This is how the supreme court could transform American life today
There’s no telling what decisions the supreme court will release at 10am eastern time today, but the chances are high that the nine-justice bench, where conservatives hold a majority and last year showed a willingness to upend longstanding practice in American society, will issue opinions on several weighty matters that they have been considering.
Here are some of the cases that could have the biggest impacts:
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The court is considering a challenge to race-conscious admissions at universities. Proponents of the practice say it has helped schools admit more students of color and diversify their classes, while opponents equate it to racial discrimination.
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Another case could see the justices endorse a legal theory that would strip state courts of their power to rule on congressional maps. This could have huge consequences for redistricting across the United States, and for the greater battle for control of the House of Representatives.
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Several Republican-led states have sued over Joe Biden’s plan to relieve some federal student loan debt. The supreme court kept the program blocked while considering the challenges against it, and could kill it for good with a ruling.
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The justices could weigh in on the case of Lorie Smith, a Colorado web designer who says her religious beliefs prevent her from making websites for same-sex couples. LGTBQ+ advocates fear a ruling in her favor could open up new avenues of discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people.
Key events
Supreme court rejects challenge to state courts’ authority in redistricting
The supreme court has rejected a conservative challenge to the ability of state courts to weigh in on congressional maps, batting away a petition that could have transformed redistricting across the United States.
We are reading the decision just handed down in the case of Moore v Harper, and will let you know more about what it means for American politics.
Trump aide Nauta’s arraignment delayed till 6 July
Hugo Lowell
Donald Trump’s valet charged in the classified documents case will not be arraigned until early July after he was unable to find an attorney admitted to the Florida bar, and was also unable to appear in court after repeated flight delays, according to people familiar with the matter.
The valet, Walt Nauta, was scheduled to be answer the charges against him at federal district court in Miami on Tuesday morning, after he previously could not be arraigned at the same time as Trump because – unlike the former president – he did not have a lawyer admitted to the Florida bar.
Nauta’s hearing has now been rescheduled to 6 July.
Here come the supreme court rulings
In about three minutes, the supreme court will begin releasing decisions.
There’s no telling how many they will put out, or which cases they will issue opinions on, but we will follow it all here as it happens.
Trump aide Nauta’s arraignment may be delayed
The arraignment of Walt Nauta, Donald Trump’s valet who was indicted alongside him over the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, has been thrown into uncertainty, the Guardian’s Hugo Lowell reports:
NEW: Currently unclear whether Trump valet Walt Nauta’s arraignment will take place today as scheduled — Nauta had difficulty getting down to Miami last night because of repeated flight cancellations, and his lawyer wanted him to meet Florida counsel candidates before retaining.
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) June 27, 2023
Nauta was supposed to appear in a Miami federal court this morning to be hear the charges against him and enter a plea.
Meanwhile, Florida governor Ron DeSantis is barnstorming New Hampshire today as he tries to woo Republican voters away from Donald Trump – who will also be in the Granite State. The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports on the two men’s unexpectedly close encounter:
Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign is struggling in the crucial state of New Hampshire and may have made the situation worse by scheduling an event on Tuesday in competition with a speech by Donald Trump to Republican women, prompting one prominent strategist to call the move “stupid”, Politico reported.
“It’s the worst strategic move he has exhibited thus far,” the New Hampshire Republican strategist, Mike Dennehy, told the website. “It’s just stupid, actually. You don’t take on the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women.”
An unnamed adviser to a rival candidate chimed in, saying: “If there’s one thing you don’t do in New Hampshire, it’s piss off the grassroots women.
This is how the supreme court could transform American life today
There’s no telling what decisions the supreme court will release at 10am eastern time today, but the chances are high that the nine-justice bench, where conservatives hold a majority and last year showed a willingness to upend longstanding practice in American society, will issue opinions on several weighty matters that they have been considering.
Here are some of the cases that could have the biggest impacts:
-
The court is considering a challenge to race-conscious admissions at universities. Proponents of the practice say it has helped schools admit more students of color and diversify their classes, while opponents equate it to racial discrimination.
-
Another case could see the justices endorse a legal theory that would strip state courts of their power to rule on congressional maps. This could have huge consequences for redistricting across the United States, and for the greater battle for control of the House of Representatives.
-
Several Republican-led states have sued over Joe Biden’s plan to relieve some federal student loan debt. The supreme court kept the program blocked while considering the challenges against it, and could kill it for good with a ruling.
-
The justices could weigh in on the case of Lorie Smith, a Colorado web designer who says her religious beliefs prevent her from making websites for same-sex couples. LGTBQ+ advocates fear a ruling in her favor could open up new avenues of discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people.
Affirmative action, student debt relief hang in balance as supreme court to issue more decisions
Good morning, US politics blog readers. The supreme court will release another batch of opinions at 10am eastern time today, and chances are high that we’ll get the conservative-dominated court’s decisions on several outstanding cases that could have big impacts on American life. The justices still have not weighed in on challenges to Joe Biden’s student loan relief act, a case that could transform the congressional redistricting process, or another that could lead to the end of affirmative action in college admissions, among others. There are no guarantees that decisions in those matters will come today, but chances are better than ever; this is the last week of the court’s term, and the supreme court has only 10 outstanding cases remaining.
That’s not all that’s going on today:
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Walt Nauta, Donald Trump’s valet who was indicted alongside him earlier this month on federal charges related to helping hide classified government documents at Mar-a-Lago, will be arraigned in Miami.
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Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a leading rival for next year’s Republican presidential nomination, are both campaigning in early primary state New Hampshire.
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Anthony Fauci, the US public health chief who became a household name after Covid-19 broke out, will teach at Georgetown University in Washington DC after retiring from the National Institutes of Health last year.
