Tag Archives: SCOTUS

Trump Appeals Block On Muslim Ban To SCOTUS

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court late Thursday to revive its revised ban that limits travelers visiting the United States from six mostly Muslim countries. The move sets the stage for a constitutional showdown over the president’s authority to make national security judgments in the name of protecting Americans from terrorism. Last week, a …

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Jeff Sessions Vows To Take Travel Ban To SCOTUS

ABC News reports: Attorney General Jeff Sessions says the Justice Department will ask the Supreme Court to review an appeals court ruling that blocked President Donald Trump’s travel ban. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled 10-3 against the travel ban. The decision bars the administration from suspending new visas for visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, …

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Supreme Court Upholds Ruling That North Carolina’s US House District Maps Were Drawn With Racial Bias

The Raleigh News & Observer reports: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that North Carolina lawmakers relied too heavily on race when drawing congressional districts in 2011, affirming a lower-court ruling that forced legislators to create new maps last year. The racial gerrymanders that left Republicans representing 10 of 13 North Carolina congressional districts were meant to dilute the power …

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SCOTUS Rejects North Carolina’s Racist Voter ID Law

Bloomberg reports: The U.S. Supreme Court dealt an unexpected blow to the voter-identification movement, refusing to reinstate North Carolina ballot restrictions that a lower court said target blacks “with almost surgical precision.” Turning away the appeal by state Republican leaders, the justices left intact a ruling that said the provisions were racially discriminatory in violation of federal voting-rights law. In …

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Republicans Pitch Merrick Garland For FBI Director

The Washington Examiner reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s former chief of staff, Josh Holmes, on Sunday declared his old boss’s strong support for the potential nomination of Merrick Garland as FBI director. “I think the Senate majority leader thinks that’s a fantastic idea,” Holmes said during a panel discussion on “Fox News Sunday.” He was reacting to Sen. Mike …

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For Second Time SCOTUS Refuses To Hear Appeal Of California’s Landmark 2012 Ban On Ex-Gay Torture

Bloomberg reports: The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a California law that bans licensed therapists from working with children to change their sexual orientation from gay to straight, rejecting an appeal that said the measure violates religious rights. The rebuff leaves intact a federal appeals court decision upholding California’s 2012 first-of-its-kind law. The measure prohibits the form of counseling known …

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Trump On Neil Gorsuch: “Every 5-To-4 Decision Is Because Of Me And That Could Go On For 40 Years”

The Washington Examiner today published a lengthy interview with Trump. An excerpt: He promises, as he did during the campaign, to get rid “of tremendous regulations,” to help American companies compete more easily in the world market and to put more of America’s citizens back to work. That leads, naturally, to an assessment of his own work in his first …

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Trump To Have “Highly Unusual” Dinner With SCOTUS

Law Newz reports: The White House announced Sunday that President Donald Trump will have dinner Thursday with the U.S. Supreme Court. “That evening, the President will have dinner with the Justices of the Supreme Court, including his successfully confirmed nominee Justice Neil Gorsuch,” the announcement read. Judging by the wording, it seems like all nine are expected show up, though …

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Brian Brown: Another SCOTUS Vacancy Is Coming And I Need Money To Make Sure The Nominee Is Anti-Gay

Via press release from hate group leader Brian Brown: I wish I didn’t have to write you about this, but I don’t know who else to turn to for help. NOM is in the midst of a critically-important Matching Fund Drive that began on Monday. We need to raise $100,000 to avoid making drastic budget cuts, and we’re way behind. …

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Retirement For SCOTUS Justice Anthony Kennedy?

Last night Bloomberg published speculation that Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy may be planning to retire at the end of the term. From the article: Kennedy, 80, has been the court’s primary pivot point since 2006, generally aligning with the four conservatives on campaign finance and voting rights and with the four liberals on gay rights. By selecting Kennedy’s successor, …

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LIVE VIDEO: Neil Gorsuch Swearing In Ceremony

Starting now. ABC News reports: Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s pick to the fill the Supreme Court slot left open after the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia, was sworn in this morning, becoming the 113th person to serve on the Supreme Court. Gorsuch was sworn in behind closed doors at the Supreme Court building, the first of two oaths …

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Senate Confirms Neil Gorsuch To Supreme Court

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, was confirmed Friday after Republicans tore up the Senate’s voting rules over furious Democratic objections. The Senate voted to place Gorsuch on the nation’s highest court, a position that has been vacant since the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016. Democrats denounced the GOP’s use of what …

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LIVE VIDEO: Final Senate Vote On Neil Gorsuch

CNBC reports: The Senate will continue debating the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court justice Friday morning. A vote is expected around 11:30 a.m. ET. Gorsuch only needs a simple majority approval to receive confirmation. The chamber moved toward making him the ninth Supreme Court justice Thursday by voting 52-48, along party lines, to take the “nuclear option,” …

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Senate Dems Block Gorsuch, Set Up Nuclear Option

The Washington Post reports: Democrats successfully blocked Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court from advancing in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, sparking what is expected to be a bitter clash with Republicans over how the chamber confirms high court nominees. Gorsuch failed to earn the 60 votes needed to end debate on his nomination. In response, Majority …

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LIVE VIDEO: Full Senate Votes On Neil Gorsuch

Heavy.com reports: In order for Gorsuch to be confirmed by Senate, he would need 60 votes. But it appears the GOP is short of that, and Democrats in the body have vowed to filibuster the nomination. If the cloture goes through, the Senate would have 30 more hours of debate — all of which Democrats are prepped to use. That …

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Mitch McConnell: I’ve Got The Votes To Go Nuclear

The Hill reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is confident he has enough votes to trigger the nuclear option this week to eliminate the filibuster of Supreme Court nominees, he told reporters Tuesday. It became clear Monday that Democrats would filibuster Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch when a group of senators announced they would oppose and vote to block …

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Matt Baume On Neil Gorsuch And LGBT Rights [VIDEO]

Clip recap: Neil Gorsuch is Donald Trump’s choice for the Supreme Court, and you may be wondering — do we need to be worried about this guy? The answer: yes, yes you do, unless you don’t like having the freedom to marry, to get medical care, to have a place to live, or to use the bathroom.

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Senate Dems Secure Votes To Filibuster Gorsuch

The New York Times reports: Senate Democrats on Monday appeared to secure the votes necessary to filibuster the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, sending the body hurtling toward a bitter partisan confrontation later this week. With an announcement from Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing to vote on Judge Gorsuch’s nomination, …

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LIVE VIDEO: Senate Panel Votes On Neil Gorsuch

Just starting. Via USA Today: The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on the nomination of federal appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch Monday, just 62 days after his nomination by President Trump. That vote will set the stage for a showdown before week’s end in which Gorsuch’s confirmation isn’t really in doubt. However how it is achieved will have …

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NRA Hits Dems With $1M Gorsuch Campaign [VIDEO]

From the right wing Washington Examiner: The National Rifle Association on Tuesday will begin targeting four Senate Democrats facing potentially tough reelections with a $1 million TV campaign that urges the confirmation of federal appeals judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. The NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action told Secrets Monday that the effort will target Sens. Claire McCaskill of …

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