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OPINION ANALYSIS

Supreme Court upholds regulation on “ghost guns”

 at 2:04 p.m.

The court ruled 7-2 on Wednesday that a Biden-era rule regulating weapons that are assembled from components or kits, and are unserialized and untraceable, is valid under the Gun Control Act of 1968. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives can regulate at least some “ghost guns,” the justices concluded. But the court left open the possibility that the rule might not apply to individual challenges to particular kits or products.

Person walking in front of the Supreme Court building

The court heard Bondi v. VanDerStok at the start of the term in October. (Amy Lutz via Shutterstock)

ARGUMENT ANALYSIS

Justices appear likely to uphold FCC telecom access subsidy

at 11:24 a.m.

At oral arguments on Wednesday, justices from across the bench expressed concern about the potential consequences of eliminating a multi-billion-dollar fund that subsidizes phone and internet access for tens of millions of underserved Americans, libraries, and schools. A group challenging the fund had urged the justices to revive the long-dormant nondelegation doctrine, which could significantly curtail the power of federal agencies, but the court seemed unlikely to do so in this case. “This is simply not the right vehicle for this court to revamp its non-delegation doctrine,” conservative lawyer Paul Clement said.

Petitions of the week

In lawsuit originally filed by J.D. Vance, GOP asks court to overrule limit on campaign spending

at 2:47 p.m.

A weekly look at new and notable petitions seeking Supreme Court review. This week: The Republican Party urges the court to throw out federal limits on a form of campaign spending known as coordinated party expenditures. The party says those limits violate the First Amendment. When he was still a senator, Vice President J.D. Vance was initially attached to the suit, but it remains to be seen whether the Trump administration will back it in the Supreme Court.

EMERGENCY DOCKET

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow cancellation of grants to teachers

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The Trump administration on Wednesday came to the court asking the justices to allow it to terminate millions of dollars of grants that were meant to address teacher shortages. The administration alleges that the money was being used on programs that have diversity and equity initiatives. The emergency appeal also urged the justices to address what is known as universal injunctions, the tool federal district court judges can use to temporarily block a policy nationwide.

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