Supreme Court Archives - Page 9 of 14

Commentary: Amy Coney Barrett Exposes Society’s Double Standard on Family Size

October 12, 2020October 11, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, has seven children. Unless you have been living under a rock, you already knew that. All the media coverage of her nomination, which was announced on September 26, devoted extensive attention to this fact.

If a poll were to be taken, no doubt more Americans would be able to identify the birth country of Barrett’s two adopted children (Haiti), than the Federal Court Circuit on which she currently serves as a judge (the Seventh).

Tennessee Republicans Voice Support for Amy Coney Barrett’s Nomination to Supreme Court

October 12, 2020 Jason M. Reynolds

Tennessee’s Republican leaders are voicing their support for Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Commentary: Biden’s Threat to Pack the Supreme Court Matters

October 10, 2020October 9, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

After Joe Biden and Kamala Harris dodged debate questions about “packing the courts,” Biden, when pressed further finally said, “You’ll know my opinion on court packing when the election is over.”

Biden is playing games with the American people on what could be the most consequential issue of the election and here is why this matters.

Biden Refuses Again to Say Whether He Will Pack the Court

October 10, 2020October 9, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Former Vice President Joe Biden again refused to say whether he will pack the Supreme Court Thursday, saying that media will find out where he stands on packing the court “when the election is over.”

“You’ll know my opinion on court-packing when the election is over,” he told reporters Thursday.

Pro-Gun Group Details Why They Think Amy Coney Barrett Would Defend Firearm Rights

October 10, 2020October 9, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett would be a stalwart supporter of the Second Amendment if confirmed to the court, according to a gun-rights group.

The legislative counsel for the Gun Owners of America, one of the country’s largest pro-gun advocacy organizations, said Barrett appears to be a strict constitutionalist. He also pointed to a dissenting opinion the judge wrote in 2019 in which she wrote in favor of a non-violent felon seeking to restore his firearms rights.

Kamala Harris Refuses to Answer Question on Packing the Supreme Court

October 8, 2020October 7, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris wouldn’t answer a question about packing the Supreme Court during the vice presidential debate Wednesday.

Harris refused to explain her position on packing the court during a discussion on the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Vice President Mike Pence pushed Harris on her position multiple times.

Voters Increasingly Support Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court, Poll Shows

October 8, 2020October 7, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Voters are increasingly backing the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a Morning Consult and Politico poll released Wednesday showed.

Almost half, 46%, of voters polled by Morning Consult/Politico between Oct. 2 – 4 said that the Senate should confirm Barrett, the poll found. These numbers were up 9 percentage points since Trump first announced he was nominating Barrett on Sept. 26, according to the poll.

Paul Summers Commentary: Keep Nine Amendment to Permanently Ban Court Packing

October 4, 2020October 3, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

At the September 29th Presidential Debate, Democrat nominee Joe Biden refused to answer a question about whether he would expand the size of the Supreme Court. It is more likely that he and VP nominee Kamala Harris will, if elected, seek to pack the Court so they can appoint a new majority of more liberal Justices.

Nearly Two Dozen Republican AGs Urge ‘Prompt’ Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court

October 4, 2020October 3, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Nearly two dozen Republican attorney generals urged the Senate to hold confirmation hearings and ultimately place Supreme Court pick Amy Coney Barrett before the November election.

A total of 22 AGs signed the Wednesday letter addressed to U.S. Senators recommending Barrett’s “prompt” confirmation to the high court.

Commentary: Amy Coney Barrett and Our Topsy-Turvy Culture

October 4, 2020October 3, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

In 2017, the media reported that Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus was closing after a run of 146 years.

I beg to disagree. The circus moved its three rings, lion tamers, and clowns to Capitol Hill, and the latest act is about to begin.

A Number of Democrats Have Attacked Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett for Her Faith

October 3, 2020October 2, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

A number of Democratic lawmakers and liberal media figures have attacked Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for her Catholic beliefs.

