Justice Brett Kavanaugh

SCOTUSblog highlights memorable live blog comments from the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Supreme Court terms, including reader questions about clerks and tariffs. The article discusses recurring topics like the 'box count' and '#WaitingForAmy' during opinion announcements.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down limits on coordinated spending between political parties and candidates in a case from Ohio, citing First Amendment rights. The decision allows parties to coordinate messaging with candidates, removing restrictions that had been in place since the 1970s.

Nikki Hiltz, an American Olympic runner who identifies as transgender nonbinary, expressed disappointment after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of West Virginia and Idaho, upholding state laws requiring student-athletes to compete based on biological sex at birth. The decision, backed by Alliance Defending Freedom, supports laws protecting women's sports but opposes access for transgender athletes, with 23 states still lacking such restrictions.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that campaign finance limits on political parties violate the First Amendment, striking down coordinated spending limits between federal candidates and parties. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion, while Justice Elena Kagan dissented, warning of increased corruption risks. The decision, which affects the Federal Election Campaign Act, was supported by Republican officials and criticized by advocacy groups for enabling greater donor influence.

The Supreme Court is set to announce decisions on birthright citizenship, transgender sports, and political spending cases. Solicitor General D. John Sauer and other officials attended the session, with predictions suggesting Justice Kavanaugh might handle the transgender and political spending cases, while Chief Justice Roberts may address birthright citizenship.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state laws restricting trans girls and women from participating in school sports do not violate Title IX or the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The decision, led by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, upheld bans in West Virginia and Utah but included a footnote clarifying the ruling does not address whether trans women may compete in women’s sports, leaving that issue for lower courts.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that states can prohibit transgender athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams, upholding laws in West Virginia and Idaho. Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s majority opinion emphasized biological sex differences for fair competition, while opponents called the decision harmful. The ruling does not resolve debates over Title IX’s application to transgender athletes.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld state laws banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports teams in Idaho and West Virginia, ruling 6-3 that the bans do not violate the Equal Protection Clause or Title IX. The decision, authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, affirmed that states may set 'reasonable' provisions for sports participation based on biological sex, while dissenting justices argued for further factual review.

The Supreme Court struck down limits on political party spending in a 6-to-3 decision, ruling the 1974 law violated First Amendment rights. The ruling allows parties to raise and spend unlimited funds while coordinating with candidates, overturning a 2001 precedent. Republicans, supported by the Trump Justice Department, argued the restrictions lacked anti-corruption justification.

The Supreme Court upheld state bans preventing transgender girls from competing on girls’ and women’s school sports teams, with a 6-3 decision supporting laws in Idaho and West Virginia. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the majority, rejected arguments against the bans, which are expected to influence similar laws in over half of U.S. states.

The Supreme Court blocked a Roundup cancer lawsuit in a 7-2 decision, ruling federal law prevents state failure-to-warn claims against Monsanto. The ruling overturned a $1.25 million jury award to John Durnell and is expected to dismiss thousands of similar lawsuits, though a $7.25 billion class-action settlement remains intact. Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Neil Gorsuch dissented, arguing the decision relies on a non-existent labeling requirement.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Monsanto (now owned by Bayer), shielding the company from state liability over its weed killer Roundup. The decision held that federal law preempts state claims regarding pesticide labeling, with Justice Kavanaugh writing the majority opinion and Justice Jackson dissenting.

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Pitchford v. Cain that a Mississippi trial judge improperly analyzed racial discrimination claims in jury selection, leading to the overturning of Terry Pitchford's conviction and death sentence. The case involved the prosecution's use of peremptory challenges to remove Black jurors, which violated the Batson v. Kentucky ruling against racially biased jury selection.

The Supreme Court limited the scope of the Voting Rights Act's Section 2 in a 6-3 ruling, narrowing states' ability to use race in redistricting. The decision centers on Louisiana's 2024 congressional map, which created a second majority-Black district, and could impact minority representation and trigger legal challenges. Conservative justices suggested Section 2 might have a 'sunset period,' while the NAACP warned the ruling could destabilize voting maps nationwide.