Listeners, the latest from the US Supreme Court features a string of high-impact rulings and notable activity just as the Court enters its summer recess.
The most prominent headline centers on a Supreme Court decision that sharply limits the power of federal district judges to issue nationwide injunctions. This landmark ruling came in the case Trump v. CASA, Inc., and it directly impacts how lower courts can block federal policies, especially on contentious issues like immigration. In this case, multiple lawsuits challenged a recent executive order from President Trump seeking to restrict birthright citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented immigrants or those with temporary visas. The Court did not rule on the constitutionality of the executive order itself, but concluded that lower courts overstepped by halting the policy nationwide. Instead, the justices insisted injunctions should generally be limited to the specific plaintiffs before the court. This decision is expected to reshape the landscape for lawsuits against federal policies, restricting the use of universal injunctions and affecting ongoing litigation around major federal actions.
Another major development is the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Texas’s age verification law for adult websites in Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton. This law requires commercial websites with substantial sexually explicit content to verify users’ ages before granting access, aiming to protect minors from harmful material. The Court applied intermediate scrutiny and found the statute permissible, saying the incidental burden on adults’ access did not violate the First Amendment. Justice Elena Kagan’s dissent, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, criticized the majority for not applying stricter scrutiny and warned that such laws risk chilling protected adult speech. This ruling could pave the way for similar regulations in other states, with nearly half the country having considered or enacted comparable online age verification laws.
Elsewhere, the justices’ activity has shifted from hearing cases to public appearances and academic events. According to Fix the Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is slated for several upcoming speaking engagements, including an event with the Indianapolis Bar Association and appearances at legal and literary festivals. Justice Kavanaugh will participate in the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference later this summer, and retired Justice Stephen Breyer is scheduled for a public conversation at Edith Wharton’s former home in Massachusetts.
As for pending business, the Court recently remanded several cases from the appeals courts for reconsideration in light of its latest precedents, signaling ongoing refinement of federal judicial authority and standards. Meanwhile, legal circles are watching closely for upcoming cert grants on hot-button topics such as the rights of transgender athletes and campaign finance, which could further shape national policy in the coming term.
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