The Supreme Court is back in session, and I’m sipping my coffee, ready to dive into the latest news. The new term started on Monday, and one key player will be noticeably absent: President Donald Trump. After months of confrontation with the White House, the nine justices will retake their seats without a docket full of Trump-driven cases that defined the last term. I’m thinking, “Okay, this should be interesting.” The court will decide whether to wade into Trump’s messy defamation brawl with magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, his mass cancellation of federal research grants, and his administration’s ban on transgender Americans serving in the military.
The justices have already granted 28 cases, and it’s likely they’ll decide around 35 more by June. Masha Hansford, an attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell, said there’s a good chance the court will grant more cases that will be the “highlights” of the term. I’m thinking, “This is going to be a long term.” The court will also decide on important non-Trump merits cases, including a Second Amendment challenge to bans on AR-15 rifles and a climate change case.
The court’s conservative majority has been expanding gun rights under the Second Amendment, and this term could be no different. They’ll hear arguments in cases challenging bans on AR-15 rifles enacted in Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois. Gun rights groups say the semi-automatic rifles are widely owned by Americans, while gun control advocates argue they’re more “dangerous” and “unusual” than other types of guns. I’m thinking, “This one’s going to be a tough call.”
The court will also confront a long-running dispute about whether cities and states may sue fossil fuel companies for billions of dollars in damages caused by climate change. The appeal before the court deals with one such suit from Boulder, Colorado, but the decision will likely play into dozens of other pending cases. ExxonMobil and Suncor argue that climate pollution is a federal issue, while Boulder says there’s nothing in the Constitution or federal law that backs up ExxonMobil’s position.
Immigration is another theme that’s emerging this term. The court will decide on the administration’s policy of imposing mandatory detention without bond hearings for people who entered the country illegally. The detention case could have enormous consequences for Trump’s push to round up migrants living in the United States. The court will also hear another important immigration case dealing with the Trump administration’s policy of removing certain people to countries other than their homeland.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly sided with religious schools seeking public funding, and now they’ll answer a question they’ve largely avoided: How to handle a religious school that declines to work with LGBTQ families. The case comes out of Colorado, which enacted a ballot provision in 2020 that provides state funding for a universal preschool program. Two Catholic parishes in Colorado that operate preschools sued over the policy, arguing that honoring the anti-discrimination provision would require them to violate their faith.
In conclusion, this Supreme Court term is shaping up to be a wild ride. With cases on gun rights, climate change, immigration, and LGBTQ rights, it’s going to be a term to remember. And who knows, maybe Trump will even learn to love the Supreme Court (just kidding, that’s never going to happen). As I finish my coffee, I’m thinking, “Buckle up, folks, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
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