supreme court

  • 10 Thoughts on Anna Holmes’ New York Times Op-Ed ‘Black With (Some) White Privilege’

    Anna Holmes, the founder of Jezebel and editorial director at Topic.com, recently wrote an op-ed for the New York Times titled, “Black With (Some) White Privilege.” Full disclosure: I’m part of a currently running, very interesting and insightful documentary series she executive-produced called The Loving Generation, which explores the lives and identities of kids born…

  • The Supreme Court Case That Could End Political Gerrymandering for Good

    The Supreme Court will hear arguments today on whether Wisconsin’s legislative maps are so extremely partisan that they are, in fact, unconstitutional. It’s a case that could fundamentally reshape the way politics is practiced in America. As The Nation reports, legal scholars and voting rights activists claim that in 2010, Wisconsin’s Republican Legislature sought to…

  • Black Man Takes Miss. Flag to Supreme Court Because … Look at It

    A black Mississippi man who argues that the state’s flag is a symbol of white supremacy is taking his fight to the Supreme Court of the United States, setting the stage for the possibility that SCOTUS could ban all official use of Confederate imagery. According to an Associated Press report, in February 2016, Carlos Moore…

  • The Supreme Court Just Unblocked Part of Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban

    On Monday the Supreme Court announced that it would hear President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban and decide whether the president can prevent travel to the U.S. from six mostly Muslim countries. As expected, the president, who has the moral compass of a teenage boy, took to Twitter (because nothing says “leader of the free…

  • Supreme Court Rejects Appeal to Reinstate NC’s Strict Voter-ID Law

    The Supreme Court on Monday said that it had zero time for North Carolina and its shenanigans, rejecting an appeal to reinstate its stupid voter-identification laws, which a lower court had ruled targeted African Americans “with almost surgical precision.” The justices instead let stand the lower court’s ruling, which struck down the photo-ID requirement and…

  • Rookie Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch Just Can’t STFU

    On his first day as a Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch asked 22 questions, more than any other justice making his or her first appearance on the highest court in the land. Because Gorsuch also wants so badly to imitate the justice he replaced, the late Antonin Scalia, he was also aggressive in his questioning…

  • This Secret Form of Voter Suppression Might Be the Civil Rights Issue of Our Time

    When federal judge Nelva Gonzales struck down Texas’ discriminatory voter-identification law on Monday, voting rights advocates applauded the ruling as if the minorities barred from casting ballots had won the Super Bowl. Amy Rudd, the attorney who represented the NAACP Texas State Conference and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said, “We hope today’s decision sends…

  • Neil Gorsuch Confirmed to Supreme Court After GOP Changed Playing Field

    After the Republicans adjusted the rules in their favor, the Senate voted Friday to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Gorsuch, 49, will become the 113th justice to the highest court in the land and will serve a lifetime appointment, which means he’ll be messing shit up for possibly the next 30-40 years. The…

  • All the Weird Shit Going On at Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing

    Admittedly, I watch congressional hearings even when I’m not covering them. I also watch Supreme Court confirmation hearings, but not because I believe anything will change because of them. It’s like watching professional wrestling: We all know the fights are scripted, but it doesn’t stop us from cheering for a winner. Neil Gorsuch’s Senate confirmation…

  • Supreme Court Orders New Hearing in Case of Texas Inmate’s Racially Biased Death Sentence 

    Duane Buck may get justice yet. On Wednesday the Supreme Court of the United States ordered a new hearing for Buck, a black Texas inmate who has sat for years on death row, after hearing claims that improper testimony about his race got him sentenced to death. As The Guardian reports, justices voted 6-2 in…