U.S. Supreme Court

4 ways law schools can support students, uphold First Amendment during times of conflict

“Is it possible to both hold a peaceful protest and allow a controversial speaker to speak?” Cassandra Hill, the dean of the Northern Illinois University College of Law, posed this question to me last month, as she moderated a LexCon '23 panel, which explored how schools can support students and protect First Amendment rights during times of conflict.

Dec 20, 2023 10:02 AM CST

Chemerinsky: A year of significant developments at the Supreme Court

“Sometimes in the past, a blockbuster term—like the one a year ago—is followed by a quieter one. But that was not true this year. It was another amazing year in the Supreme Court,” writes Erwin Chemerinsky, University of California at Berkeley law dean.

Dec 19, 2023 11:08 AM CST

Justice Thomas told lawmaker 1 or more justices might resign over low pay, raising concern about conservative retirements

Justice Clarence Thomas told a Republican lawmaker in 2000 that one or more justices might leave the U.S. Supreme Court if Congress didn’t authorize a pay raise, according to a new report by ProPublica.

Dec 18, 2023 2:55 PM CST

Check out our 9 favorite Instagram posts from 2023

It's been another fascinating year in the legal industry and for our coverage at the ABA Journal. And like clockwork, 2024 will be here before we know it.

Dec 18, 2023 8:59 AM CST

Poll: Which ABA Journal magazine cover from 2023 was your favorite?

We covered a wide array of diverse, in-depth and hard-hitting legal topics at the ABA Journal in 2023.

Dec 18, 2023 8:40 AM CST

Supreme Court again refuses to block Illinois ban on assault weapons

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday denied an emergency request to block bans on assault weapons adopted by Illinois and one of its cities.

Dec 15, 2023 9:50 AM CST

More aspiring law students are applying to fewer schools, new LSAC data shows

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, more students of color are applying to law school, according to the latest figures from the Law School Admission Council.

Dec 14, 2023 9:05 AM CST

SCOTUS accepts case on scope of law that could impact Jan. 6 prosecutions, case against Trump

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a Jan. 6, 2021, defendant can be prosecuted for corruptly obstructing an official congressional proceeding, a felony that carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Dec 13, 2023 11:47 AM CST

Supreme Court will consider whether FDA wrongly expanded access to abortion drug mifepristone

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration acted properly when it expanded access to the abortion drug mifepristone.

Dec 13, 2023 10:17 AM CST

New York can’t ban concealed carry by default on private property open to public, 2nd Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled that many restrictions in New York’s revised concealed-carry law are likely constitutional, including a requirement that applicants be of good moral character.

Dec 13, 2023 8:50 AM CST

Are former presidents ‘above the law’? Acting quickly, special counsel asks SCOTUS for Trump immunity decision

Updated: Special counsel Jack Smith asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to decide whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Dec 11, 2023 3:14 PM CST

Supreme Court declines to consider challenge to conversion-therapy ban; 3 justices would have heard case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a challenge to ban in Washington on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors, prompting dissents from three justices.

Dec 11, 2023 2:05 PM CST

ACLU represents NRA in this Supreme Court case

Updated: The American Civil Liberties Union doesn’t support the National Rifle Association or its mission. But the ACLU is representing the gun-rights group as co-counsel in a free speech case before the U.S. Supreme Court, the New York Times reports.

Dec 11, 2023 9:20 AM CST

Justice O’Connor’s judicial-reform push followed regret over 2002 decision

There are many ways to remember retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who died Dec. 1 at age 93, according to an opinion column in the New York Times.

Dec 7, 2023 12:09 PM CST

Citing mootness, Supreme Court tosses case of disability law tester who ‘singlehandedly generated a circuit split’

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed as moot a case of a disability law tester and directed a federal appeals court to vacate the opinion in her case.

Dec 5, 2023 11:04 AM CST