The Catholic mother of seven first came under fire for her Catholic faith at her 2017 confirmation hearings, when Democratic senators suggested that her beliefs might make her unfit to serve as a federal judge.

Kamala Harris Dodges Court Packing Question Following Debate

October 1, 2020September 30, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris dodged questions about whether or not her party would seek to add Supreme Court justices if Republicans were to confirm a justice before the November election.

“There should be consideration to adding seats to the U.S. Supreme Court,” CNN’s Jake Tapper said following the first presidential debate on Tuesday. “Neither you nor Joe Biden are willing to give a straight answer as to whether or not you’re willing to entertain that idea.”

Court Pick Barrett Visits Senate Ahead of Confirmation Fight

September 30, 2020September 29, 2020 The Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, was on Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a day of meetings with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other pivotal Republican senators in preparation for her fast-track confirmation before the Nov. 3 election.

Joined by Vice President Mike Pence, McConnell said he was glad to welcome Barrett and “get the process started” on her confirmation. But the Republican leader declined to answer questions about whether the judge should recuse herself if legal challenges to the election between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden land at the high court.

Joe Biden Staffer Suggests Orthodox Catholics, Jews and Muslims Shouldn’t Be on Supreme Court

September 30, 2020September 29, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

One of Joe Biden’s staffers suggested Monday that Orthodox Catholics, Jews, and Muslims should be disqualified from serving on the Supreme Court due to their “intolerant” views.

Biden campaign Deputy Data Director Nikitha Rai criticized Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s religious views in a Twitter conversation Monday night with Brookings Institute Senior Fellow Shadi Hamid.

Gov. Newsom Falsely Suggests Barrett Once Opposed Tipping Court’s Balance of Power During an Election Year

September 28, 2020September 27, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom falsely suggested Saturday that United States Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett once railed against tipping the balance of power in the court during an election year.

Commentary: Barrett Will Sail Through Confirmation

September 28, 2020September 27, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

As I write, President Trump has just confirmed what the rumor mill has been disgorging with increasing confidence over the last few days: Judge Amy Coney Barrett is his pick to replace the feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died at 87 a little over a week ago, as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Commentary: ‘Never Trump’ Now Means ‘Never Constitution’

September 27, 2020September 26, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

We went from Never Trump to Never Constitution in a nanosecond, it seems.

Entrenched foes of the president base their opposition on the unproven allegation Donald Trump is staining our democracy and defiling the Constitution. That arc now has reached almost full circle as the president’s enemies, desperate to deprive him of any victory, are concocting harebrained compromises outside the clear boundaries of the Constitution related to the next Supreme Court justice.

Trump Picks Conservative Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court

September 26, 2020September 26, 2020 The Associated Press

President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Saturday, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effort.

Republican senators are already lining up for a swift confirmation of Barrett ahead of the Nov. 3 election, as they aim to lock in conservative gains in the federal judiciary before a potential transition of power. Trump, meanwhile, is hoping the nomination will serve to galvanize his supporters as he looks to fend off Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump Has Reportedly Chosen His Next Supreme Court Justice Nominee

September 26, 2020September 25, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Donald Trump will nominate federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States, multiple outlets reported Friday evening.

Sources close to the process said that Trump will announce Barrett as the Supreme Court nominee Saturday, according to the New York Times. Trump is not known to have met with any other candidate for the vacancy, the Times reported, noting that aides warned there is a possibility Trump could change his mind before the announcement.

Minnesota, Virginia Congressmen Propose Constitutional Amendment to Limit Supreme Court Size at Nine Justices

September 26, 2020 Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Reps. Collin C. Peterson (D-MN-07) and Denver Riggleman (R-VA-05) said they want to make sure that neither political party can ever pack the Supreme Court.

In a bipartisan joint press release issued Thursday, the representatives said they introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to permanently set the number of U.S. Supreme Court Justices at nine.

