By Kristen Friend, staff writer – January 11, 2012 The Supreme Court stepped into a partisan political battle on Monday that stems from three new Texas redistricting plans drawn up last summer. With the 2012 primary season heating up, the Court’s decision has the potential to affect local and national election outcomes. Currently, voting districts [...]

By Kristen Friend, staff writer – December 7, 2011 The big, albeit unsurprising, news of the current term is the Supreme Court’s decision to hear challenges to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature health care legislation. But the Court is also hearing some less publicized cases that could have an impact [...]

By Kristen Friend, staff writer – November 9, 2011 A case involving a nine-year-old boy and his passport is raising a centuries-old constitutional question about the roles of Congress and the presidency in creating foreign policy. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case on Monday during which justices questioned attorneys for both sides with [...]

By Kristen Friend, staff writer – October 12, 2011 The Supreme Court will hear a number of cases this term with potential ramifications for the nation’s criminal justice system. Today, the Court is holding a conference on one such case involving the legality of strip searches under the Fourth Amendment. States are divided on policy [...]

By Kristen Friend, staff writer – September 15, 2011 The U.S. Supreme Court will open its 2011 October Term by hearing arguments in a Medicaid funding case that could have an impact on future enforcement of the Affordable Care Act. As states contend with mounting budget shortfalls in the face of an economy still struggling [...]

By Kristen Friend, staff U.S. Supreme Court and Congress writer – July 14, 2011 Challenges continue to mount for lawmakers on Capitol Hill, with a bleak June jobs report adding heat to ongoing arguments over budget priorities and a looming deadline for action on the debt ceiling. Congress has serious issues to address in the [...]

By Kristen Friend, staff U.S. Supreme Court and Congress writer – June 14, 2011 The Supreme Court issued an opinion on Monday barring a group of investors from proceeding with a lawsuit against Janus Capital Group for allegedly making misleading statements in Janus mutual fund prospectuses. The ruling overturned a decision by the Fourth Circuit [...]

By Kristen Friend, staff U.S. Supreme Court and Congress writer – May 18, 2011 Information gained from a Freedom of Information Act request cannot be used to pursue a claim under the federal False Claims Act, according to the Supreme Court. In a 5-3 vote on Monday, the court narrowed the scope of the False [...]

By Kristen Friend, staff U.S. Supreme Court and Congress writer – April 15, 2011 The Supreme Court will hear a case next week that will determine whether federal judges have a legitimate role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The case could open the door for the federal judiciary to begin shaping climate change policy in [...]

By Kristen Friend, staff U.S. Supreme Court and Congress writer – March 16, 2011 President Barack Obama pressed for action on education Monday, directing Congress to complete an overhaul of No Child Left Behind by the start of the next school year. The request comes in the middle of an ongoing debate about what to [...]