The Obama administration says its plan to require big cuts in climate pollution from power plants is on firm legal ground. But an unexpected procedural ruling by the Supreme Court suggests a key swing justice could cast a vote to scuttle it.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard the first of two cases regarding same-sex marriage on Tuesday. California’s ban known as Proposition 8 came under scrutiny. But one legal scholar says the Court might find a way to avoid issuing a national ruling on the right for same-sex couples to marry.
President Obama’s health care law has survived one of the most historic Supreme Court battles in decades. The court upheld most of the law’s provisions, including the individual mandate, in a split 5-4 decision that will affect millions of Americans.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court upheld the practice of taking DNA samples from people arrested in felony cases, even if they are not charged. The ruling on Maryland v. King was made in a 5-4 decision. In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote: “Taking and analyzing a cheek swab of the arrestee’s DNA is, like fingerprinting […]
Every judge claims impartiality, that he or she renders decisions based on the facts in the cast at hand, but Supreme Court justices are in a particular spotlight, both today and in terms of their historical legacy. Justice Anthony Kennedy is the resident swing vote on the Supreme Court, a role he seems to relish. Rick […]