The Supreme Court is nearing the end of its term and will soon release decisions in major cases currently pending. Here’s a rundown of some key issues being decided. 🧵
But first, we can’t forget that Trump is continuing to flood the courts with MAGA hacks in black robes who are reshaping the judiciary to serve corporations, billionaires, and right-wing extremists. If we had a just and fair Supreme Court, many of these major cases would be open and shut decisions protecting basic rights and our democracy.
Instead, SCOTUS is stacked with Trump appointees eager to roll back our fundamental freedoms, dismantle our democracy, and attack access to healthcare. Here are major issues the court recently decided or will decide within the next few weeks.
- PENDING Trump v. CASA: Whether federal courts have the authority to issue “nationwide injunctions,” which block executive branch policies from taking effect across the board while a lawsuit makes its way through the courts. This is how an organization like the ACLU can challenge a federal law and get it blocked in the courts nationwide, rather than just for specific plaintiffs. This case specifically is about whether courts erred in using a nationwide injunction to block Trump’s executive order against birthright citizenship, not about whether Trump can actually eliminate birthright citizenship. But we may learn more about what some of the justices think about birthright citizenship through the decision and any concurring or dissenting opinions.
- DECIDED US v. Skrmetti: On June 18, SCOTUS upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors. While other legal avenues exist to challenge the 25+ similar state bans, this ruling is a distressing setback and comes on the heels of Republicans in Congress weaponizing the already-deadly reconciliation bill to try to block access to gender-affirming care for trans people of all ages who get their coverage from Medicaid or ACA plans. No matter what MAGA justices or politicians say, healthcare is a human right and we will never stop fighting for trans peoples’ freedom to shape their own futures.
- PENDING Mahmoud v. Taylor: Six parents claim their religious rights are unconstitutionally burdened by not being allowed to opt their kids out of reading LGBTQ-inclusive books at their public school. For many LGBTQ+ youth, reading a book with queer characters is the first time they truly see themselves and their families. 🏳️🌈 Safety and inclusion for all means no anti-LGBTQ+ exception!
- PENDING Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic: The latest front in Republicans’ war against Planned Parenthood. They’ve been trying for years to block Medicaid patients from choosing to get their care at PP, even though federal law already unfairly denies abortion coverage to enrollees. Republicans are also pursuing this goal through Congress and the executive branch as well. This case hinges on a technicality about whether Medicaid patients have the right to sue in court over this issue.
- PENDING Braidwood v. Kennedy: This is the latest case brought by MAGA plaintiffs attempting to undermine or sabotage the Affordable Care Act. In Braidwood, the court will decide the constitutionality of the US Preventive Services Task Force, which makes recommendations for preventive care like cancer screenings to be covered without cost-sharing. The Trump Administration actually opposes the plaintiffs in this case, because the admin wants to retain maximum power over how the ACA is interpreted and enforced.
- PENDING Louisiana v. Callais: After the 2020 census, the legislature drew a new map of congressional districts that contained only one majority-Black district despite Black folks making up roughly a third of the state’s population. After courts ordered Louisiana to redraw fair maps, the legislature created a second majority-Black district—but it’s this redrawn map that is being challenged at SCOTUS. The court actually decided an identical case just two years ago, striking down Alabama’s discriminatory maps for violating the Voting Rights Act - so taking up this Louisiana case could be an opportunity for the MAGA supermajority to kill what’s left of the VRA.
- PENDING FCC v. Consumers’ Research: This case is about how much power the government can claw back from the Federal Communications Commission. Even if the MAGA supermajority does uphold the constitutionality of the FCC program being challenged, it’ll be because there’s already an existing pathway for stripping power from federal agencies—SCOTUS already overruled Chevron deference to do all the deregulatory work they need. This case also has a corruption angle: Leonard Leo, a wealthy friend of Justices Thomas and Alito, could benefit financially from the decision. And of course, Thomas and Alito refused to recuse themselves from the case.
We’ll be watching how SCOTUS rules in these cases—and regardless of the outcomes, we won’t stop fighting for justice and democracy for all.