General News

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter dies at age 85

Fri, 09 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Press release from the U.S. Supreme Court:

Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, David H. Souter, died peacefully yesterday at home in New Hampshire. He was 85 years old. Justice Souter was appointed to the Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, and retired in 2009, after serving more than 19 years on the Court.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. said of Justice Souter: “Justice David Souter served our Court with great distinction for nearly twenty years. He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service. After retiring to his beloved New Hampshire in 2009, he continued to render significant service to our branch by sitting regularly on the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for more than a decade. He will be greatly missed.”

Justice Souter was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, on September 17, 1939. He graduated from Harvard College, from which he received his A.B. After two years as a Rhodes Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, he received an A.B. in Jurisprudence from Oxford University and an M.A. in 1963. After receiving an LL.B. from Harvard Law School, he was an associate at Orr and Reno in Concord, New Hampshire, from 1966 to 1968, when he became an Assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire. In 1971, he became Deputy Attorney General and in 1976, Attorney General of New Hampshire. In 1978, he was named an Associate Justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire, and was appointed to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire as an Associate Justice in 1983. He became a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on May 25, 1990.

In addition to hearing cases on the First Circuit, Justice Souter participated in civics education curriculum reform efforts in New Hampshire during his retirement.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-09-25

U.S. Supreme Court Comments on the Death of Sandra Day O’Connor.

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 06:00:00 GMT

The funeral for former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was held in Washington, D.C. today at the National Cathedral. Attendees and speakers included President Joe Biden, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Jay H. O'Connor, Justice O'Connor's son. Justice O'Connor was nominated as the first woman to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan and served from 1981-2006.

Statements From Current and Past Justices of The U.S. Supreme Court Regarding The Death Of Retired Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor may be found in the following link.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_12-01-23b

U.S.: Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor dies at 93

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:30:00 GMT

From the U.S. Supreme Court:

Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Sandra Day O’Connor died this morning in Phoenix, Arizona, of complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness. She was 93 years old. Justice O’Connor was appointed to the Court by President Reagan in 1981 and retired in 2006, after serving more than 24 years on the Court. She was the first female member of the Court. She is survived by her three sons, Scott (Joanie) O’Connor, Brian (Shawn) O’Connor, and Jay (Heather) O’Connor, six grandchildren: Courtney, Adam, Keely, Weston, Dylan and Luke, and her beloved brother and co-author, Alan Day, Sr. Her husband, John O’Connor, preceded her in death in 2009.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., said of Justice O’Connor: “A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed an historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice. She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor. We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education. And we celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot.”

Justice O’Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, on March 26, 1930. She married John Jay O’Connor III in 1952. She received her B.A. and LL.B. from Stanford University. She served as Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo County, California, from 1952 to 1953 and as a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center, Frankfurt, Germany, from 1954 to 1957. From 1958 to 1960, she practiced law in Maryvale, Arizona, before serving as Assistant Attorney General of Arizona from 1965 to 1969. She was appointed to the Arizona State Senate in 1969 and was subsequently reelected to two two-year terms, during which she was selected as Majority Leader. In 1975 she was elected Judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court and served until 1979, when she was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals.

Justice O’Connor wrote five books: Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest (2002); The Majesty of the Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice (2002); Chico (2005); Finding Susie (2009); and Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court (2013).

Following her tenure on the Supreme Court, she founded and led iCivics, the Nation’s leading civics education platform. As President Reagan said when first introducing her to the American people, she was a woman for all seasons.

Plans regarding Justice O’Connor’s funeral will be released when available.

Justice serves as scholar for teacher professional development program

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 05:00:00 GMT

North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Daniel J. Crothers served as a scholar for the North Dakota Social Studies and We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution Summer Institute held in Bismarck July 16-19.

Fifteen North Dakota social studies teachers participated in the annual professional development that covered topics ranging from the founding of the American Constitution and U.S. system of government to historical and modern constitutional challenges. Justice Crothers spoke on the Bill of Rights and the responsibilities of citizenship.

The other scholars were Tim Moore, the deputy director for the Center for the Study of the American Constitution at the University of Wisconsin, and Chris Cavanaugh, a James Madison Memorial Senior Fellow and Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher at Bismarck High School. Assisting the scholars were mentor teachers Melissa Entzi of Edgeley High School and Shannon Sorenson of Bismarck Century High School. Special guest was North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe.

