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☆ The nonstop sparring match between Justice Samuel Alito and Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —Justice Samuel Alito is the tip of the spear for conservatives challenging the Biden administration during oral arguments at the Supreme Court. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar is the Biden administration’s top lawyer at the court, defending the policies that are the source of much of Alito’s consternation. “I think our best example historically is the Customs Service,” Prelogar responded. The Biden administration was backing admissions practices that considered students’ race as a factor in admissions to achieve campus diversity. “No, Justice Alito,” Prelogar said.

Persons: Samuel Alito, Biden, He’s, Elizabeth Prelogar, Alito, Prelogar, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, George W, Sandra Day O’Connor, ” Prelogar, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, Robert Mueller, Joe Biden, –, ” Alito, “, ”, John Roberts, Roberts, I’m, It’s, ” Alito interjected, ’ Jeffrey Wall, Trump, …, Wall, We’re, Justice Alito, Juliet, Friar Laurence, Brett Kavanaugh, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Friar, Taylor Swift, Friar Lawrence, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Supreme, Princeton, Yale Law School, Department of Justice, Emory University, Harvard Law School, Miss, ahs, Senate, Republicans, Democrats, Consumer Financial, Federal Reserve System, Customs Service, Biden, FDA, OSHA, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Harvard, University of North, America, United States, Fair, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Verona Locations: Trenton , New Jersey, New Jersey, Boise , Idaho, Miss Idaho, University of North Carolina, America, ”, Verona, Washington

Blocking users is a function often employed on social media to stifle critics. The justices, hearing about three hours of arguments, focused on spelling out the circumstances for deciding whether public officials were acting in their personal capacity when blocking critics or engaged in a "state action." Conservative Justice Samuel Alito cited a hypothetical town manager who puts a municipal seal on his own social media page and tells citizens to express their views. Under this test, Mooppan argued, the social media activity of his clients was not governmental. Some justices asked whether requiring public officials to include disclaimers on their personal pages making clear their social media activity is not governmental would help disentangle their private and public capacities.

Persons: Samuel Alito, Alito, Hashim Mooppan, Mooppan, Elena Kagan, Donald Trump, " Kagan, Evelyn Hockstein, Trump, Joe Biden's, Michelle O'Connor, Ratcliff, T.J, Zane, Christopher, Kimberly Garnier, Kevin Lindke, James Freed, Freed, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Brett Kavanaugh, Victoria Ferres, Ferres, John Kruzel, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Twitter, Facebook, Conservative, Liberal, REUTERS, Poway Unified School District, Circuit, Appeals, City, Thomson Locations: California, Michigan, Poway , California, Port Huron, Washington , U.S, San Francisco, Cincinnati, New York

She said she still personally follows the formal canons of conduct that applied to her when she was an appeals court judge — which don't apply to the Supreme Court — and that her fellow justices do the same. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesBut when asked by her host, former Law School Dean Robert Stein, how long it might take the Supreme Court to reach consensus about what its own ethics code should be, Barrett demurred. Kagan declared her support for an ethics code for the Supreme Court at a conference in Oregon in August. Alito said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in July, after Democrats pushed Supreme Court ethics legislation through a Senate committee, that Congress lacks the constitutional authority to impose a code of ethics on the high court. ___Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

Persons: Amy Coney Barrett, Barrett, —, ” Barrett, ”, Law School Dean Robert Stein, Barrett demurred, “, Stein, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Antonin Scalia, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Roberts, Barrett's, Sean Colfer, Barrett doesn't, Donald Trump, Roe, Wade, Thomas, Kagan, Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, ___, Trisha Ahmed, Ahmed Organizations: — U.S, Supreme, Law School, ” Police, Associated Press, Wall Street, Democrats, U.S, Associated, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: MINNEAPOLIS, Wisconsin, Oregon, Minnesota

