The fact that #SCOTUS hasn't yet ruled in Abrego Garcia isn't proof of *how* the justices are going to rule.
But the longer it takes, the more it suggests that there isn't a majority of the Court who views this dispute with the same *urgency* that so many of us do. And that's a problem unto itself.
But the longer it takes, the more it suggests that there isn't a majority of the Court who views this dispute with the same *urgency* that so many of us do. And that's a problem unto itself.
April 10, 2025 at 6:55 PM
The fact that #SCOTUS hasn't yet ruled in Abrego Garcia isn't proof of *how* the justices are going to rule.
But the longer it takes, the more it suggests that there isn't a majority of the Court who views this dispute with the same *urgency* that so many of us do. And that's a problem unto itself.
But the longer it takes, the more it suggests that there isn't a majority of the Court who views this dispute with the same *urgency* that so many of us do. And that's a problem unto itself.
#SCOTUS all-but overruled a unanimous, 90-year-old precedent through an unexplained "administrative" stay this morning, and that's only the second-most-problematic thing it did before lunchtime.
September 8, 2025 at 4:17 PM
#SCOTUS all-but overruled a unanimous, 90-year-old precedent through an unexplained "administrative" stay this morning, and that's only the second-most-problematic thing it did before lunchtime.
#BREAKING: Over dissents from the three Democratic appointees, #SCOTUS grants a stay in the third-country removals case; clears way for Trump admin. to continue removing non-citizens without a full chance to litigate the conditions in those countries (while also taking up the full merits appeal).
September 29, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Today’s unsigned, unexplained #SCOTUS ruling clearing the way for removals of migrants to third countries without any additional process is a disaster—not just on the merits, but because of the government misbehavior that it not only refuses to punish, but effectively rewards.
Me, via “One First”:
Me, via “One First”:
161. The Court's Disastrous Ruling in the Third-Country Removal Case
The majority did not just greenlight an especially odious immigration policy without any explanation; it did so in a case in which the government defied the district court—twice—with no consequence.
www.stevevladeck.com
June 23, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Today’s unsigned, unexplained #SCOTUS ruling clearing the way for removals of migrants to third countries without any additional process is a disaster—not just on the merits, but because of the government misbehavior that it not only refuses to punish, but effectively rewards.
Me, via “One First”:
Me, via “One First”:
The Acting Solicitor General has notified Congress of DOJ's intent to ask #SCOTUS to overrule Humphrey's Executor—a major 1935 ruling upholding the independence of agencies like the FCC, FTC, NLRB, etc.
fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldoc...
Because *less* independence is what we need...
fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldoc...
Because *less* independence is what we need...
February 13, 2025 at 2:14 AM
The Acting Solicitor General has notified Congress of DOJ's intent to ask #SCOTUS to overrule Humphrey's Executor—a major 1935 ruling upholding the independence of agencies like the FCC, FTC, NLRB, etc.
fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldoc...
Because *less* independence is what we need...
fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldoc...
Because *less* independence is what we need...
With seven decisions with the *same* 6-3 lineup over the last three days, I really can't wait for all of the hot takes from the folks who keep insisting that #SCOTUS *isn't* defined by its ideological division.
June 25, 2026 at 2:34 PM
With seven decisions with the *same* 6-3 lineup over the last three days, I really can't wait for all of the hot takes from the folks who keep insisting that #SCOTUS *isn't* defined by its ideological division.
I'm thrilled to share that my new book about #SCOTUS, "The Court We Need: What's Really Wrong With the Supreme Court—and How to Fix It," is now available for pre-orders:
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/812983...
The book is set to be published by @vikingbooks.bsky.social on May 4, 2027.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/812983...
The book is set to be published by @vikingbooks.bsky.social on May 4, 2027.
The Court We Need by Stephen Vladeck: 9798217061815 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
A brilliant and bracing account of the Supreme Court’s rise, its unraveling, and what it will take to save it, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Docket Richard Nixon turned...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
September 28, 2026 at 12:11 PM
I'm thrilled to share that my new book about #SCOTUS, "The Court We Need: What's Really Wrong With the Supreme Court—and How to Fix It," is now available for pre-orders:
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/812983...
