Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Associated Press reports:
It took less than 15 minutes for newly minted Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch to ask his first questions from the bench. Gorsuch and his colleagues were hearing arguments Monday for the first time since President Donald Trump’s pick was sworn in April 10. The case before the justices involved a procedural issue in a federal worker’s employment discrimination claim. Gorsuch asked lawyer Christopher Landau four questions in a row, saying he was “sorry for taking up so much time.” The high court is back to its full contingent of nine members after being short-handed since Justice Antonin Scalia’s death more than 14 months ago.
From the American Family Association:
Justice Neil Gorsuch’s first week on the Supreme Court bench features an important case about the separation of church and state that has its roots on a Midwestern church playground. The outcome could make it easier to use state money to pay for private, religious schooling in many states.
The justices on Wednesday will hear a Missouri church’s challenge to its exclusion from a state program that provides money to use ground-up tires to cushion playgrounds. Missouri is among roughly three dozen states with constitutions that explicitly prohibit using public money to aid a religious institution, an even higher wall separating government and religion than the U.S. Constitution erects.
Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri, says its exclusion is discrimination that violates its religious freedoms under the U.S. Constitution. If the justices agree, “the decision could have implications far beyond scrap tires and playgrounds,” said Michael Bindas of the Institute for Justice, which is backing the church. “It has the potential to remove one of the last legal clouds hanging over school choice.”
From SCOTUSblog:
The court issued orders from its April 13 conference on Monday. The court did not grant certiorari in any new cases or call for the views of the solicitor general in any cases. There is a possibility of opinions on Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 a.m. The court will also hear oral arguments on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The calendar for the April sitting is available on the court’s website. On Friday the justices will meet for their April 21 conference; our list of “petitions to watch” for that conference will be available soon.
The court has yet to agree to hear the case of anti-gay Colorado baker, but as noted above that news could come soon.