Justice Clarence Thomas shredded the Supreme Court‘s ruling striking down President Donald Trump‘s birthright citizenship order on Tuesday, accusing the majority ruling of using an “alternative history” of the 14th Amendment and expressing dismay over how it “devalues” citizenship. The high court ruled 5-4 that the 14th Amendment provides citizenship to children born in the […]
The Supreme Court gutted one of President Trump's signature policies, rejecting his effort to end birthright citizenship. Jan Crawford has more details.
The Supreme Court justices weighed in on whether states can ban transgender athletes from competing in female school and college sports. Jan Crawford has more.
Justices to consider whether bans on AR-15s and similar semi-automatic firearms violate second amendmentThe US supreme court will consider whether bans on AR-15 rifles and similar semiautomatic firearms are constitutional.The justices said on Tuesday they will hear appeals challenging bans in Connecticut and the Chicago area in the next term. Continue reading...
The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down federal limits on how much political parties may spend in coordination with candidates, handing party committees a major win and reshaping campaign-finance rules ahead of the midterms.Why it matters: Freed from the caps, party committees can now spend without limit alongside their candidates — making them a far more powerful magnet for the big-dollar money that's flooded into super PACs over the past 15 years.Driving the news: In a 6–3 decision with a majority opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court held that the coordinated party expenditure limits violate the First Amendment.The decision overturns a 25-year-old precedent that had upheld the same limits.The intrigue: The decision comes at a time when insurgent anti-establishment candidates have garnered success in both parties.Supporters of striking down Congress' limits on coordination have said the guardrails weaken parties while super PACs and other outside groups have become dominant players, especially after the court's landmark 2010 Citizens United decision.Critics say removing the caps could let major donors evade the few remaining anti-corruption safeguards, which is a stepping stone to allowing PACs to directly coordinate with candidates.The decision could make party committees more attractive vehicles for donor money in competitive races.What they're saying: "More speech is generally better than less speech," Kavanaugh wrote for the majority.In dissent, Justice Elena Kagan warned that the ruling brings about an old era of corruption: The "Court ushers back in the same opportunities for quid pro quo corruption that the contribution limits were meant to check."President Trump praised the ruling on Truth Social, calling it "A BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS and, more importantly, The First Amendment!" His administration had declined to defend the law in court.Catch up quick: The case, National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, was brought by two Republican committees, Vice President Vance and former Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot.They argued the law prevented party committees from coordinating effectively with their own candidates on core political speech.The ruling is the latest in a line of Supreme Court campaign-finance decisions narrowing the government's power to restrict political spending.
All Things Considered host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR's editor-in-chief Thomas Evans and Nina Totenberg about her reporting on the final day of the Supreme Court term.
Republican-appointed Justice Clarence Thomas tore into transgenderism as a "lie to the public" in his concurrence on the Supreme Court's decision to uphold state-level policies restricting girls' sports to biological females.
The Supreme Court decision on Little v. Hecox out of Idaho and West Virginia v. B.P.J. allows states to do what's right.
Congress is not powerless to stop the worst aspects of birthright citizenship.