The book is set to be published by @vikingbooks.bsky.social on May 4, 2027.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/812983...
The book is set to be published by @vikingbooks.bsky.social on May 4, 2027.
In Printz v. United States, #SCOTUS held that the Constitution bars the federal government from forcing or otherwise compelling local or state governments to enforce federal law.
The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia:
tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...
The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia:
tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...
January 28, 2026 at 1:41 PM
In Printz v. United States, #SCOTUS held that the Constitution bars the federal government from forcing or otherwise compelling local or state governments to enforce federal law.
The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia:
tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...
The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia:
tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...
Since April 4, #SCOTUS has issued 15 rulings on 17 emergency applications filed by Trump (three birthright citizenship apps were consolidated).
It has granted relief to Trump ... in all 15 rulings.
It has written majority opinions in only 3.
Today's order is the 7th with no explanation *at all.*
It has granted relief to Trump ... in all 15 rulings.
It has written majority opinions in only 3.
Today's order is the 7th with no explanation *at all.*
Here we go again: Over an acerbic dissenting opinion by Justice Sotomayor (joined in full by Justices Kagan and Jackson), #SCOTUS, with no explanation, grants a stay in the Department of Education RIFs case—effectively clearing the way for the Trump administration to dismantle much of the agency:
www.supremecourt.gov
July 14, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Since April 4, #SCOTUS has issued 15 rulings on 17 emergency applications filed by Trump (three birthright citizenship apps were consolidated).
It has granted relief to Trump ... in all 15 rulings.
It has written majority opinions in only 3.
Today's order is the 7th with no explanation *at all.*
It has granted relief to Trump ... in all 15 rulings.
It has written majority opinions in only 3.
Today's order is the 7th with no explanation *at all.*
To play this out, there will be literally dozens of lawsuits challenging what OMB is doing on the ground that it violates the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Trump’s DOJ will argue that the Act is unconstitutional. And this will quickly get to #SCOTUS, where it will be the biggest case of the term.
January 28, 2025 at 2:53 AM
To play this out, there will be literally dozens of lawsuits challenging what OMB is doing on the ground that it violates the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Trump’s DOJ will argue that the Act is unconstitutional. And this will quickly get to #SCOTUS, where it will be the biggest case of the term.
Someone really ought to write a book about the significance of #SCOTUS doing so many major things through unsigned and unexplained rulings, and how so much of it really is a recent phenomenon.
April 18, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Someone really ought to write a book about the significance of #SCOTUS doing so many major things through unsigned and unexplained rulings, and how so much of it really is a recent phenomenon.
This was the 28th time #SCOTUS has granted emergency relief to the Trump administration since 1/20/25.
That matches the total number of grants during the entirety of the first Trump administration. And both of those totals dwarf the *four* grants of relief (two each) during the Bush & Obama admins.
That matches the total number of grants during the entirety of the first Trump administration. And both of those totals dwarf the *four* grants of relief (two each) during the Bush & Obama admins.
September 25, 2026 at 5:33 PM
This was the 28th time #SCOTUS has granted emergency relief to the Trump administration since 1/20/25.
That matches the total number of grants during the entirety of the first Trump administration. And both of those totals dwarf the *four* grants of relief (two each) during the Bush & Obama admins.
That matches the total number of grants during the entirety of the first Trump administration. And both of those totals dwarf the *four* grants of relief (two each) during the Bush & Obama admins.
As promised, I wrote about what really bothers me about Tuesday's unsigned, unexplained #SCOTUS ruling clearing the way for the resumption of third-country removals with minimal (if any) process.
Turns out, it's a lot:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/254-four-t...
Turns out, it's a lot:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/254-four-t...
254. Four Things That (Really) Bother Me About “D.V.D. III”
“Third-country removals” raise a host of difficult procedural and substantive questions. The Supreme Court should have answered those questions *before* greenlighting deportations to torture.
www.stevevladeck.com
October 1, 2026 at 11:40 AM
As promised, I wrote about what really bothers me about Tuesday's unsigned, unexplained #SCOTUS ruling clearing the way for the resumption of third-country removals with minimal (if any) process.
