The Supreme Court has set a date to revisit one of the most consequential civil rights rulings of the 21st century: same-sex marriage. The justices have scheduled a private conference on November 7, 2025, to decide whether they will hear a case that directly challenges Obergefell v. Hodges. This was the 2015 decision that legalized […]
The Future of Fair Representation: Inside Louisiana v. Callais
Louisiana’s political landscape has long reflected the tension between demographic reality and political representation. Although Black residents make up nearly one-third of the state’s population, their presence in elected office, especially in Congress, has historically fallen short. The current Supreme Court case Louisiana v. Callais challenges how district lines are drawn and whether they silence […]
Supreme Court Case Could Threaten Colorado’s Ban on Harmful Conversion Therapy
On Tuesday, October 7, the United States Supreme Court heard opening arguments in a case brought by a religious counselor who claims that Colorado’s 2019 ban on conversion therapy violates her First Amendment right to free speech. While a decision isn’t expected until later this year, the case could have major implications for LGBTQIA+ rights […]
SCOTUS Greenlights Racial Profiling in Immigration Enforcement
On Monday, September 8th, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo overturned a federal district court ruling that barred immigration officials in Los Angeles from conducting roving patrols that targeted Latino communities without “reasonable suspicion.” The concurring opinion from Justice Kavanaugh states that “apparent ethnicity” can be a “relevant factor” for ICE […]
The End of Nationwide Injunctions: How Trump v. CASA Could Undermine Democracy
In a decision that will profoundly reshape the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. CASA de Maryland (2025) that district court judges can no longer issue nationwide injunctions, orders that stop a federal policy from being enforced across the entire country. The 6–3 ruling, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, dramatically curtails […]
New Supreme Court Ruling Could Restrict Access to Reproductive Health Providers
On Thursday, June 26, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, ruling that individuals do not have the right to sue under the “free choice of provider” clause of the Medicaid Act. This decision reversed lower court rulings and remanded the case back to district courts. Medina v […]
Supreme Court Reopens Challenge to New York Abortion Coverage Rule
The Supreme Court has revived a legal challenge to a New York state regulation that requires employers to cover abortion services in employee health insurance plans. In a brief, unsigned order issued on June 17, the justices instructed a lower court to reconsider the case brought by a group of Catholic organizations, including the Roman […]
What’s at Stake: The Supreme Court’s Upcoming Pivotal Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court is deliberating several significant cases that could reshape aspects of American law and society. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 on two cases including FDA v. Wages and White Lion Investments, LLC regulating flavored vapes, and TikTok Inc. v. Garland on banning TikTok for national security. As the […]
Planned Parenthood Allies Rally at the Supreme Court
“If we haven’t won, we’re not done!” For over five hours on April 2, allies and advocates for Planned Parenthood and reproductive justice gathered outside the Supreme Court from across the country, echoing various chants and hearing from an impressive array of speakers. This demonstration intentionally coincided with oral arguments in the Medina v. Planned […]
Gender Affirming Care at Stake in U.S. v. Skrmetti
More than 90% of transgender youth are being denied — or at risk of being denied — critical, age appropriate gender-affirming care. In a country where 24 states have banned hormone therapy and 16 more are in the process of placing bans, approximately 280,300 youth have been affected by the limited protection afforded to them. […]
Georgetown Law Unpacks the Supreme Court’s 2024 Term: Civil Rights, Reproductive Health, and the Fight for Democracy
Photo by Ian Hutchinson Georgetown Law’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law hosted an event, sponsored by Ms and Feminist Majority Foundation, on July 1st reviewing the Supreme Court’s 2024 term and discussing the current crisis of health and democracy due to the Dobbs decision. In honor of the 70th anniversary of Brown v. […]
The Impact of the Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Ruling
Photo by Tim Mossholder On July 1st, the Supreme Court released its last round of decisions before their summer recess. One of these decisions, Trump vs. the United States (2024), changed the future of the executive office, and possibly our democracy. After the January 6th insurrection in 2021, Special Council Jack Smith was assigned to investigate […]
Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Case On Transgender Affirming Care For Minors
Photo by Nikolas Gannon On Monday, June 24th, the Supreme Court inserted itself into the fight over transgender rights. The court agreed to hear a Biden administration appeal to a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care to transgender minors. The state law, enacted last year, restricts puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery for minors and imposes […]
Supreme Court Upholds Federal Law Protecting Survivors of Domestic Violence
Photo by Tomasz Zielonka On June 21, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of a federal law prohibiting those with a domestic violence restraining order against them from possessing a firearm. The federal law in question under United States v. Rahimi (2024) was the 1996 Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban, often referred to as “the […]
Supreme Court Unanimously Upholds Full Access To Mifepristone
Photo by Fine Photographics On Thursday, June 13th, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone. The FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case was brought by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine against the Food and Drug Administration in an attempt to restrict mifepristone access. Mifepristone was approved by the FDA in […]
Supreme Court appears poised to support Oregon city’s measures against public sleeping
Photo by Mihály Köles On Monday, April 22, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the case City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, marking one of the most significant cases on the issue of homelessness in years. This case comes amidst a record number of 650,000 people in 2023 reported as experiencing homelessness in the United […]
Supreme Court set to rule on Biden Administration’s ghost gun regulations
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on whether the regulations placed on ghost guns by the Biden Administration are lawful. Ghost guns are privately assembled through “buy build shoot” kits or are 3D-printed. They also lack a serial number, making them untraceable, and do not require buyers to have background checks conducted. […]
Supreme Court Begins Oral Arguments on Emergency Abortion Case
In yet another recent Supreme Court case concerning access to reproductive healthcare, the state of Idaho has brought a challenge to EMTALA (the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act) in Moyle v. United States. EMTALA, initially passed by Congress in 1986, ensures that hospitals receiving federal funds through Medicare and Medicaid maintain a certain […]
Supreme Court Denies Appeal from Black Lives Matter Organizer
On April 15th, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of Deray Mckesson, a Black Lives Matter organizer and activist who led a protest in Louisiana where a police officer was hit by a “rock-like object” and injured. While Mckesson did not throw the rock, he is being sued by the injured […]
Florida Supreme Court’s ruling triggers DeSantis’ 6 week abortion ban
On April 1st, the conservative Florida Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to uphold the state’s 15-week abortion ban. As a result, the ruling has triggered Gov. Ron DeSantis’ extreme 6-week abortion ban, which is set to take effect in just 30 days. The state Supreme Court’s decision rests on the notion that the state constitution’s privacy […]