The We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, is a school-based curriculum that engages students in their understanding of the history and principles of our constitutional government. Focusing on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, this program fosters civic competence and responsibility among students.

U.S. Supreme Court opinion: April 18

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 08:40:00 GMT

The United States Supreme Court has issued a new opinion.

In New York v. New Jersey, the court held that, notwithstanding opposition by the State of New York, New Jersey may unilaterally withdraw from the 1953 Waterfront Commission Compact.

Read the court's opinion at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/156orig_k5fl.pdf

Jackson sworn in as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 08:46:00 GMT

The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the 104th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on Thursday, June 30, at noon at the Supreme Court of the United States. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., administered the Constitutional Oath and Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer administered the Judicial Oath in a ceremony in the West Conference Room before a small gathering of Judge Jackson's family.

The ceremony was streamed live on the homepage of the Court's website, www.supremecourt.gov.

A formal investiture ceremony will take place at a special sitting of the Court in the Courtroom at a later date.

Read Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's official biography: https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx#KBJackson

U.S. Supreme Court opinions: April 28

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 08:19:00 GMT

The United States Supreme Court has issued two new opinions.

In LeDure v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., a per curiam opinion, the judgment was affirmed by an equally divided court.

Read the court's opinion at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-807_3f14.pdf

In Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller the court held that emotional distress damages are not recoverable in a private action to enforce either the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Affordable Care Act.

Read the court's opinion at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-219_1b82.pdf

U.S. chief justice issues 2021 report on federal judiciary

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 08:31:00 GMT

Chief Justice John Roberts has released the 2021 year-end report on the federal judiciary.

Read the report at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/year-end/2021year-endreport.pdf

U.S.: Inside virus-era Supreme Court

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 08:00:00 GMT

National Law Journal

Michael Francisco clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch until July 17 this past term, an unusually late departure caused by the scrambled court calendar resulting from the pandemic.

A month later, on Aug. 17, Francisco began his new job as a partner at McGuireWoods in Washington. Francisco, formerly a private practitioner and assistant Colorado solicitor general, believes he is the first Supreme Court clerk from the last term to start a new law firm job.

In a recent interview, Francisco described the unusual twists and turns at the closed-down court.

U.S.: Justices will hear argument in ACA case one week after Election Day

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 08:00:00 GMT

SCOTUSblog

The Supreme Court on Wednesday released the calendar for the November argument session, which will include the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act and a clash between religious liberty and LGBTQ rights.

Over five days between Nov. 2 and Nov. 10, the justices will hear eight hours of oral argument in nine cases.

On the day after the Nov. 3 presidential election, the justices will hear a challenge to Philadelphia’s exclusion of a faith-based agency from its foster-care system because the agency will not work with same-sex couples. One week after the election, the justices will hear the two consolidated ACA cases, which ask whether the law’s individual insurance mandate is unconstitutional.

Justice Thomas maps own course, at wheel of his 40-foot bus

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Associated Press

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has never been afraid to turn right when his colleagues turn left, or in any direction really as long as there’s a place to plug in his 40-foot refitted tour bus at the end of the day.

Thomas is the only justice with a second home on wheels. And while it’s unclear how he’s using it during the court’s break, he still might be the envy of his colleagues during this pandemic-limited summer.

Justices have canceled trips to the Czech Republic and Ireland, as well as the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest because of the coronavirus outbreak. RV travel, meanwhile, seems to fit with the national mood — a country cooped up and needing to get away but leery of being too close to strangers.

U.S. Supreme Court justices make rare public appearances in pandemic

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Bloomberg News

Two Supreme Court justices appeared in public this week in the kind of sightings that have become rare since the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to end the term while working remotely.

Stephen Breyer attended the American Bar Association’s first virtual annual meeting on Wednesday. In an interview with ABA President Judy Perry Martinez, the 81-year-old justice discussed everything from his fifth grade social studies assignment to criticism of the court to the resilience of the American people.

“It’s a miracle this country has survived, but it has!” Breyer said.

Supreme Court denies Nevada church's appeal of coronavirus rule

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 08:00:00 GMT

MPR News

A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court denied a rural Nevada church’s request late Friday to strike down as unconstitutional a 50-person cap on worship services as part of the state’s ongoing response to the coronavirus.

