Trump, abortion, social media, guns: Supreme Court has lots to do, little time to do it (2024)

The court heard 61 cases this term, and 29 remain unresolved, with some decisions expected Thursday and Friday.

Here’s a look at some of the major undecided cases:

Presidential immunity

Donald Trump is arguing that former presidents areimmune from prosecutionfor official acts they took in office and that the indictment he faces on charges of election interference must be dismissed.

The Supreme Court has previously ruled that former presidents can’t be sued in civil cases for what they did in office, but it has never weighed in on criminal immunity.

The timing of the decision may be as important as the outcome. Trump’s trial in Washington, D.C., may not take place before the November election, even if the court rules he is not immune.

The issue is whether a law meant to discourage tampering with documents sought in investigations can be used against the Capitol rioters.

Abortion pill

Abortion opponents are trying to make it harder for pregnant women to obtain medication abortions. They want the Supreme Court to roll back changes made by the FDA that have made it easier to obtainmifepristone, one of the two drugs used in nearly two-thirds of abortions in the United States last year. Those include eliminating the need for in-person visits and allowing the drug to be mailed.

Most Republican-led states have severely restricted or banned abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The high court’s decision in this case will affect abortion even in states where it remains legal.

Emergency abortion

There’s a second abortion case on the docket this year: whether doctors canprovide that medical procedure in emergenciesin states that banned abortion after the court overturned Roe v. Wade.

In a case out of Idaho, the Biden administration says abortions must be allowed in emergencies where a woman’s health is at serious risk.

The state argues that its strict abortion ban does allow abortions to save a woman’s life, and doesn’t need to expand exceptions for health risks.

Guns

The justices are weighing whether to uphold a federal law that seeks toprotect domestic violence victims by keeping guns away from the people alleged to have abused them. An appeals court struck down a law that prohibits people under domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms. That court found that the law violated the 2nd Amendment right to “keep and bear arms” following the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that expanded gun rights and changed how courts are supposed to evaluate gun restrictions.

Homelessness

The most significant Supreme Court case in decades on homelessness centers on whether people can bebanned from sleeping outdoorswhen shelter space is lacking.

A San Francisco-based appeals court decision said that amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

Leaders from California and across the West say that the ruling makes it harder for them to regulate homeless encampments encroaching on sidewalks and other public places.

Advocates say it would criminalize homelessness just as rising costs have pushed the number of people without a permanent place to live to record levels.

Bump stocks

The Trump administration banned bump stocks, a gun accessory that allows rapid fire like a machine gun, after they were used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Theban is being challenged by a Texas gun shop owner who says the Justice Department was wrong to reverse course and declare them illegal machine guns after the 2017 Las Vegas massacre.

The Biden administration argues banning them after the shooting that left 60 people dead was the right call.

Chevron

The justices couldoverturn a 40-year-old decisionthat has been cited thousands of times in federal court cases and used to uphold regulations on the environment, public health, workplace safety and consumer protections. The decision colloquially known as Chevron calls on judges to defer to federal regulators when the words of a statute are not crystal clear. The decision has long been targeted by conservative and business interests who say Chevron robs judges of their authority and gives too much power to regulators.

Social media

Three cases remain unresolved at the intersection of social media and government.

Two cases involve social media laws in Texas and Florida that would limit how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. While the details vary, both laws aimed to address conservative complaints that the social media companies were liberal-leaning and censored users based on their viewpoints, especially on the political right.

In the third case, Republican-led states are suing the Biden administration over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security. A federal appeals court sided with the states in finding that administration officials unconstitutionally coerced the platforms to limit conservative points of view.

Purdue Pharma

The Supreme Court controls the fate of anationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharmathat would allocate billions of dollars to combatthe opioid epidemic, but also provide a legal shield for members of the Sackler family who own the company. The settlement has been on hold since last summer after the Supreme Court agreed to weigh in.

Wealth tax

A business-backed challenge to a tax on foreign income is being watched closely for what it might say about the fate of awealth tax, an often discussed but never implemented tax on the wealthiest Americans.

Air pollution

Republican-led, energy-producing states and the steel industry want the court to put the Environmental Protection Agency’sair pollution-fighting “good neighbor” planon hold while legal challenges continue. The plan aims to protect downwind states that receive unwanted air pollution from other states.

SEC

Another important regulatory casecould strip the SECof a major tool in fighting securities fraud and have far-reaching effects on other regulatory agencies. The court is being asked to rule that people facing civil fraud complaints have the right to a jury trial in federal court.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court athttps://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

Trump, abortion, social media, guns: Supreme Court has lots to do, little time to do it (2024)

FAQs

Who was on the Supreme Court when Roe v. Wade was decided? ›

Opinion of the Court. Justice Harry Blackmun, the author of the majority opinion in Roe. Justice Harry Blackmun authored the opinion of the Court—the "majority opinion"—and was joined by six other justices: Chief Justice Warren Burger and Justices Potter Stewart, William J. Brennan Jr., William O.

Which section of the constitution provides for the origination of the Supreme Court? ›

Article III, Section I states that "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." Although the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court, it permits Congress to decide how to organize it.

What does overturning Roe v. Wade mean? ›

The overturning of Roe v. Wade means women's ability to choose to have an abortion or continue a pregnancy is no longer protected by the constitution of the Unites States (Rohan, Editorial: Overturning Roe v. Wade: What are the implications for perinatal nurses?, 2021).

Why did the Supreme Court agree to hear Roe v. Wade? ›

Because the struggle for access to safe and legal abortion was increasingly being waged within the nation's legal system, in 1971 the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Roe case even though it could not do so in time for the pregnancy of plaintiff Norma McCorvey to be affected by its outcome.

Who wrote the majority decision in Roe v. Wade? ›

Also interesting: Justice Harry Blackmun, who would write the majority opinion in Roe v. Wade, spoke only twice during the oral argument.

Which statement describes the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade? ›

Expert-Verified Answer. The correct option for the statement that describes the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade is B. It ruled that women's right to abortion was rooted in the language of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

What was the defendant's argument in Roe v. Wade? ›

Jane Roe and the others involved based their case on the following arguments: The Texas law invaded an individual's right to "liberty" under the 14th Amendment. The Texas law infringed on rights to marital, familial, and sexual privacy guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

What was the vote for Roe v. Wade overturned? ›

Wade, ending 50 years of federal abortion rights. The Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion.

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