Justice Clarence Thomas’ moment may finally have arrived
5 years, 8 months ago

Justice Clarence Thomas’ moment may finally have arrived

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Clarence Thomas has been a Supreme Court justice for nearly three decades. Robin says the question will be whether the court’s more conservative justices — Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito — can get Chief Justice John Roberts, a more moderate conservative, to go along. Thomas, 70, became the high court’s longest-serving justice, the “senior associate justice,” when Justice Anthony Kennedy retired last summer. Elizabeth Wydra, president of the liberal Constitutional Accountability Center, acknowledged that Thomas’ views may now have more sway, something she described as “terrifying to many progressives.” Still, Thomas’ views can be so far from his fellow justices that neither Roberts nor Chief Justice William Rehnquist before him have assigned Thomas big, landmark opinions on the belief that he won’t be able to keep together the votes of his colleagues, said Ralph Rossum, the author of a book on Thomas. And he equated the court’s Roe v. Wade abortion decision with its Dred Scott decision, which said African Americans weren’t citizens, labeling both “notoriously incorrect.” He also wrote an opinion rebuking his colleagues for declining to hear cases involving states’ efforts to strip Medicaid money from Planned Parenthood, a decision Thomas described as “abdicating our judicial duty.” Alito and Gorsuch agreed.

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History of this topic

'Just made up': Trump’s conservative hero slammed the exact move he's now making
1 month, 2 weeks ago

'Just made up': Trump’s conservative hero slammed the exact move he's now making

Raw Story  

Donald Trump’s conservative hero would have been appalled by the move he’s trying to make to push through his Cabinet picks, an analyst wrote Monday. “Justice Scalia was a remarkable person and a brilliant Supreme Court justice,” Trump said during his first term in the White House. “The idea would have alarmed Justice Scalia,” Supreme Court correspondent Adam Liptak wrote. …

From champagne to speeches, would-be Trump Supreme Court justices draw conservative buzz
1 month, 2 weeks ago

From champagne to speeches, would-be Trump Supreme Court justices draw conservative buzz

CNN  

CNN — Donald Trump’s return to power is creating a reality television-like competition for attention among a group of black-robed candidates – some of whom may hope to one day wind up on the Supreme Court. US Circuit Judge Andrew Oldham drew attention recently for condemning “political” prosecutions days after Trump’s reelection. Oldham, who Trump named to the 5th US …

Justice Alito has bad news for right-wing's plan to enshrine Supreme Court control
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Justice Alito has bad news for right-wing's plan to enshrine Supreme Court control

Raw Story  

Donald Trump's 2024 win means that he could enshrine far-right conservatism even further in the U.S. Supreme Court — but Justice Samuel Alito is standing in the way. Given Alito's age of 74, there was speculation that he and Justice Clarence Thomas, 76, could step down to make way for younger conservative justices who would be expected to maintain control …

Unlikely Supreme Court justice could be liberal's best hope as Trump takes power: analysis
2 months ago

Unlikely Supreme Court justice could be liberal's best hope as Trump takes power: analysis

Raw Story  

Watchers of the Supreme Court have a grim outlook on the right flank's ability to decide cases fairly and independently with a new Donald Trump administration coming in — particularly given that many suspect it played its own role in helping Trump win. In particular, Biskupic wrote, "Her views of executive power, as in Donald Trump’s immunity case last July, …

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor faces fresh calls to retire after Trump's win as liberals panic
2 months ago

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor faces fresh calls to retire after Trump's win as liberals panic

Daily Mail  

A increasing number of Democrat intellectuals are calling for Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor to retire now that President-elect Donald Trump is returning to the White House. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor faces renewed calls to step down so President Joe Biden can replace her before he leaves office The idea was first proposed in the Spring, as left-leaning intellectuals …

Justice John Roberts poised to give go-ahead to 'MAGA vision of the law': legal expert
2 months ago

Justice John Roberts poised to give go-ahead to 'MAGA vision of the law': legal expert

