How academic briefs shape Supreme Court decisions

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. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its decision […]

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SCOTUStoday for Friday, February 6

You’re running out of time to take advantage of the preorder offer for Last Branch Standing, Sarah Isgur’s new book, set to be released in April. Last Branch Standing is a fun, myth-busting walk through the Supreme Court, showing how it is somehow both the Founding Fathers’ “third wheel” — […]

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The justices and gender pronouns

Last month, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. At issue was whether Idaho and West Virginia laws that prohibit transgender women and girls from competing on schools’ female sports teams violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause and Title IX, a federal […]

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In birthright citizenship fight, Justice Department selectively interprets the original meaning of the citizenship clause

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. Last month, the Department of Justice filed its brief with the Supreme Court in the high-stakes legal fight over birthright citizenship. According to […]

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When the Supreme Court abets lawlessness

Cases and Controversies is a recurring series by Carolyn Shapiro, primarily focusing on the effects of the Supreme Court’s rulings, opinions, and procedures on the law, on other institutions, and on our constitutional democracy more generally. In the first weeks of 2026, we’ve seen two U.S. citizens shot and killed by […]

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SCOTUStoday for Thursday, February 5

As we’ve noted many times before, we read a lot of news stories in the process of preparing this newsletter. But we’ve perhaps never seen a headline as memorable as this one: Educator Who Read ‘I Need a New Butt!’ to Students Wins Job Back in Court. SCOTUS Quick Hits […]

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SCOTUStoday for Wednesday, February 4

Chief Justice John Marshall was sworn in on this day in 1801. We wrote about his upbringing, political career, and legal legacy (well, at least some of it) in two recent editions of this newsletter. SCOTUS Quick Hits On Jan. 20, a group of California Republicans asked the court on […]

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