Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Supreme court

Divided Supreme Court sides with Trump to block teacher grants
Approved, National, THE HILL

Divided Supreme Court sides with Trump to block teacher grants

By  Zach Schonfeld | The Hill A divided Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration by allowing officials to block $65 million in teacher development grants frozen over concerns they were promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices.  The 5-4 emergency ruling, for now, lifts a lower order that forced the Education Department to resume the grants in eight Democratic-led states that are suing. Five of the court’s six conservatives sided with the administration to grant the request. Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices dissented.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Supreme Court declines to revisit defamation rule criticized by Trump
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Supreme Court declines to revisit defamation rule criticized by Trump

By Kaelan Deese | Washington Examiner The Supreme Court on Monday declined to revisit defamation protections created in its landmark 1964 ruling, New York Times v. Sullivan. This precedent has been subject to scrutiny by President Donald Trump and two Republican-appointed justices. The high court declined to take up an appeal by Steve Wynn, the ex-CEO of Wynn Resorts, of a decision made by the Nevada Supreme Court to dismiss his defamation suit against the Associated Press under a state law meant to shield the Constitution’s First Amendment protections for free speech. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Chief Justice scolds Trump over call to impeach Federal Judge in deportation case: ‘Not an appropriate response’
Approved, National, National Review

Chief Justice scolds Trump over call to impeach Federal Judge in deportation case: ‘Not an appropriate response’

By  David Zimmermann | National Review Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare statement on Tuesday pushing back on President Donald Trump after he called for the impeachment of an Obama-appointed judge, who temporarily blocked the Republican administration from invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan illegal immigrants associated with the Tren de Aragua gang. “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.” Earlier in the day, Trump blasted U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of Washington, D.C., as a “troublemaker” and “agitator” who wasn’t elected in an “overwhelming mandate” by the...
SCOTUS rules on nearly $2 billion in frozen USAID payments
Approved, Fox News, National

SCOTUS rules on nearly $2 billion in frozen USAID payments

By Breanne Deppisch  | Fox News The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the Trump administration's request to block a lower court's order for the administration to pay nearly $2 billion in foreign aid money, delivering a near-term reprieve to international aid groups and contractors seeking payment for previously completed projects. In a 5-4 ruling, the justices said that the Feb. 26 deadline imposed by a lower court for the Trump administration to pay the funds had already expired, and directed the case back to the district court to clarify any additional details on payment. "Given that the deadline in the challenged order has now passed, and in light of the ongoing preliminary injunction proceedings, the District Court should clarify what obligations the Government must ...
Supreme Court sides with Trump in USAID funding dispute for now
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Supreme Court sides with Trump in USAID funding dispute for now

By Kaelan Deese | Washington Examiner The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court order that told the Trump administration to release nearly $2 billion in foreign aid payments by midnight on Wednesday in the dispute over its hold on U.S. Agency for International Development funds. The Justice Department in an emergency filing contended that the administration needs more time to review outstanding payments for fraud and abuse and warned that complying with the rushed timeline could lead to irreversible financial harm. Without issuing comment about the merits of the case, the Supreme Court told parties to file additional responses to their chambers by Friday, according to a brief order by Chief Justice John Roberts. “The order does...
TikTok’s future hangs in balance at Friday’s Supreme Court arguments 
Approved, National, THE HILL

TikTok’s future hangs in balance at Friday’s Supreme Court arguments 

By Zach Schonfeld and Julia Shapero  | The Hill TikTok’s future will hang in the balance Friday when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments over a federal law that could ban the video-sharing platform nationwide in less than 10 days.  In its waning days, the Biden-era Justice Department will square off in the courtroom against lawyers for TikTok and several creators in a seismic battle that pits national security against free speech.  “The whole point of the First Amendment is that the government can’t shut down speech that it thinks is against its interests,” said Liberty Justice Center President Jacob Huebert, a member of the creators’ legal team.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Two Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justices agree with Democrat appointees in allowing Trump sentencing to proceed
Approved, National, The Daily Signal

Two Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justices agree with Democrat appointees in allowing Trump sentencing to proceed

By Fred Lucas  | Daily Signal The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block a New York court from sentencing President-elect Donald Trump in the “hush money” case involving porn star Stormy Daniels. A Manhattan jury convicted Trump on 34 counts of fraud in relation to the case last spring in a prosecution led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. New York Justice Juan Merchan is scheduled to hand down a sentence on Friday for the former and future president. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DAILY SIGNAL
Supreme Court to weigh case on possible TikTok ban
Approved, National, Newsmax

Supreme Court to weigh case on possible TikTok ban

By Newsmax The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear arguments next month over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok in the United States if its Chinese parent company doesn't sell it. The justices will hear arguments Jan. 10 about whether the law impermissibly restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The law, enacted in April, set a Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok to be sold or else face a ban in the U.S. The popular social media platform has more than 170 million users in the U.S. READ THE FULL STORY ON NEWSMAX
SCOTUS conservatives seem ready to uphold child sex change bans
Approved, National, The Daily Caller

SCOTUS conservatives seem ready to uphold child sex change bans

By Katelynn Richardson | Daily Caller Every conservative justice expressed skepticism Wednesday of the Biden administration’s challenge to state ban on child sex changes, except Justice Neil Gorsuch. Gorsuch, who authored a landmark ruling in 2020 expanding sex discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation in the context of employment, didn’t say a word during over two hours of oral arguments. Tennessee’s law, which is at the center of the United States v. Skrmetti case, restricts minors from receiving medical treatments intended to help them live as an identity “inconsistent” with their sex. The Biden administration argues it draws sex-based lines on medical treatments in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. READ THE FULL STORY ON TH...
Colorado to pay $1.5 million in same-sex wedding websites case
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado to pay $1.5 million in same-sex wedding websites case

By The Denver Gazette | Via Colorado Politics Colorado agreed to pay more than $1.5 million in attorneys’ fees following the conclusion of a case involving a graphic designer who did not want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples. Lorie Smith, who feared she would run afoul of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act if she refused to create websites for same-sex weddings through her graphic design company, 303 Creative, sued the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the state's attorney general. The case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled last year in favor of Smith, concluding that Colorado sought to "force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance" and therefore violated he...