In a 5-4 decision, the high court refused to grant the request from the Christian church east of Reno to be subjected to the same COVID-19 restrictions in Nevada that allow casinos, restaurants and other businesses to operate at 50 percent of capacity with proper social distancing.

Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley argued that the hard cap on religious gatherings was an unconstitutional violation of its parishioners' First Amendment rights to express and exercise their beliefs.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg announces cancer recurrence, says chemotherapy yielding 'positive results'

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 08:30:00 GMT

CNN

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Friday she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat a recurrence of cancer. The treatment is yielding "positive results."

The liberal justice, 87, said she remains "fully able" to continue in her post.

Earlier this week, Ginsburg was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after having a fever and chills, and undergoing an "endoscopic procedure to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last August," the court said at the time.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized with infection

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 08:00:00 GMT

USA Today

Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was admitted to a hospital Tuesday for treatment of a possible infection, marking the latest medical issue for the four-time cancer survivor.

Ginsburg, 87, the court's oldest justice, experienced fever and chills Monday night and was treated at Sibley Memorial Hospital in the nation's capital. On Tuesday, she underwent an endoscopic procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to clean out a bile duct stent that was inserted last August, the court announced.

Read the court's news release at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_07-14-20

U.S.: Court releases October calendar

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 08:00:00 GMT

SCOTUSblog

The Supreme Court released its calendar for the October argument session, which begins on Monday, Oct. 5, and continues through Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The justices will hear 10 hours of oral argument over five days; they will not hear argument on Monday, Oct. 12, which is a federal holiday.

All of the cases scheduled for argument in October had originally been scheduled for oral argument in March or April of this year but were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The shift of the spring cases to the October argument session also means that the challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate will not be argued until the court’s November argument session at the earliest.

U.S. Supreme Court: Final stat pack for October Term 2019

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 08:30:00 GMT

SCOTUSblog

A Supreme Court term unlike any other has finally come to an end.

In March, some observers thought the term would end early after the court shut its doors and postponed oral arguments — the first time since the 1919 Spanish Flu outbreak that the court closed due to a pandemic. Instead, the term lasted longer than usual, extending well into July for the first time in decades.

And in May, the court heard remote arguments over the telephone with a public live audio feed for the first time ever. Those 10 arguments in May were the first time since 1997 that the court heard May arguments — and they represent the largest number of May arguments the court has heard since 1961.

U.S.: 2 female firsts at the Supreme Court announce retirements

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Associated Press

The Supreme Court said Tuesday that the first-ever women to hold two prominent positions at the court, handling the justices’ security and overseeing publication of the court’s decisions, are retiring.

Pamela Talkin’s most public role in nearly two decades as the court’s marshal has been opening court sessions by announcing the justices’ entrance into the courtroom and banging a gavel before court begins. She noted in 2005: “I’m the only person in the courtroom with a gavel.”

But her responsibilities as marshal’s job were vast. She served as the court’s general manager and chief security officer, managing approximately 260 employees, including the Supreme Court’s police force.

U.S.: Justices have a lot to say, but all is quiet in the Supreme Court

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 08:00:00 GMT

ABA Journal

In a normal June, the U.S. Supreme Court issues the last of the term’s opinions, many of which are in its most contentious and divided cases.

In the courtroom, with its steep ceiling, marble columns, red velvet curtains, and mahogany bench, the author of the majority opinion usually delivers a crisp summary, while several times each term a justice on the losing end of a case feels so strongly that he or she delivers a passionate dissent from the bench.

It makes for high drama, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once referred to people coming to the courtroom to “watch the show.”

U.S.: Justices won’t wade into fight over tribal water rights

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Courthouse News Service

Farmers won’t get paid for river water they lost out on during a drought in southern Oregon, because Native American tribes have water rights that rank above those of irrigators, stretching back to “time immemorial” — a ruling the U.S. Supreme Court refused to disturb on Monday.

It was a ruling that Klamath Tribal Chairman Don Gentry said benefits everyone, whether they are tribal members or not — despite the hardship faced by farmers who don’t have enough water to irrigate their crops.

“Tribes aren’t alone in this,” Gentry said over the phone. “The health of the environment should be important to all of our community citizens in the region.”