Turns out, it's a lot:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/254-four-t...
Turns out, it's a lot:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/254-four-t...
#BREAKING: Over no public dissents, #SCOTUS denies Kim Davis's petition asking the justices to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges (which recognized federal constitutional protections for same-sex marriage):
www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
www.supremecourt.gov
November 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
#BREAKING: Over no public dissents, #SCOTUS denies Kim Davis's petition asking the justices to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges (which recognized federal constitutional protections for same-sex marriage):
www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
#BREAKING: #SCOTUS *denies* certiorari in one of the two E. Jean Carroll cases ("Carroll II," to the folks who follow closely).
That presumably clears the way for Carroll to collect the $5 million judgment (the $83.3 million judgment in Carroll I remains under appeal):
That presumably clears the way for Carroll to collect the $5 million judgment (the $83.3 million judgment in Carroll I remains under appeal):
www.supremecourt.gov
June 29, 2026 at 1:32 PM
There's no sugar-coating Slaughter. It's an enormously important ruling (far more important than the other three decisions #SCOTUS handed down today). It's a huge win for Trump/the executive. And it's going to have massive ramifications for the functioning of the government long after Trump is gone.
June 29, 2026 at 2:23 PM
There's no sugar-coating Slaughter. It's an enormously important ruling (far more important than the other three decisions #SCOTUS handed down today). It's a huge win for Trump/the executive. And it's going to have massive ramifications for the functioning of the government long after Trump is gone.
#BREAKING: Over a (sharp) public dissent from the three Democratic appointees, #SCOTUS clears the way for the Trump administration to remove migrants to third countries *without* giving them an additional opportunity to contest whether they face persecution or other forms of mistreatment there:
www.supremecourt.gov
June 23, 2025 at 8:34 PM
How are things going with respect to the discovery before Judge Xinis in Abrego García?
Well, the government describes as a “false premise” that it “has been ordered to facilitate Abrego García’s release.”
(That’s *literally* what #SCOTUS held.)
pacer-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/84/578815/09...
Well, the government describes as a “false premise” that it “has been ordered to facilitate Abrego García’s release.”
(That’s *literally* what #SCOTUS held.)
pacer-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/84/578815/09...
April 22, 2025 at 12:16 PM
How are things going with respect to the discovery before Judge Xinis in Abrego García?
Well, the government describes as a “false premise” that it “has been ordered to facilitate Abrego García’s release.”
(That’s *literally* what #SCOTUS held.)
pacer-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/84/578815/09...
Well, the government describes as a “false premise” that it “has been ordered to facilitate Abrego García’s release.”
(That’s *literally* what #SCOTUS held.)
pacer-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/84/578815/09...
Over at “One First,” I wrote about how the redistricting chaos we’re seeing in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia is something #SCOTUS *chose,* and how it belies both the entire purpose of the “Purcell principle” and the Court’s claim that it’s staying out of the political process:
227. "We're All Trying to Find the Guy Who Did This"
The Supreme Court has not only accelerated the race to the partisan redistricting bottom; it is directly responsible for the chaos we're seeing on the ground.
www.stevevladeck.com
May 11, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Over at “One First,” I wrote about how the redistricting chaos we’re seeing in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia is something #SCOTUS *chose,* and how it belies both the entire purpose of the “Purcell principle” and the Court’s claim that it’s staying out of the political process:
Just before 1 a.m., #SCOTUS stepped back into the Alien Enemy Act litigation with a (remarkable) ruling that suggests, among other things, that a majority of the justices is tiring of the Trump administration’s Calvinball.
For more, see the latest “One First”:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/144-the-su...
For more, see the latest “One First”:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/144-the-su...
