The Supreme Court of Japan

Welcome to SCOTUSblog’s recurring series in which we interview experts on different supreme courts around the world and how they compare with our own. Today’s column focuses on the Supreme Court of Japan. To help me comprehend this apparent bastion of conservatism, I corresponded with Professor David S. Law. When […]

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Pete Buttigieg, the Supreme Court, and the Fourth Amendment

Please note that SCOTUS Outside Opinions constitute the views of outside contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SCOTUSblog or its staff. In late June, presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg described in a Substack post how he had endured every parent’s nightmare. Following a knock at the door of his home […]

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Tariff refunds reach $100 billion mark

The U.S. Senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court on this day in 2009 on a 68-31 vote. At the Court Last week, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on its emergency docket to clear the way for the implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order on […]

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Beyond the swing justice: majority makers, dissent bridges, and coalition drift on the Supreme Court

Justice Amy Coney Barrett recently resisted a label that has followed several members of the current Supreme Court. Asked whether her occasional breaks with the court’s conservative majority meant she was a swing vote, Barrett said the term made her sound “sort of flighty.” She preferred “independent, or just following the law.” […]

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The justices should hold regular press conferences

This is the second piece in a series on what I believe the court can, and should, do better. *** The Supreme Court justices have an unusual relationship with the press. The court issues what are known as “hard passes” to certain journalists, who have reserved seats to attend the […]

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The October argument session

Believe it or not, back-to-school season is already here, at least in some parts of the United States. But we’ve still got about two months until it’s back-to-Supreme-Court season for the justices. Ever wondered why that is? Amy explores the significance of the first Monday in October in today’s Ask […]

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Court announces cases it will hear in October, which include significant disputes on climate change and immigration detention

The Supreme Court will kick off its 2026-27 term with oral arguments in a lawsuit brought by a Colorado county seeking millions of dollars from oil and gas companies for their alleged role in exacerbating climate change. The calendar for the justices’ October argument session, released on Tuesday afternoon, indicates […]

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