Raw Story  

A review of Chief Justice John Roberts' actions during the last Supreme Court session would seem to indicate that he has stopped attempting to rein in both his more rabidly conservative colleagues and chosen to go along with their far-right vision of America, according to an expert's analysis. That is the opinion of Slate legal analyst Mark Joseph Stern who …

Trump’s win may extend conservative control of the Supreme Court for decades
Trending News
2 months ago

Trump’s win may extend conservative control of the Supreme Court for decades

LA Times  

President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory, combined with the Republican takeover of the Senate, may extend conservative control of the Supreme Court for another two decades. But conservative analysts think it is quite likely Alito or Thomas or both will retire during Trump’s second term. Retirements by Alito or Thomas would allow Trump to appoint one or two far younger conservatives, …

Meet the Extremist Trump Judges Likely to Shift the Supreme Court Even Further Right
55 years ago

Meet the Extremist Trump Judges Likely to Shift the Supreme Court Even Further Right

Slate  

In his first term, Donald Trump reshaped the federal courts in his image, installing far-right jurists at every level of the judiciary and securing a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court. But to replace Alito and Thomas, conservative lawyers have zeroed in on two Trump appointees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit: Andrew Oldham for Alito …

What could happen at the Supreme Court under Harris and Trump
2 months, 1 week ago

What could happen at the Supreme Court under Harris and Trump

NPR  

What could happen at the Supreme Court under Harris and Trump toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images The upcoming election, less than a week away, could reshape the U.S. Supreme Court — or not, depending on retirements, deaths, or other unforeseen events. 'The Merrick Garland treatment' In recent years, Republicans have wielded their power in unprecedented ways to prevent …

How Trump and Senate Republicans are circling the wagons to save Clarence Thomas
6 months, 1 week ago

How Trump and Senate Republicans are circling the wagons to save Clarence Thomas

Raw Story  

WASHINGTON — The cycle continues: Clarence Thomas has former President Donald Trump’s back, Trump has Senate Republicans in his back pocket and Senate Republicans, in turn, have Thomas’ back. “The Supreme Court has developed its own code of ethics, and I have not reviewed that,” Sen. Susan Collins told Raw Story. “I’m all for getting the Article III branch to …

'Fighting words': Amy Coney Barrett signals court rift with swipe at Clarence Thomas
6 months, 3 weeks ago

'Fighting words': Amy Coney Barrett signals court rift with swipe at Clarence Thomas

Raw Story  

The last of former President Donald Trump's three Supreme Court appointees appears to be on a collision course with far-right Justice Clarence Thomas — and it could have implications for some upcoming hot-button cases. According to Politico, the conservative Barrett, whose history of involvement with religious extremists was a huge point of controversy when she was nominated for the court …

Justice Thomas returns to Supreme Court after one-day absence
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Justice Thomas returns to Supreme Court after one-day absence

LA Times  

Justice Clarence Thomas poses for a portrait at the Supreme Court building in Washington on Oct. 7, 2022. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is back on the bench after an unexplained one-day absence. Thomas, 75, was in his usual seat, to the right of Chief Justice John Roberts as the court met to hear arguments in a case about the …

Chief justice takes back the reins at the Supreme Court this term
1 year, 6 months ago

Chief justice takes back the reins at the Supreme Court this term

NPR  

Chief justice takes back the reins at the Supreme Court this term Enlarge this image Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images There have been times this term when Chief Justice John Roberts looked worn, grayer, even weary. Roberts, the institutionalist, was straining to find ways that would pull the Supreme Court back just enough to the …

How long do Supreme Court justices serve and what is the current political balance?
1 year, 8 months ago

How long do Supreme Court justices serve and what is the current political balance?

