05/03/2018

U.S. Supreme Court Decisions Looming in June

Thirty-nine cases have been argued since this term started

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is set to render some highly anticipated opinions as it approaches the end of the current term in June.

The court is done with oral arguments but there are 39 cases argued since this term started in October that are still pending. Included among those cases are whether President Donald Trump exceeded his power or violated the Constitution with his executive order banning most travel from a handful of mostly-Muslim countries; whether a state’s redistricting efforts should be thrown out if maps are clearly redrawn for political gain; and whether a store-owner in Colorado has the right to refuse service to someone based on their free speech rights and religious beliefs.

“The sweep of this term is simply breathtaking,” said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, at an event last week. “It’s even hard to imagine, given how slowly the court has been working through its docket, simply the crush of momentous decisions that are going to come down in the month of June.”

Justice Anthony Kennedy, frequently the swing vote on this Supreme Court, is likely to decide the partisan gerrymandering cases as well as the religious liberty/anti-discrimination case in Colorado.

Last month, during oral arguments on Trump’s travel order, justices seemed inclined to allow the third iteration of Trump’s travel ban to stand. The court has already allowed the current ban, issued last fall, to go into effect while agreeing to address the question of whether Trump exceeded his authority to ban immigrants from certain countries from entering the United States.

This article was provided to OSAE by the Power of A and ASAE's Inroads.