The United States Supreme Court building is seen as in Washington, U.S., October 4, 2023. The Supreme Court in 2019 forbade federal courts from intervening in cases involving gerrymandering done for partisan advantage. A group of Black voters sued to block the use of the reconfigured district. "What these plaintiffs in these cases are doing is basically bringing partisan gerrymandering claims and trying to dress them up as if they're racial gerrymandering claims," Torchinsky said. A HEAVY BURDENPlaintiffs in racial gerrymandering cases long have borne a heavy burden.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Leah Aden, Jason Torchinsky, Holtzman Vogel, Nacy Mace, Torchinsky, David Gans, that's, Gans, Nicholas Stephanopoulos, John Gore, Elena Kagan, Kagan, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: United States Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Supreme, Republican, U.S . House, Republicans, Democratic, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Black, Constitutional, Center, South, Harvard Law, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, South Carolina's, Legislative, United States, Carolina's, South Carolina, Stephanopoulos, Gore

The United States Supreme Court building is seen as in Washington, U.S., October 4, 2023. In this case, the state legislature was accused of racial gerrymandering to reduce the influence of Black voters. The Republican legislators and other state officials who appealed to the Supreme Court told the justices that the map was designed to secure partisan advantages, a practice that the Supreme Court in 2019 decided was not reviewable by federal courts - unlike racial gerrymandering, which remains illegal. The new map increased the district's share of white voters while reducing its share of Black voters, which the lower court referred to as "bleaching." Clyburn's is the only one of South Carolina's House districts held by a Democrat.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, John Roberts, Roberts, Elena Kagan, Republican Nancy Mace, Jim Clyburn, Clyburn's, Mace, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: United States Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, Supreme, South, Republican, . House, Supreme Court, Conservative, Black, Democratic, Democrat, Alabama Republicans, U.S . House, Democrats, Republicans, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, South Carolina, Charleston, Carolina's, United States, Louisiana , Georgia, New York

The United States Supreme Court building is seen as in Washington, U.S., October 4, 2023. At issue before the Supreme Court was whether Laufer has such standing. President Joe Biden's administration agreed with the hotel in the case that Laufer does not have standing in the case to sue. "This is, like, dead, dead, dead - in all the ways that something can be dead," Kagan said. A federal judge in Maine threw out the lawsuit, finding Laufer did not have standing, but the Boston-based 1st U.S.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Acheson, Deborah Laufer, Laufer, Elena Kagan, Kelsi Corkran, Brett Kavanaugh, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jackson, Corkran, Joe Biden's, Samuel Alito, Adam Unikowsky, Kagan, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: United States Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, Supreme, Acheson Hotels, Disabilities, Conservative, Liberal, Civil Rights, Circuit, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Florida, Maine, Wells , Maine, Boston

The CFPB's funding design draws money each year from the Federal Reserve instead of from budgets passed by lawmakers. Challengers to the CFPB - trade groups representing the high-interest payday loan industry - argued that the agency's funding structure violates a constitutional provision giving Congress the power of the purse. The Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority has rolled back the power of federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency in important rulings in recent years. The court's three liberal justices pressed the challengers on the repercussions of deeming the CFPB's funding structure unconstitutional. Circuit Court of Appeals, which last October ruled that the CFPB's funding structure violated the Appropriations Clause.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Kevin Wurm, Joe Biden's, Elizabeth Prelogar, Biden, Elena Kagan, Barack Obama, Wells, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Companies Wells, Co, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal, Environmental Protection Agency, Conservative, Federal Reserve, Democratic, New, Circuit, Appeals, Republican, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, WASHINGTON, New Orleans

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed likely to preserve the work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau against a conservative-led challenge. But a majority of the court appeared ready to reject the sweeping arguments made by the lawyer for payday lenders whose challenge to a CFPB rule spawned the Supreme Court case. Unlike most federal agencies, the consumer bureau does not rely on the annual budget process in Congress. “This is a perpetual delegation to pick your own number,” said Francisco, who served as the Trump administration's top Supreme Court lawyer. Three years ago, the court decided another CFPB case, ruling that Congress had improperly insulated the head of the bureau from removal.