144. The Supreme Court's Late-Night Alien Enemy Act Intervention
Just before 1:00 a.m., the justices (aggressively) stepped back into the Alien Enemy Act litigation—in a decision suggesting that a majority understands that these are no longer normal circumstances.
www.stevevladeck.com
April 19, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Just before 1 a.m., #SCOTUS stepped back into the Alien Enemy Act litigation with a (remarkable) ruling that suggests, among other things, that a majority of the justices is tiring of the Trump administration’s Calvinball.
For more, see the latest “One First”:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/144-the-su...
For more, see the latest “One First”:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/144-the-su...
Certiorari "before judgment" is how #SCOTUS takes up a full appeal *before* the intermediate federal courts have heard it.
It used to be exceedingly rare. For instance, there wasn't a *single* grant of such expedited review b/w August 2004 & February 2019.
This is the *23rd* such grant since then.
It used to be exceedingly rare. For instance, there wasn't a *single* grant of such expedited review b/w August 2004 & February 2019.
This is the *23rd* such grant since then.
#BREAKING: Over dissents from Justices Sotomayor, Kagan & Jackson, #SCOTUS grants a stay in the Slaughter case (allowing President Trump to remove the last Dem member of the FTC), *and* grants certiorari "before judgment" to decide whether to formally overrule its 1935 ruling in Humphrey's Executor.
September 22, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Certiorari "before judgment" is how #SCOTUS takes up a full appeal *before* the intermediate federal courts have heard it.
It used to be exceedingly rare. For instance, there wasn't a *single* grant of such expedited review b/w August 2004 & February 2019.
This is the *23rd* such grant since then.
It used to be exceedingly rare. For instance, there wasn't a *single* grant of such expedited review b/w August 2004 & February 2019.
This is the *23rd* such grant since then.
Jst one of MANY I could illustrate about this horrible, corrupt person. It popped into my head as I watched an award show presentation.🤣
Happy Friday, everyone! 🤘
#politics #political #politicalcartoon #drawings #sketches #illustrations #resister #ArtYear #bskyart #satire #ClarenceThomas #SCOTUS
Happy Friday, everyone! 🤘
#politics #political #politicalcartoon #drawings #sketches #illustrations #resister #ArtYear #bskyart #satire #ClarenceThomas #SCOTUS
February 27, 2026 at 11:41 PM
Jst one of MANY I could illustrate about this horrible, corrupt person. It popped into my head as I watched an award show presentation.🤣
Happy Friday, everyone! 🤘
#politics #political #politicalcartoon #drawings #sketches #illustrations #resister #ArtYear #bskyart #satire #ClarenceThomas #SCOTUS
Happy Friday, everyone! 🤘
#politics #political #politicalcartoon #drawings #sketches #illustrations #resister #ArtYear #bskyart #satire #ClarenceThomas #SCOTUS
This is a very clever and important move by the ACLU.
#SCOTUS has held that D.D.C. *is* a proper venue for habeas petitions from those held outside the United States.
This would keep the AEA case before Chief Judge Boasberg alive in a way that is *consistent* with SCOTUS's April 7 ruling in J.G.G.
#SCOTUS has held that D.D.C. *is* a proper venue for habeas petitions from those held outside the United States.
This would keep the AEA case before Chief Judge Boasberg alive in a way that is *consistent* with SCOTUS's April 7 ruling in J.G.G.
JUST IN: The ACLU has added Andry Hernandez Romero, the openly gay barber/makeup artist, as lead plaintiff in its D.C.-based class action against the Alien Enemies Act.
They say the US has "constructive custody" over those held in El Salvador. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
They say the US has "constructive custody" over those held in El Salvador. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
April 25, 2025 at 1:17 PM
This is a very clever and important move by the ACLU.
#SCOTUS has held that D.D.C. *is* a proper venue for habeas petitions from those held outside the United States.
This would keep the AEA case before Chief Judge Boasberg alive in a way that is *consistent* with SCOTUS's April 7 ruling in J.G.G.
#SCOTUS has held that D.D.C. *is* a proper venue for habeas petitions from those held outside the United States.
This would keep the AEA case before Chief Judge Boasberg alive in a way that is *consistent* with SCOTUS's April 7 ruling in J.G.G.