courts-and-law44.47 min read
Supreme Court arguments leave climate liability case unresolved
3 days ago•Source: The Washington Post
Courts And Law News
The latest courts and law stories, each synthesized from multiple sources with added background and context.
Featured Courts And Law Stories
View original source
25.53 min•5 days ago
Supreme Court to Rule on Big Oil Climate Liability in Boulder Case
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on October 5 in Suncor Energy v. Boulder, a pivotal case determining whether federal law preempts state-level climate damages lawsuits against fossil fuel companies. Boulder seeks billions in damages from ExxonMobil and Suncor for alleged climate-related harms. Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself, creating a risk of a 4-4 split that would uphold the lower court's decision without setting a national precedent.
More Top Stories
2
Cornell rape case reignites debate over ketamine abuse and campus accountability
The Washington Post•7 days ago
3
Michigan Supreme Court ruling wipes 20,000 names, including Nassar, from sex offender registry
The Washington Post•7 days ago
More Courts And Law Stories
Supreme Court faces emergency plea to revive third-country deportations
The Trump administration has requested an emergency stay from the Supreme Court to resume deporting migrants to third countries, following a recent ruling by the First Circuit Court of Appeals that blocked the practice. The Justice Department argues that halting these removals has caused logistical chaos, including cancelled flights and diplomatic issues, while preventing the removal of dangerous criminals. The administration seeks to overturn a lower court decision that mandated migrants be given a meaningful opportunity to challenge their destination before removal. This dispute centers on the Convention Against Torture, which restricts deportation to countries where individuals face a risk of torture. The policy, which has already relocated approximately 25,000 migrants, remains a central component of the administration's broader immigration enforcement strategy despite ongoing legal challenges regarding due process and human rights concerns.
Supreme Court halts Trump’s bid to curb mail ballots before pivotal midterms
The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with sweeping new restrictions on mail ballots for the upcoming midterm elections, leaving election procedures intact and preventing changes that could affect millions of voters as the races determine control of the House and Senate. The ruling represents a major setback for Trump, who had argued the rules were needed to prevent fraud.
Storm of election lawsuits fuels midterm confusion
A surge of election-related lawsuits is roiling the lead-up to the midterms, as courts race to resolve disputes over voting rules and procedures. The Washington Post highlights cases like Missouri’s election dispute with conflicting orders, illustrating how rapid, high-stakes litigation can sow confusion and uncertainty for voters and officials ahead of the elections.
Court halts Missouri’s GOP-favored congressional map amid ongoing redistricting fight
The Supreme Court temporarily blocked Missouri from using a newly drawn congressional map that favored Republicans for November’s midterms, pausing the map while a legal challenge proceeds. The justices offered no public reasoning for the emergency pause and there were no noted dissents, prolonging electoral confusion as courts weigh the map in this high-stakes redistricting dispute.
Missouri map chaos drags Supreme Court into redistricting feud
Missouri’s bid to implement a GOP-favored congressional map has been blocked by conflicting court rulings, plunging the state’s elections into chaos as deadlines loom and the Supreme Court is asked to settle the dispute.
Holdout juror in Clancy case cites reasonable doubt, foreperson says
The holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy’s 2023 trial told deliberations he had reasonable doubt but would not acquit her by insanity, a revelation relayed by the foreperson and cited as a factor in the mistrial in the Massachusetts triple-murder case.
Missouri redistricting chaos as courts clash over GOP map
Conflicting rulings from a federal judge and Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh paused Missouri’s GOP-favored congressional map, leaving races in limbo and ballots unsettled ahead of November; Kavanaugh’s decision allows a referendum on the map, marking a rare setback for Republicans in the nationwide redistricting battles that began with Trump urging changes to unseat Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
DHS seeks Supreme Court go-ahead to use Social Security data for voter eligibility checks
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow access to a broad government database that includes Social Security data to verify that would-be voters are U.S. citizens; a federal judge blocked the move on privacy grounds, and the Court is weighing this in the context of multiple voting cases ahead of the midterms.
Clancy's attorney pushes Trump pardon after mistrial
Lindsay Clancy’s attorney publicly urged President Trump to consider a pardon after a mistrial in her high-profile Massachusetts murder case, saying he hopes to broker a prosecutorial agreement acceptable to both sides.
Unprecedented felony charge against ICE officer signals shift in shooting probes
The Justice Department charged ICE officer Christian Castro with a federal felony for allegedly lying about shooting a Venezuelan migrant, a rare move that critics say signals a broader DOJ retreat from investigating shootings by federal agents and underscores accountability concerns in immigration enforcement.