Justices hold that restitution requirements imposed on federal convicts can’t be ratcheted up after the crime but before sentencing

Yesterday’s majority opinion by Brett Kavanaugh in Ellingburg v. United States well may be the shortest of the term – less than five pages for a unanimous court holding that the ex post facto clause of the Constitution applies to sanctions imposed in federal criminal proceedings under the Mandatory Victims […]

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SCOTUStoday for Wednesday, January 21

This morning, the Supreme Court will hear argument in a closely watched dispute over President Donald Trump’s firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. We will be live blogging the argument beginning at 9:30 a.m. EST. Plus, a reminder: we’re hiring! We’re looking for an editor to oversee a new […]

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Supreme Court denies review in several gun cases

The Supreme Court on Tuesday morning turned down several petitions for review challenging the ban on the possession of guns by people who have previously been convicted of felonies. However, the justices did not act on a similar case brought by a woman convicted of passing a fake check nearly […]

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SCOTUStoday for Tuesday, January 20

Welcome to the Supreme Court’s third opinion day in less than two weeks. We will be live blogging beginning at 9:30 a.m. EST. Plus, a reminder: we’re hiring! We’re looking for an editor to oversee a new daily newsletter for commercial litigators and corporate counsel that highlights circuit court decisions, […]

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The Fed-firing case in three steps

Major Questions is a recurring series by Adam White, which analyzes the court’s approach to administrative law, agencies, and the lower courts. Like the still-pending tariffs case, Wednesday’s oral arguments in Trump v. Cook will attract attention far beyond the usual court-watchers. The president’s attempt to fire a Federal Reserve […]

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Court unanimously holds that double jeopardy bars convictions for two firearm offenses

In Barrett v. United States, the court held in an opinion by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson that the Constitution’s double jeopardy clause prohibits a defendant from receiving two convictions for a single act that violates two closely related federal firearm offenses, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i) and 18 U.S.C. § 924(j). In reaching […]

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Trump v. Cook: an explainer

The Supreme Court will hear oral argument on Wednesday in yet another battle over the president’s power to remove the heads of independent agencies created by Congress. Wednesday’s arguments center on President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, in August […]

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