Persons: Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren of, Noel Francisco, ”, Francisco, Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, Samuel Alito, Elizabeth Prelogar, Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, Consumer Financial, Democratic, Republicans, Federal, Trump administration's, ”, U.S . Chamber of Commerce Locations: Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, New Orleans, U.S

WASHINGTON (AP) — The justices are taking the bench at the Supreme Court for the first time since late June. Several cases also confront the court with the continuing push by conservatives to constrict federal regulatory agencies. Limits on mifepristone, a drug used in the most common method of abortion, could be before the court by spring. Apart from cases, the justices are discussing a first-ever code of conduct, though disagreements remain, Justice Elena Kagan said recently. The push to codify ethical standards for the justices stems from a series of stories questioning some of their practices.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Donald Trump, Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, Koch, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor Organizations: WASHINGTON, Supreme, Financial, Bureau

☆ Sen. Durbin renews call for a Supreme Court code of conduct amid ethics concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin called on the Supreme Court to create a code of conduct as its new term begins Monday. Durbin for about a dozen years has, without success, asked the Supreme Court to adopt an enforceable code of conduct. Supreme Court justices are the only federal judges who are exempt from the official ethics rules. The Supreme Court has been under scrutiny this year because of media reports about justices receiving luxury travel, gifts, and other benefits. Durbin earlier this year asked Chief Justice John Roberts to appear before the Judiciary Committee to discuss Supreme Court ethics after the articles were first published.

Persons: Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M, Gorsuch, Brett M, Kavanaugh, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, John G, Roberts, Jr, Samuel A, Alito, Elena Kagan, Dick Durbin, Durbin, ProPublica, Harlan Crow's, Samuel Alito, Paul, John Roberts Organizations: Supreme, WASHINGTON, Elliott Management Locations: Washington, WASHINGTON —, Argentina

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is returning to a new term to take up some familiar topics — guns and abortion — and concerns about ethics swirling around the justices. Lower-profile but vitally important, several cases in the term that begins Monday ask the justices to constrict the power of regulatory agencies. Political Cartoons View All 1190 ImagesBut the federal appeals court in New Orleans struck down the funding mechanism. The abortion case likely to be heard by the justices also would be the court's first word on the topic since it reversed Roe v. Wade’s right to abortion. But in some important cases last term, the court split in unusual ways.

Persons: Donald Trump, Democrat Joe Biden, ”, Jeffrey Wall, Trump, Biden, Roe, John Roberts, Irv Gornstein, ” Gornstein, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh —, Kavanaugh, Roberts, Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, Koch, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, ” Kagan, Alito, Thomas Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Democrat, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Federal Reserve, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, 5th Circuit, Trump, Institute, Gallup, University of Notre Dame, Democratic Locations: New Orleans, Texas, United States, Georgetown, Alabama

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether state laws that seek to regulate Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms violate the Constitution. The justices will review laws enacted by Republican-dominated legislatures and signed by Republican governors in Florida and Texas. While the details vary, both laws aim to prevent the social media companies from censoring users based on their viewpoints. Separately, the high court also could consider a lower-court order limiting executive branch officials’ communications with social media companies about controversial online posts. By a 5-4 vote, the justices kept the Texas law on hold while litigation over it continues.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Alito, Chris Marchese Organizations: WASHINGTON, Supreme, Facebook, Republican, “ Locations: Florida and Texas, Texas

☆ Supreme Court to weigh GOP-backed social media ‘censorship’ laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The Supreme Court of the United States building seen in Washington D.C., United States on September 28, 2023. The states argue that they have the authority to regulate social media companies to ensure that users receive equal access to the platforms. Circuit Court of Appeals, prompting the state to appeal to the Supreme Court. "It is not at all obvious how our existing precedents, which predate the age of the internet, should apply to large social media companies," he wrote. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments and issue a ruling in its new term, which begins next week and ends in June.

