, becoming the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Five women have been sworn in since then; four of them are still on the court. Morning Reads How the Roberts Court became the Trump Court (Joan Biskupic, […]

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The strange case of the superfluous sentence

Some sentences reproach without a single accusatory word. “The captain was sober today” impugns by implication. The officer who logs this superfluous statement damns the captain further with the surrounding entries that omit it. Here’s another: “The denial of the application is not a ruling on the merits of the […]

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The funniest justice

JUSTICE GORSUCH: So you have a dog in the hunt on the scope of the discovery rule — MR. EARNHARDT: Well — JUSTICE GORSUCH: — but not on whether there is a discovery rule? MR. EARNHARDT: Well, no, I — JUSTICE GORSUCH: Is that what you’re saying? MR. EARNHARDT:  No, […]

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Supreme Court behavior on the shadow docket

Empirical SCOTUS is a recurring series by Adam Feldman that looks at Supreme Court data, primarily in the form of opinions and oral arguments, to provide insights into the justices’ decision making and what we can expect from the court in the future. Please note that the views of outside contributors […]

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SCOTUStoday for Wednesday, September 24

On this day in 1789, President George Washington signed the Federal Judiciary Act into law, establishing the federal court system. We suggest you celebrate by reading SCOTUSblog. Morning Reads Supreme Court decision on Donald Trump’s firing of Lisa Cook looms over the Fed (Claire Jones, Adam Samson, and Lauren Fedor, […]

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A plea for transparency

Courtly Observations is a recurring series by Erwin Chemerinsky that focuses on what the Supreme Court’s decisions will mean for the law, for lawyers and lower courts, and for people’s lives. Please note that the views of outside contributors do not reflect the official opinions of SCOTUSblog or its staff. As […]

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Justice Brett Kavanaugh and racial proxies

Immigration Matters is a recurring series by César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández that analyzes the court’s immigration docket, highlighting emerging legal questions about new policy and enforcement practices. Please note that the views of outside contributors do not reflect the official opinions of SCOTUSblog or its staff. The Supreme Court on […]

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SCOTUStoday for Tuesday, September 23

Summer vacation is in the rear-view mirror for most of us, but the justices still have time for a trip or two before the “long conference” next Monday. Justice Samuel Alito met the pope when he was in Rome over the weekend for a speaking engagement, and Justice Ketanji Brown […]

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Supreme Court allows Trump to fire FTC commissioner

On Monday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter and agreed to decide on the president’s ability to fire the heads of independent agencies. The case could dramatically upend Supreme Court precedent and give the executive branch much greater authority over federal agencies. […]

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The dog sniff at the center of a Supreme Court petition

The traffic stop started with a dirty license plate. Logan Camp, a police officer in Winterset, Iowa, pulled over Ashlee Mumford on March 5, 2022, because he couldn’t make out two of the numbers on her plate. But once he stopped Mumford’s car, Camp investigated more than her license, registration, […]

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