Minnesota, Virginia Congressmen Propose Constitutional Amendment to Limit Supreme Court Size at Nine Justices

September 26, 2020September 25, 2020 Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Reps. Collin C. Peterson (D-MN-07) and Denver Riggleman (R-VA-05) said they want to make sure that neither political party can ever pack the Supreme Court.

Commentary: No Reason for Senate GOP to Wait Until After Election to Confirm Trump’s Ginsburg Replacement to Supreme Court

September 25, 2020September 24, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is under enormous pressure from his Democratic colleagues not to confirm whoever President Donald Trump may nominate to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court before the election.

But in truth, there is simply no reason, neither constitutional nor political, for Trump and McConnell to wait at all.

Pelosi Says ‘Large Number’ of Dems Wanted Her to Shut Down Government to Stop GOP Filling Court Vacancy

September 25, 2020September 24, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she rejected calls from fellow Democrats outside of the chamber who wanted her to shut down the federal government over the Senate GOP’s handling of the Supreme Court vacancy.

“I have the privilege of being a leader in the most diverse party in every possible way including opinion. A large number of people outside, not in the House, but outside wanted me to shut down government because of what they’re doing on Justice Ginsburg. Shut down government? I’m not a big believer in shutting down government,” she

Republicans to Take Pennsylvania Mail-in Voting Case to Supreme Court

September 24, 2020September 23, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Republicans will ask the Supreme Court to review a ruling out of Pennsylvania that extended the due date for mail-in ballots for the coming presidential election. This will be the first political test of the Supreme Court following the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last Friday evening.

Senate GOP Lines up with Trump to Quickly Fill Court Seat

September 23, 2020September 22, 2020 The Associated Press

Senate Republicans have swiftly fallen in line behind President Donald Trump’s push to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat as one of the last holdouts, Sen. Mitt Romney, said Tuesday he supports a vote despite Democrats’ objections it’s too close to the Nov. 3 election.

Trump, who will announce his nominee Saturday, is all but certain to have the votes to confirm his choice.

Commentary: Dear GOP Senate, Please Get This Right!

September 23, 2020September 22, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

As Jack Nicholson said in “Terms of Endearment,” you were just inches from a clean getaway.
Armed with a wholly unimpressive list of accomplishments from the past four years, with the exception of confirming hundreds of federal judges, you were prepared to return home to defend your paltry record with little more than the argument that the other side is much, much worse. Which, lucky for you, is true.

Democrats Say They Will Pack the Court if Republicans Vote to Replace Ginsburg in 2020

September 21, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Prominent Democrats are threatening to expand the size of the Supreme Court to cancel out President Donald Trump’s court picks if Republicans vote on late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement this year.

Left-wing activists have been pushing Democratic politicians to endorse court-packing since Justice Anthony Kennedy’s 2018 retirement cleared the way for Justice Brett Kavanaugh to join the high court. Some congressional Democrats embraced the idea following Ginsburg’s death Friday night.

Democrats on Filling a SCOTUS Vacancy in 2016: ‘A Responsibility to Vote’

September 21, 2020September 20, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Several Democratic leaders favored a Senate confirmation vote for President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland in 2016.

Following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Obama nominated Garland, who had been the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to block a confirmation vote for Garland until after the 2016 presidential election, The Washington Post reported.

Biden in 2016: SCOTUS Confirmation Can Happen ‘a Few Months Before a Presidential Election’ If Senate Is Involved in Pick

September 20, 2020September 19, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Former vice president Joe Biden said in 2016 that he would have considered a Supreme Court justice nominee in an election year if the president had consulted the senate on the nominee.

“I would go forward with the confirmation process as chairman even a few months before a presidential election. If the nominee were chosen with the advice and not merely the consent of the Senate just as the constitution requires,” Biden said during a 2016 speech at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Commentary: For the Sake of the Constitution, and the Country, Fill Ginsburg’s Seat Quickly

September 20, 2020September 19, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday at the age of 87. Her passing was not unexpected. On the contrary, her steadily worsening condition over the past several years left her increasingly incapacitated. After Donald Trump’s election in 2016, many on the Left expressed dismay that she chose to stay on the court rather than resign and let President Obama nominate her replacement.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski Has Said She Will Not Vote on Any Supreme Court Nominee Until After the Inauguration

September 20, 2020September 19, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski has said she would not vote to replace a Supreme Court justice until after the inauguration.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday evening at her home at the age of 87. Murkowski, a pro-choice moderate from Alaska, is often a swing vote in the Senate.