Persons: WASHINGTON —, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Biden, Ashley Moody, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Elena Kagan, — David Ingram Organizations: Washington D.C, WASHINGTON, Republicans, Tech, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Computer and Communications Industry Association, U.S, Capitol, Trump, Disney, NBC News, Circuit, Supreme, Appeals, Conservative, Thomas, Liberal, Communications, Google Locations: United States, Washington, Florida, Texas, Atlanta, New Orleans

☆ Supreme Court agrees to hear case on whether states can regulate social media companies like TikTok and Meta
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Florida and Texas laws regulating social media platforms are up for review by the Supreme Court. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether state laws that seek to regulate Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms violate the Constitution. While the details vary, both laws aim to prevent the social media companies from censoring users based on their viewpoints. AdvertisementAdvertisementSeparately, the high court also could consider a lower-court order limiting executive branch officials' communications with social media companies about controversial online posts. In dissent, Alito wrote, "Social media platforms have transformed the way people communicate with each other and obtain news."

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Trump, John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Alito, Chris Marchese Organizations: Supreme, Service, Facebook, Republican Locations: Florida, Texas, Florida and Texas

☆ Supreme Court returns for first private meeting of the term amid even more controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Ariane De Vogue | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The Supreme Court returns to Washington to face a new term and the fresh reality that critics increasingly view the court as a political body. Earlier this year, Roberts declined an invitation to appear before the Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss Supreme Court ethics, citing separation of powers concerns. Even if he did believe a formal ethics code is necessary, it’s unclear whether he would need a unanimous vote to move forward. Instead, they say, critics of the court are manufacturing a controversy to delegitimize the institution and staunch the flow of conservative opinions. Last week, she told an audience in Indiana that she thought it would be a “good” idea if the court were to adapt the ethics code used by lower court justices to fit the Supreme Court.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Roe, Wade, John Roberts, Roberts, Joe Biden’s, ”, Justice Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, “, ” Kagan, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, ” Cate Stetson, Hogan Lovells, Dick Durbin, Durbin, recuses, Carrie Severino, Alito, forthrightly, ” Alito, “ I’ve, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Conservative, Cato Institute, Democrat, Judicial, Crisis Network Locations: Washington, Congress, Indiana, Lake Geneva , Wisconsin, Ohio

☆ US Supreme Court won't halt ruling that blocked Alabama electoral map
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2023. That map was devised after the Supreme Court in June blocked a previous version, also for weakening the voting power of Black Alabamians. Voting rights litigation that could result in new maps of congressional districts is playing out in several states. The Alabama map concentrated large numbers of Black voters into one district and spread others into districts in numbers too small to make up a majority. Conservative litigants had succeeded in persuading the Supreme Court to limit the Voting Rights Act's scope in some important previous rulings.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Alabamians, Joe Biden's, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Brett Kavanaugh, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, Alabama, Republican, . House, Black, Republicans, Democratic, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Birmingham, Black, Constitution's, Alabama, Arizona

☆ Justice Kagan Calls for the Supreme Court to Adopt an Ethics Code
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Adam Liptak | More About Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Justice Elena Kagan said on Friday that the Supreme Court should adopt a code of ethics, saying that “it would be a good thing for the court to do that.”Her comment, part of a wide-ranging live-streamed public interview at Notre Dame Law School, came on the day ProPublica reported that Justice Clarence Thomas had twice attended an annual event for donors organized by the conservative political network established by the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch. Justice Kagan did not discuss the report, but she said that an ethics code “would, I think, go far in persuading other people that we were adhering to the highest standards of conduct.” She added that “I hope we can make progress.”G. Marcus Cole, the law school’s dean, asked her to identify the holdout among the justices. She refused, saying the justices’ deliberations are private. “What goes on in the conference room stays in the conference room,” she said. She added that she did not want to suggest that there was a single holdout.

Persons: Elena Kagan, ”, Clarence Thomas, Charles, David Koch, Justice Kagan, G, Marcus Cole Organizations: Notre Dame Law School

☆ The Democrats' biggest problem with age in 2024 is not Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Walt Hickey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Just 3 out of the 9 Supreme Court Justices are liberals. Unless Democrats are willing to risk a 7-2 GOP-held Supreme Court, it might be time to consider retirement. However, Joe Biden should be far from the Democrats' biggest worry when it comes to age. It would be tremendously bad luck, but then again, anyone who thinks that Democrats have had good luck at the Supreme Court is delusional. The question is rather, what is the maximum level of acceptable risk of a 7-2 GOP-held Supreme Court?

