WASHINGTON — The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is lying in state Friday at the U.S. Capitol, the first woman in American history to do so, in commemoration of her extraordinary life. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was with “profound sorrow” that she welcomed the liberal icon and opened...
Senate GOP Plans Vote on Trump’s Court Pick Before Election
WASHINGTON — Votes in hand, Senate Republicans are charging ahead with plans to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat before the Nov. 3 election, launching a divisive fight over Democratic objections before a nominee is even announced. Trump said Tuesday he will...
As Democrats Balk, Trump to Make High Court Pick by Saturday
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he expects to announce his pick for the Supreme Court on Friday or Saturday, after funeral services for Ruth Bader Ginsburg and just days before the first presidential election debate. Trump told “Fox & Friends” that he had a list of five finalists, “probably four,”...
Walters: Supreme Court Makes Local Tax Hikes Easier
In a roundabout, passive way, the California Supreme Court last week handed a big victory to the advocates of higher taxes. Without comment, the justices declined to take up a state appellate court decision that would allow specialized local government taxes to be increased by a simple majority of voters,...
Justices Rule Swath of Oklahoma Remains Tribal Reservation
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a large chunk of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation, a decision that state and federal officials have warned could throw Oklahoma into chaos. The court's 5-4 decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, means that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to...
Court Rulings Keep Trump's Financial Records Private for Now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court issued a mixed verdict Thursday on demands for President Donald Trump's financial records that will keep his tax returns, banking and other documents out of the public eye for the time being. The court rejected broad arguments by Trump’s lawyers and the Justice Department that...
Supreme Court: Some Employers Can Refuse to Offer Free Birth Control
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Trump administration rules allowing some employers to decline to provide contraceptive coverage on religious or moral grounds, which could leave more than 70,000 women without cost-free birth control. The high court ruled 7-2 for the administration, which made a policy change to...
Supreme Court Lifts Ban on State Aid to Religious Schooling
WASHINGTON — States can't cut religious schools out of programs that send public money to private education, a divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. By a 5-4 vote with the conservatives in the majority, the justices upheld a Montana scholarship program that allows state tax credits for private schooling in which almost all...
Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisiana Abortion Clinic Law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era. Chief Justice John Roberts joined with his four more liberal colleagues in ruling that...
As COVID Cases Rise, White House Seeks to Scrap 'Obamacare'
WASHINGTON — As coronavirus cases rise in more than half of the states, the Trump administration is urging the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act. The administration's high court filing at 10:30 p.m. Thursday came the same day the government reported that close to half a million people...