Trump Promises to Nominate a New Justice ‘Without Delay’

September 20, 2020September 19, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Donald Trump promised Saturday to nominate a new Supreme Court justice “without delay.”

“We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices,” the president tweeted Saturday morning, tagging the Republican Party in his tweet.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis Says He Will Support Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee

September 20, 2020September 19, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said Saturday that he would support whomever President Donald Trump nominates to the Supreme Court.

Tillis’s statement comes just over six weeks before the presidential election. A seat on the Supreme Court became vacant Friday evening when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died of pancreatic cancer at age 87.

After Ginsburg: McConnell Pledges Quick Vote on Successor

September 19, 2020September 18, 2020 The Associated Press

The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just over six weeks before the election cast an immediate spotlight on the high court vacancy, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell quickly vowing to bring to a vote whoever President Donald Trump nominates.

McConnell, in a statement just over an hour after Ginsburg’s death was announced, declared unequivocally that Trump’s nominee would receive a vote, even though he had stalled President Barack Obama’s choice for months ahead of the 2016 election, eventually preventing a vote.

BREAKING: Supreme Court Says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Has Died of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer at Age 87

September 18, 2020September 18, 2020 The Associated Press

Supreme Court says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died of metastatic pancreatic cancer at age 87.

Trump Releases List of 20 New Possible Supreme Court Picks

September 10, 2020September 9, 2020 The Associated Press

Hoping to replicate a strategy that has long been seen as key to his appeal among conservative voters, President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is adding 20 names to a list of Supreme Court candidates that he’s pledged to choose from if he has future vacancies to fill.

Trump Readying Potential Supreme Court Nominee List Including Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Robert Young

September 9, 2020September 8, 2020 The Associated Press

President Donald Trump is preparing to again release a list of potential Supreme Court nominees, one that voters can compare to rival Joe Biden’s promise to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that Trump’s list will be released soon. “I’m optimistic that you’ll see those SCOTUS picks in coming days,” Meadows said.

Trump Admin Asks Supreme Court to Require in Person Doctors Appointment for Women Seeking Abortion Pills

August 29, 2020August 28, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to reinstate a requirement that a woman must visit her health care provider to obtain abortion drugs.

“Given that surgical methods of abortion remain widely available, the enforcement of longstanding safety requirements for a medication abortion during the first ten weeks of pregnancy does not constitute a substantial obstacle to abortion access, even if the COVID-19 pandemic has made obtaining any method of abortion in person somewhat riskier,” acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall said, according to CNN.

Opioids, Violence and the Supreme Court Largely Omitted from DNC Convention Speeches

August 24, 2020August 23, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Democrats focused on coronavirus, climate change, racial inequality and more during their party’s convention, but none pf the keynote speakers mentioned rising violence in cities across the country or the opioid epidemic during the primetime program.

The two issues have been worsening in part due to nationwide unrest and the pandemic, media reports and studies say. The Supreme Court — a large focus of the 2016 election — was also largely ignored.

US Supreme Court Denies Nevada Church’s Appeal of Virus Rule

July 25, 2020July 24, 2020 The Associated Press

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% of capacity with proper social distancing.

Justice Ginsburg Says Cancer Has Returned, but Won’t Retire

July 18, 2020July 17, 2020 The Associated Press

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Friday she is receiving chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer, but has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court.

The 87-year-old Ginsburg, who has had four earlier bouts with cancer including pancreatic cancer last year, said her treatment so far has succeeded in reducing lesions on her liver and she will continue chemotherapy sessions every two weeks “to keep my cancer at bay.”