Persons: Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Joe Biden's, Joe Biden, Biden, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Stephen Breyer, Barack Obama, —, Donald Trump, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Roe, Wade, Biden's, They're, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor, it's Organizations: Service, Democrats, GOP, Republican, Democratic Senate Locations: Wall, Silicon, American, Phoenix , Arizona

☆ Alabama asks US Supreme Court to halt ruling blocking Republican-drawn voting map
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2023. That map was devised after the Supreme Court in June blocked a previous version, also for weakening the voting power of Black Alabamians. Voting rights litigation that could result in new maps of congressional districts is playing out in several states. Conservative litigants had succeeded in persuading the Supreme Court to limit the Voting Rights Act's scope in some important previous rulings. In a 2021 ruling endorsing Republican-backed Arizona voting restrictions, the justices made it harder to prove violations under a provision of the Voting Rights Act aimed at countering racially biased voting measures.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Joe Biden's, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Brett Kavanaugh, John Kruzel, Sandra Maler, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, Monday, Republican, Black, Republicans, U.S . House, Democratic, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Alabama, Birmingham, U.S, Black, Constitution's, Arizona

☆ Supreme Court's Alabama map ruling defied predictions as Roberts and Kavanaugh teamed up to protect Voting Rights Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Ambivalent during early internal debate, Kavanaugh eventually gave Roberts enough confidence that he could write an opinion for a majority. The state’s approach would have wholly undercut the history and purpose of the landmark Voting Rights Act, passed at the height of the Civil Rights movement to try to end race discrimination. Senior conservative Thomas, who has been unyielding in his rejection of race-based practices, was ready to write a far-reaching opinion against the court’s Voting Rights Act precedent for redistricting. Meanwhile, Kavanaugh and Roberts came together, ensuring the chief a five-justice majority for the robust endorsement of Voting Rights Act remedies when states discriminate in redistricting. The Alabama redistricting case shook out differently as Kavanaugh signed a significant portion of Roberts’ opinion.

Persons: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Roberts, Kavanaugh, –, Steve Marshall, Edmund LaCour, ”, Donald Trump, Ramos, Atticus Finch, “, Bill Clinton, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, General LaCour, Holder, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Thomas ’, Barrett, George H.W, Roe, Wade, Dobbs, ” Roberts, General Marshall, LaCour, — Organizations: CNN, Alabama, Republican, Supreme, Blacks, Democratic, Notre Dame, Black, Trump, Black Democrats, ”, Civil, Senior, Jackson, Health Organization, Harvard, University of North Locations: Alabama, Black, Minnesota, . Louisiana, . Mississippi, ” Alabama, Shelby County, Bush, Mississippi, University of North Carolina, ”

☆ When John Roberts wants things done, he acts. What that means for ethics rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Before he became a US appeals court judge in 2003 and a Supreme Court justice in 2005, he was a star appellate advocate at the high court. There may also be limits to the personal capital Roberts wants to put toward a dilemma that lies beyond the consideration of cases. Unlike with judicial pay, which naturally generated support among black-robed colleagues, the ethics issue has defied consensus in Roberts’ ranks. No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court – period.”Last month in Portland, Oregon, Kagan also referred to internal differences. “It’s not a secret for me to say that we have been discussing it,” she said, referring to a formal set of ethics rules.

