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SCOTUS FOCUS

Questions about Thursday’s oral argument in the birthright citizenship dispute? We have (some) answers.

By Amy Howe updated on May 13 at 10:03 a.m.

The Supreme Court will hold a rare May argument in Trump v. CASA, a dispute over orders blocking the Trump administration’s effort to end birthright citizenship that came to the justices on their emergency docket. Amy Howe breaks down the case and answers key questions on what we can expect from Thursday’s session.

The Supreme Court with trees and a flag

The three consolidated cases will be heard on Thursday as Trump v. CASA. (Aashish Kiphayet via Shutterstock)

EMERGENCY DOCKET

Unions, advocacy group tell justices not to let DOGE access Social Security records

By Amy Howe on May 12 at 7:11 pm

Two labor unions and an advocacy group urged the justices on Monday to let stand a federal judge’s decision to temporarily block members of the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security Administration records. The government faces no harm in waiting, the groups wrote. But once records are disclosed, they said, “the core harm stems from the invasion of privacy itself.”

IN MEMORIAM

David Souter, retired Supreme Court justice, dies at 85

By Amy Howe on May 9 at 10:31 am

Retired Associate Justice David Souter died on Thursday at his home in New Hampshire. He was 85. Souter served on the court from 1990 to 2009. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by Republican President George H.W. Bush but became a reliable member of the court’s liberal bloc during his 19 years there – so much so that the phrase “No more Souters” became a rallying cry when future Republican presidents had the opportunity to fill vacancies on the court.

EMERGENCY DOCKET

Venezuelan TPS recipients tell justices to let status stand

By Amy Howe on May 8 at 6:17 pm

A group of Venezuelan nationals who had been given temporary protection from deportation told the justices on Thursday to keep in place a federal judge’s ruling that blocked Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from ending their designation. To grant the government’s request now, lawyers for the group wrote, would immediately strip from nearly 350,000 people the right to live and work in the United States.

Advocates in Conversation

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San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu discusses City and County of San Francisco v. EPA, in which the court is considering whether the Environmental Protection Agency violates the Clean Water Act when it imposes generic prohibitions in a permit for a city’s water discharges, without specifying explicit standards for discharges.   
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WHAT WE’RE READING

The morning read for Tuesday, May 13

By Ellena Erskine on May 13, 2025

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Tuesday morning read:

Coming up: On Thursday, May 15, the court expects to issue one or more opinions from the current term. The justices will then hear oral arguments in Trump v. CASA. We’ll be live at 9:30 a.m. EDT for the opinions and argument.

WHAT WE’RE READING

The morning read for Monday, May 12

By Ellena Erskine on May 12, 2025

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Monday morning read:

Coming up: On Thursday, May 15, the court expects to issue one or more opinions from the current term. The justices will then hear oral arguments in Trump v. CASA. We’ll be live at 9:30 a.m. EDT for the opinions and argument.

WHAT WE’RE READING

The morning read for Friday, May 9

By Ellena Erskine on May 9, 2025

The court announced this morning that Retired Associate Justice David Souter died yesterday at his home in New Hampshire. He was 85 years old.

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Friday morning read:

EMERGENCY DOCKET

Government asks justices to allow DHS to revoke parole for a half-million noncitizens

By Amy Howe on May 8, 2025

The Trump administration returned to the Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon, once again seeking emergency relief from the justices. This time Solicitor General D. John Sauer, asked the court to pause a ruling by a federal district judge in Massachusetts that blocked the Department of Homeland Security from revoking the Biden administration’s grant of parole – that is, permission to temporarily stay in the United States for humanitarian or public interest reasons – to more than 500,000 noncitizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. 

Sauer told the justices that the order by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani “has nullified one of the Administration’s most consequential immigration policy decisions,” blocking a decision by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem “and maintaining parole for up to two years for 532,000 aliens whose continued presence in the United States the Secretary deems contrary to U.S. interests.” 

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WHAT WE’RE READING

The morning read for Thursday, May 8

By Ellena Erskine on May 8, 2025

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Thursday morning read: