SCOTUS Hands Religious Institutions Two Important Victories
The Supreme Court released two of its five remaining decisions today; both were 7-2 and both were a victory for the religious.
Author: Em Carpenter
Wednesday Writs: Kavanaugh v. RoboCalls Edition
Kavanaugh writes “A robocall that says, “Please pay your government debt” is legal. A robocall that says, “Please donate to our political campaign” is illegal. That is about as content-based as it gets.”
Wednesday Writs: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Let’s discuss religious freedom in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, via another new decision fresh off the SCOTUS presses.
Pity Parler
These former Twitter brands have found an audience receptive to their bloviating on Parler. Wonderful. And also, how boring.
Wednesday Writs for 6/24
A tale of two headlines: Why Trump Keeps Losing at the Supreme Court vs. How the Supreme Court is Quietly Enabling Trump and other law tidbits
Wednesday Writs: SCOTUS, Gorsuch, and The Amalgamation of Bostock
When SCOTUS took up the cases, many feared the worst from a Court that is conservative-heavy. The 6-3, Gorsuch-authored opinion was a surprise.
SCOTUS Rules in Favor of LGBT Rights in Workplace Discrimination Case
In a 6-3 decision authored by Neil Gorsuch, the Supreme Court rules that employment discrimination against LGBT+ people violates the Civil Rights Act.
Wednesday Writs: Mailing It In Edition
Qualified Immunity, a blockbuster summer for the Supreme Court, lawyers going to lawyer, and a $67 million dollar lawsuit over missing paints in Wednesday Writs.
Derek Chauvin’s Charges, Explained
The news that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison elevated the charge against Derek Chauvin to second degree murder for the death of George Floyd brought mixed reactions. For some it was satisfactory; for others...
Unqualified: The Winding Road of Qualified Immunity
Somewhere along the way, Qualified Immunity was twisted to shield officers from consequences of actions no one can argue were ambiguous in wrongness.
Independent Autopsy Rules George Floyd’s Death a Homicide
The preliminary report: death was “caused by asphyxia due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain”.
Wednesday Writs: Lloyed Gaines Fights the Power Edition
While the significance of Brown v. Board of Education cannot be overstated, a lesser-known predecessor from thirty years prior deserves some attention
The People’s Court: Live-streaming the Supreme Court
People would be better off realizing how often a Supreme Court decision rests on a legal technicality or procedural element, as opposed to the merits of a particular position.
Wednesday Writs: Say It to My Face Edition
The confrontation clause — the right to face one’s accuser — is among the most well-known of our constitutionally guaranteed criminal rights.
Wednesday Writs: In Utero Edition
In other words, absent a will, would the person be eligible to inherit from the deceased’s estate the same as a duly recognized child?
Wednesday Writs 4/22: Ramos v. Louisiana
This week, the Court delivered its decision in Ramos v. Louisiana, in what must be among the most fractured opinions in SCOTUS history. Let me try to break that down:
Wednesday Writs: Mandatory Vaccination Edition
L1: We recently discussed, in this space, the quarantine power of the state, hearkening back to the very early 1900s and the southern scourge of Yellow Fever. Today, while some fervently hope for the...
Something Has Got to Give: Law, Liberty, and Coronavirus
I wonder how far they can go, how long this can go on, before we lose our collective willingness to submit.
Pepperoni Rolls: West Virginia’s Official Food, Not a Hot Pocket
You should try a pepperoni roll sometime if you get the opportunity. Just make sure it is an actual pepperoni roll, and not one of the weak wannabe versions