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Released from Hospital

July 16, 2020July 15, 2020 The Associated Press

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was discharged from a hospital after being treated for a possible infection.

A court spokeswoman said in an emailed statement that the 87-year-old Ginsburg was “home and doing well.”

Justice Ginsburg Treated in Hospital for Possible Infection

July 14, 2020July 14, 2020 The Associated Press

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was being treated for a possible infection and was expected to stay in the hospital for a few days following a medical procedure, the Supreme Court said in a statement Tuesday.

The court said that the 87-year-old Ginsburg went to a hospital in Washington on Monday evening after experiencing fever and chills. She then underwent a procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday afternoon to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last August when she was treated for a cancerous tumor on her pancreas.

Commentary: Trump Tax Cases Highlight the Court as Servant of the Administrative State

July 11, 2020July 10, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The president was not whining when he tweeted about the continuing “political prosecution” permitted by the two tax returns cases issued Wednesday by the Supreme Court. These two cases, although short-term wins for Trump, illustrate the role of the federal and state courts in the administrative state and reveal the burdens this conglomeration places on a reforming president. Let’s take the worst of the bad news first.

The Supreme Court Keeps Trump Taxes Private for Now

July 10, 2020July 9, 2020 The Associated Press

Rejecting President Donald Trump’s complaints that he’s being harassed, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday in favor of a New York prosecutor’s demands for the billionaire president’s tax records. But in good political news for Trump, his taxes and other financial records almost certainly will be kept out of the public eye at least until after the November election.

In a separate case, the justices kept a hold on banking and other documents about Trump, family members and his businesses that Congress has been seeking for more than a year. The court said that while Congress has significant power to demand the president’s personal information, it is not limitless.

Commentary: Supreme Court Rules Right in Case About Soros-Backed Organization Wanting US Foreign Aid to Go to Anti-American Groups

July 8, 2020July 7, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Supreme Court has upheld the right of the United States government to distribute aid to foreign organizations in accordance with American interests. The June 29 decision in Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International represents a significant win for the protection of American freedoms.

The case affirms a vital principle of U.S. foreign involvement, one dear to the heart of the American taxpayer—U.S. money spent abroad must support U.S. interests and priorities. If a foreign organization wants our money, it cannot violate American positions.

Despite Supreme Court Win, Energy Companies Cancel $8 Billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline

July 6, 2020July 5, 2020 The Associated Press

The developers of the long-delayed, $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline announced the cancellation of the multi-state natural gas project Sunday, citing uncertainties about costs, permitting and litigation.

Despite a victory last month at the United States Supreme Court over a critical permit, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy said in a news release that “recent developments have created an unacceptable layer of uncertainty and anticipated delays” for the 600-mile project designed to cross West Virginia and Virginia into North Carolina.

Supreme Court to Determine Whether Congress Can See Redactions in the Mueller Report

July 5, 2020July 4, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Supreme Court announced Thursday that it will hear a case that will decide whether Congress can see redacted portions of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The case’s arguments will most likely be heard in the fall after the presidential election, and the Supreme Court will likely reach a decision in 2021, The New York Times reported. The case came after the House Judiciary Committee requested grand jury documents the Department of Justice redacted from the Mueller report.

Conservatives Praise Supreme Court for Ruling States Can’t Discriminate Against Religious Schools

July 1, 2020June 30, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

The U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday that states can’t cut religious schools out of programs that send public money to private education in a 5-4 ruling.

Hailed as a victory for religious freedom, the justices upheld a Montana scholarship program that allows state tax credits for private schooling in which almost all the recipients attend religious schools.

Conservatives Call Out Chief Justice John Roberts on Abortion Ruling: ‘He’s a Disgrace’

June 30, 2020June 29, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Mary Margaret Olohan Conservatives are turning against Chief Justice John Roberts after the Supreme Court justice sided with liberal judges in a monumental abortion ruling. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with liberal members of the court in the close 5-4 ruling, writing that “the Louisiana law imposes a burden…