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The court underwent significant changes under Donald Trump’s administration, when over the course of …

Unequal Justice: Clarence Thomas isn't going anywhere
1 year, 8 months ago

Unequal Justice: Clarence Thomas isn't going anywhere

Raw Story  

The problem with Justice Clarence Thomas isn’t just that he’s reactionary or morally bankrupt. Thomas and his wife regularly take summer vacations at Crow’s rustic resort in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, and have been hosted at Crow’s ranch in East Texas. On April 13,ProPublica updated its reporting to add that in 2014, Crow purchased the two-bedroom home in …

Kavanaugh touts 'great relations' among Court justices despite 'obvious departure from collegiality'
1 year, 11 months ago

Kavanaugh touts 'great relations' among Court justices despite 'obvious departure from collegiality'

Raw Story  

In the past, U.S. Supreme Court justices often had radically different views yet managed to disagree without being disagreeable. In an article published by NBC News’ website on January 27, Hurley explains, “Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the Supreme Court is not as divided as members of the public might think, praising his liberal colleagues and highlighting rulings in which …

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has a lot to celebrate
2 years, 6 months ago

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has a lot to celebrate

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Last week, as he marked his 74th birthday, Clarence Thomas achieved two long-sought goals: expanding gun rights and overturning Roe v. Wade ’s nationwide protection for abortion. “If you serve long enough sometimes things go your way eventually,” said Ohio Northern University professor Scott Gerber, the author of a book on Thomas. Gerber said that at this point …

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has a lot to celebrate
2 years, 6 months ago

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has a lot to celebrate

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “If you serve long enough sometimes things go your way eventually,” said Ohio Northern …

Suspicious Clarence Thomas Complains He's 'Looking Over' His Shoulder Since Leak
2 years, 7 months ago

Suspicious Clarence Thomas Complains He's 'Looking Over' His Shoulder Since Leak

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday complained about having to “look over” his shoulder since the leak of the controversial draft opinion that would gut Roe v. Wade. “You would never visit Supreme Court justices’ houses when things didn’t go our way,” Thomas insisted. It is incumbent on us to always act appropriately, and not to …

John Roberts can’t do anything about Clarence Thomas
2 years, 9 months ago

John Roberts can’t do anything about Clarence Thomas

CNN  

CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts has long trumpeted the Supreme Court’s institutional integrity, saying the nine justices differ from elected politicians and calling out anyone who threatens to undermine that message. “I think Chief Justice Roberts ought to demand a public explanation from Justice Thomas, and he must absolutely recuse himself,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said …

Justices decide for themselves when to step aside from cases
2 years, 9 months ago

Justices decide for themselves when to step aside from cases

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Reports that the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas implored Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff to act to overturn the 2020 election results have put a spotlight on how justices decide whether to step aside from a case. While the Supreme Court did not step into any election cases brought by Trump and other Republicans, …

Justices decide for themselves when to step aside from cases
2 years, 9 months ago

Justices decide for themselves when to step aside from cases

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Reports that the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas implored Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff to act to overturn the 2020 election results have put a spotlight on how justices decide whether to step aside from a case. While the Supreme Court did not step into any election cases brought by Trump and other Republicans, …

Breyer leaves a court more conservative than one he joined
2 years, 11 months ago

Breyer leaves a court more conservative than one he joined

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — In the nearly 30 years that Justice Stephen Breyer has spent on the Supreme Court, it has been conservative, then more conservative and now much more conservative. It was a year after the departure of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the court’s first female justice and a moderate who was replaced by the more conservative Justice Samuel Alito. In …

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer set to retire
2 years, 11 months ago

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer set to retire

The Hindu  

The senior most justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Stephen Breyer, a moderate liberal, is expected to announce his retirement, making way for U.S. President Joe Biden to nominate another justice in his place. “I will select a nominee worthy of Justice Breyer’s legacy of excellence and decency,” Mr. Biden told reporters at the White House, with Mr. Breyer standing …

Justice Breyer to retire, giving Biden first court pick
2 years, 11 months ago

Justice Breyer to retire, giving Biden first court pick

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Longtime liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring, numerous sources said Wednesday, giving President Joe Biden his first high court opening, which he has pledged to fill with the historic naming of the court’s first Black woman. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Biden’s nominee “will receive a prompt hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee and will …

US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announces retirement
2 years, 11 months ago

US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announces retirement

Al Jazeera  

President Joe Biden has pledged to nominate a Black woman to the US high court now dominated by conservatives. United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has announced he will retire, giving President Joe Biden an opportunity to nominate a new jurist to the country’s highest court. The US Supreme Court currently has a 6-3 conservative majority that has taken …

