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OPINION ANALYSIS

Supreme Court allows family’s suit against government for “wrong house” raid to continue

By Amy Howe on June 12 at 2:35 pm

On Thursday, the Supreme Court allowed a family to continue suing the government after FBI agents wrongly raided their home. An appeals court had found that the government could not be held liable under a federal law that generally waives the government’s immunity from lawsuits seeking compensation for injuries inflicted by federal employees. In reversing the appeals court, the Supreme Court determined the family’s claims should be evaluated under a different legal standard.

The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court held that the appeals court had applied the wrong legal test. (Katie Barlow)

OPINION ANALYSIS

Justices rule for inmate whose lawsuit was dismissed on procedural grounds  

By Amy Howe on June 12 at 4:32 pm

Writing for an 8-1 majority, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that an inmate attempting to challenge his segregated confinement in a federal prison in West Virginia should not have seen his case dismissed over the timing of his notice of appeal.

SCOTUS FOCUS

Reporters call for live-streaming opinion announcements

By Amy Howe on June 11 at 1:33 pm

On June 7, 2024, a large group of reporters covering the Supreme Court, including SCOTUSblog’s Amy Howe, sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts, asking him to consider live-streaming the audio of the court’s opinion announcements. They have not received a response to the letter, which has now been publicly released.

RELIST WATCH

Mission Creep Watch: A non-relisted case the Supreme Court might grant

By John Elwood on June 10 at 1:56 pm

A regular round-up of “relisted” petitions. This week: a dispute over whether the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act authorizes damages suits against officials sued in their individual capacities.

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 Thursday, June 12

By Zachary Shemtob on June 12, 2025

We’re expecting one or more opinions from the court at 10 a.m. EDT. Join us for the live blog, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

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

TRIBUTES

The consummate public servant

By Paul Clement on June 11, 2025

On April 23, 2025, United States Deputy Solicitor General Edwin S. Kneedler made his 160th argument before the Supreme Court, following which he will be retiring. This article is one in a series of tributes from Mr. Kneedler’s former colleagues on his remarkable career.

Edwin Kneedler was the very model of a public servant. His career at the Justice Department spanned nine presidential administrations and coincided with remarkable changes in constitutional law and statutory interpretation. The Constitution as interpreted by the courts is very different today from what it was in the final years of the Carter administration. When Ed joined the Justice Department, Antonin Scalia was a law professor, Sandra Day O’Connor was a state-court judge, and John Roberts was graduating from law school. Courts still looked to the legislative history as often as the statutory text and interpreted statutes consistent with their remedial purposes, the wall of separation between church and state was high, and executive power was near its post-Watergate nadir. All of that changed over the course of Ed’s career.  

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WHAT WE’RE READING

The morning read for Wednesday, June 11

By Zachary Shemtob on June 11, 2025

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

Coming up: Tomorrow, June 12, the court expects to issue one or more opinions from the current term. We’ll be live at 9:30 a.m. EDT that day for the opinion(s).

WHAT WE’RE READING

The morning read for Tuesday, June 10

By Zachary Shemtob on June 10, 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, June 12, the court expects to issue one or more opinions from the current term. We’ll be live at 9:30 a.m. EDT that day for the opinion(s).

TRIBUTES

The incomparable Ed Kneedler

By Gregory Garre on June 9, 2025

On April 23, 2025, United States Deputy Solicitor General Edwin S. Kneedler made his 160th argument before the Supreme Court, following which he will be retiring. This article is one in a series of tributes from Mr. Kneedler’s former colleagues on his remarkable career.

Ed Kneedler retires as the most prolific Supreme Court advocate in modern history. One hundred sixty arguments – a truly staggering number. But Ed’s legacy is far more than a number. Ed distinguished himself at the podium not just by his poise and steady defense of the government’s interests, but by his candor to the court. Ed embodies the ideal that the responsibility of the government lawyer is not to win the case at any cost, but to do justice by best serving the interests of the people – and the court. That means never overselling an argument or fact and even being able to acknowledge a weakness in your position. Ed taught that lesson to me, as he did to scores of other lawyers who had the privilege of serving with him. 

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