Persons: CNN —, John Roberts, Roberts, George W, Bush, ” Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Crow, Thomas ’, Samuel Alito, “, Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, ”, Roberts ’, Alito, Kagan, It’s Organizations: CNN, White House, ”, Dallas, Democratic, Senate, Republicans Locations: United States, Texas, Adirondacks, Savannah , Georgia, America, Washington , DC, Portland , Oregon

CNN —Justice Clarence Thomas disclosed Thursday that Republican megadonor Harlan Crow paid for private jet trips for Thomas in 2022 to attend a speech in Texas and a vacation at Crow’s luxurious New York estate, as ethics questions continue to rock the Supreme Court. Thomas made the disclosures after receiving an extension to file the yearly reports that were originally due in May 2023. In a statement after the ProPublica report, Thomas acknowledged the friendship but stressed that Crow did not have business before the court. In addition, he said that he should have disclosed a 2014 private real estate deal between Crow, Thomas and members of Thomas’ family. According to the disclosure, Thomas flew down to be the keynote speaker of the event in February, but returned via private jet “due to an unexpected ice storm.”The talk was rescheduled in May and Thomas rode round trip on Crow’s plane.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Dobbs, Roe, Wade, “, Crow, Samuel Alito, ProPublica, Thomas ’, ” Thomas, Virginia Thomas, Leola Williams, Williams, VII, –, Elliot S, Berke, Thomas “, ”, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Chip Somodevilla, Elena Kagan, Alito, ” Alito, Gabe Roth, he’s, ” Roth, Rome Alito, Duke Organizations: CNN, Republican, Judicial Conference, Old Parkland Conference, Hoover Institution, Manhattan Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Black Americans, Crow Holdings, Democrats, Supreme, Capitol, Rhode Island, Wall Street, Notre Dame, School’s, Liberty Initiative, Religious Liberty Summit, Regent University School of Law, Duke Law School Locations: Texas, New York, Georgia, Savannah , Georgia, Washington ,, Rome

☆ Why activist Astra Taylor is not giving up on student loan forgiveness
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In 2014, Astra Taylor co-founded the Debt Collective, the first union for debtors. Since then, one of her main goals has been to get student debt canceled. The Supreme Court finally struck down Biden's relief program in June, ruling that the president didn't have the authority to forgive so much consumer debt without prior authorization from Congress. Annie Nova: Did the Supreme Court's decision surprise you? In the long term, the cause of student debt abolition will prevail.

Persons: Astra Taylor, Joe Biden, didn't, Taylor isn't, Taylor, Annie Nova, Biden, Elena Kagan Organizations: Astra, Finance, Workers, Bank of America

☆ Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas took lavish vacations with a billionaire who criticized student-loan forgiveness months before the Supreme Court struck it down, new report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new ProPublica report found Clarence Thomas has accepted more undisclosed gifts from billionaires. On Thursday, ProPublica released an investigation that revealed new information on the gifts billionaires have given Thomas over the years. Months later, the Supreme Court in June indeed struck down the student-debt relief, with Thomas voting in the majority. Last month, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that would create a code of ethics for Supreme Court justices, but it's unlikely the bill will pass under a Republican-controlled House. Can Congress do various things to regulate the Supreme Court?

Persons: Clarence Thomas, David Sokol, Thomas, Justice Alito, ProPublica, Sokol, Joe Biden's, Biden's, Harlan Crow, Sam Alito, Paul Singer, Alito, Elena Kagan, We're Organizations: Service, Nebraska, Berkshire, Supreme, Republican, Street, Liberal Locations: Wall, Silicon, Wyoming, Berkshire Hathaway, Nebraska, Jackson Hole , Wyoming

☆ Justice Kagan order: Apple doesn’t have to change app store terms while battling Epic in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Washington CNN —A judicial order forcing Apple to change some of its app store terms will not need to take immediate effect while litigation over the decision plays out, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said on Wednesday, handing a temporary defeat to opponents of the company. The order is a setback for “Fortnite”-maker Epic Games as Apple appeals a lower-court ruling that found the iPhone-maker had violated California competition law. Epic Games declined to comment on Kagan’s decision, which occurred in the Supreme Court’s so-called “shadow docket” and was not referred to the full court. The appeals court temporarily paused enforcement of the injunction while Apple appeals the ruling to the Supreme Court. But last month, Epic Games filed an emergency request to the court calling for the order to be put into effect immediately, saying the public would otherwise be harmed by Apple’s practices.

Persons: Elena Kagan, Fortnite, Apple didn’t, Apple Organizations: Washington CNN, Apple, Supreme, Epic, Epic Games Locations: California

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