Stephen Breyer watch intensifies as Supreme Court term nears its close
3 years, 6 months ago

Stephen Breyer watch intensifies as Supreme Court term nears its close

CNN  

CNN — Justice Stephen Breyer has taken a commanding role in the final days of the Supreme Court session, writing decisions preserving Obamacare and bolstering student free speech and, when conservatives ruled against union organizing on agricultural land, forcefully dissenting for the left wing. Asked Friday whether Biden hopes to see a justice retire this year, White House press secretary …

Breyer says big Supreme Court changes could diminish trust
3 years, 9 months ago

Breyer says big Supreme Court changes could diminish trust

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Justice Stephen Breyer on Tuesday said liberal advocates of big changes at the Supreme Court, including expanding the number of justices, should think “long and hard” about what they’re proposing. Politically driven change could diminish the trust Americans place in the court, Breyer said in the prepared text of a long speech he gave remotely Tuesday to Harvard …

Donald Trump's conservative judicial appointments will leave decades-long imprint, say experts
4 years ago

Donald Trump's conservative judicial appointments will leave decades-long imprint, say experts

Firstpost  

Undeterred by Democratic criticism, the Senate was still confirming judges more than a month after Trump lost his reelection bid to Joe Biden Washington: On this, even President Donald Trump’’s most fevered critics agree: He has left an imprint on federal courts that will outlast his one term in office for decades to come. In one early look at Trump’s …

Supreme Court’s liberals face a new era of conservative dominance
4 years, 1 month ago

Supreme Court’s liberals face a new era of conservative dominance

CNN  

CNN — Progressives led by President-elect Joe Biden will soon take over the White House, but at the Supreme Court, liberalism has reached a historically low ebb. Last week, she penned a blunt dissent as the majority rejected New York’s Covid-19 restrictions on churches and synagogues, concluding: “Justices of this Court play a deadly game in second guessing the expert …

Samuel Alito’s viral speech signals where conservative Supreme Court is headed
4 years, 1 month ago

Samuel Alito’s viral speech signals where conservative Supreme Court is headed

CNN  

CNN — There’s no secret to what Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wants for the law in America. “The pandemic has resulted in previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty,” Alito asserted Thursday, highlighting the consequences for “worship services, churches closed on Easter Sunday, synagogues closed for Passover and Yom Kippur.” Alito said he was not minimizing the death toll of …

Justice Thomas’ wife boosts unsupported claims against Biden
4 years, 2 months ago

Justice Thomas’ wife boosts unsupported claims against Biden

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is using her Facebook page to amplify unsubstantiated claims of corruption by Joe Biden. Ginni Thomas, a longtime conservative activist, asked her more than 10,000 followers Monday to consider sharing a link focused on alleged corruption by the Democratic nominee for president and his son, Hunter, as well as claims …

How it happened: From law professor to high court in 4 years
4 years, 3 months ago

How it happened: From law professor to high court in 4 years

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Four years ago, Amy Coney Barrett was a little-known law professor in Indiana. For Trump, whose 2016 victory was bolstered by white evangelicals’ reluctant support of his candidacy tied to his promise to fill the seat vacated by the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia with a conservative, the latest nomination brings his first term full circle. …

Here’s how long it’s taken to confirm past Supreme Court justices
4 years, 3 months ago

Here’s how long it’s taken to confirm past Supreme Court justices

CNN  

CNN — Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s plans to retire from the high court after nearly three decades on the bench are set to pave the way for a speedy confirmation process for his eventual successor. Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States/Getty Images Amy Coney Barrett President announces nomination: September 26, 2020 Senate receives nomination: September …

Team Trump floats a new way to rally his base: Clarence Thomas' retirement
4 years, 6 months ago

Team Trump floats a new way to rally his base: Clarence Thomas' retirement

Salon  

Since the early 1990s, Justice Clarence Thomas has been the poster child for far-right social conservatism on the U.S. Supreme Court — and this week in the Washington Post, journalist Robert Costa is reporting that President Donald Trump's reelection campaign might have found a new way to rally his base: a possible High Court vacancy should the 72-year-old Thomas announce …

