Threats to Rule of Law Webinar

The Ohio Fair Courts Alliance and Common Cause Ohio are hosting a (c)(3) virtual webinar on Thursday, June 26 at 6:00 pm focused on the threats to due process, the rule of law, and the US Constitution. Civil rights experts Subodh Chandra and Omar Noureldin will explore recent violations, highlight pivotal court cases, and what we can do in this unprecedented moment. Register here.

Civil Disagreements Debate Series

Courts Matter Illinois followers and all those interested are invited to attend this virtual series of moderated debates on current, critical, and often, contentious, civic questions sponsored by the American Bar Association's Division for Public Education, the American Constitution Society (Chicago and Austin, TX chapters), the Federalist Society (Chicago chapter), and Reform for Illinois. Civil Disagreements Debate Series

Senate Judiciary Committee Schedule

The committee has moved up the first mark-up of eligible nominees from the June 4th hearing. It will now be on June 18 with votes scheduled for June 26. Depending on whether the nominees get their written questionnaires in on time, the mark-up could include Whitney Hermandorfer, nominated for the Sixth Circuit Court, and district court nominees Joshua Divine for both the Eastern and Western District Courts of Missouri, and District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri nominees Zachary Bluestone, Maria Lanahan, and Judge Christian Stevens. On June 25, the next hearing will occur featuring: Emil Bove to the Third Circuit Court; Judge Ed Artau to the Southern District of Florida; and Judge Kyle Dudek, Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe, Judge Jordan Pratt, and John Guard to the District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Emil Bove, who was Trump’s personal lawyer, is also responsible for retaliating against the US prosecutors who prosecuted the January 6 insurrectionists. The list of Trump nominees is dominated by movement conservatives with troubling records. 

 Hear Supreme Court Oral Arguments 

Supreme Court Decisions

On June 18, the Supreme Court voted 6-3, upholding Tennessee’s cruel and dangerous law barring gender-affirming health care for people under 18. The decision, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts held that the ban did not warrant heightened scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause. The three families who brought the case argued that the law constituted sex discrimination. There are 27 states with similar laws. In a concurring opinion, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Amy Coney Barrett indicated that they would go further in denying rights to transgender people. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor explained the impact as doing, “untold harm to transgender children and the parents and families who love them.” 

The Court on June 20, ruled 7-2 in Stanley v. City of Sanford, FL, a case involving a retired firefighter who sued because of the reduction in health benefits for retirees. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion which said she could not sue under the Americans With Disabilities Act because she did not work for the city when she filed her challenge.

Headlines

(NYTimes) The Supreme Court’s blindness to transgender reality

(Reuters) Supreme Court sets test for which courts can hear EPA cases

(Balls and Strikes) Senate Democrats are letting Trump’s judicial nominees off the hook

(Slate) Trump’s judicial nominees can’t say whether Jan. 6 happened. Where are Democrats?

(NYTimes) How Amy Coney Barrett is confounding the right and left

(New Republic) Senate GOP’s remedy for anti-Trump lawsuits? Make them impossible.

(The Hill) Poll shows Trump’s clash with courts puts GOP on defense

Trump Administration's Love/Hate Affair with the Courts

Read Courts Matter Illinois Chair and Co-Founder Carole Levine's latest blog post.