Roberts a pivotal vote in the Supreme Court’s big opinions
4 years, 6 months ago

Roberts a pivotal vote in the Supreme Court’s big opinions

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The biggest cases of the Supreme Court term so far have a surprising common thread. Since the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy in 2018, Roberts has played a pivotal role in determining how far the court will go in cases where the court’s four liberals and four conservatives are closely divided. Here’s a look at where Roberts stood …

John Roberts defies Trump and conservatives with another legacy decision
4 years, 6 months ago

John Roberts defies Trump and conservatives with another legacy decision

CNN  

CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts saved Obamacare in 2012 – a move forever earning him the wrath of many Republicans – and on Thursday he preserved an Obama-era program that protects young immigrants who came to the US without proper papers, a direct rebuke to President Donald Trump. “If the Chief Justice believes his political judgment is so exquisite, …

Clarence Thomas has found his moment
4 years, 8 months ago

Clarence Thomas has found his moment

CNN  

Washington CNN — Justice Clarence Thomas has become a luminary in today’s Washington, in a way that might never have been imagined in the arc of his life and time on the bench. “Over those 30 years,” says former law clerk Helgi Walker, “he has remained the same jurist, true to his principles, following them wherever they go, whether in …

John Roberts likely to play modest role in impeachment trial
4 years, 11 months ago

John Roberts likely to play modest role in impeachment trial

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts is likely to play a modest role when he presides over the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, in keeping with his frequently repeated insistence that judges are not politicians. The country’s last prolonged look at Roberts came 14 years ago, when he told senators during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing that judges …

John Roberts Played This Supreme Court Term Perfectly
5 years, 6 months ago

John Roberts Played This Supreme Court Term Perfectly

Slate  

When Justice Anthony Kennedy retired a year ago, it was obvious that Chief Justice John Roberts—nobody’s median anything—would become the court’s center of gravity, while remaining its center of gravitas. If there could be a one-sentence summary of his majority opinion in the term’s census case—in which the chief joined the court’s liberals to refuse to allow Donald Trump’s commerce …

Chief Justice John Roberts Becomes Supreme Court's Swingman
5 years, 6 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts Becomes Supreme Court's Swingman

NPR  

Chief Justice John Roberts Becomes Supreme Court's Swingman In two major 5-to-4 Supreme Court decisions Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the conservatives in one, and then for the liberals in another. NOEL KING, HOST: Chief Justice John Roberts is now the Supreme Court's swing man. But as NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg reports, it was the liberal …

Chief Justice John Roberts is about to show his cards
5 years, 6 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts is about to show his cards

CNN  

Washington CNN — With a deadline for nearly 30 cases looming and weighty issues of religion, gerrymandering and the 2020 census pending, Chief Justice John Roberts took his black leather chair at the bench this week and said three decisions were ready to be announced. This is the first time in Roberts’ 14 years as chief justice that he will …

What to make of Chief Justice John Roberts?
5 years, 10 months ago

What to make of Chief Justice John Roberts?

CNN  

Washington CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts has broken with his conservative brethren and joined liberal justices several times in recent weeks, in cases from abortion, to asylum policy to the death penalty. Without Roberts’ recent votes with liberals, for example, the justices would have retrenched on their abortion rights precedent and separately endorsed refugee restrictions that a leading conservative …

Justice Ginsburg Appears Strong In First Appearance At Supreme Court This Year
5 years, 10 months ago

Justice Ginsburg Appears Strong In First Appearance At Supreme Court This Year

NPR  

Justice Ginsburg Appears Strong In First Appearance At Supreme Court This Year Enlarge this image toggle caption Jacquelyn Martin/AP Jacquelyn Martin/AP Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — the oldest, tiniest and possibly most well-known justice — returned to her perch on the bench Tuesday, asking questions in a firm and strong voice. Sponsor Message As luck would have it, …

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