U.S. Supreme Court in Washington
People wait in line outside the U.S. Supreme Court the morning before justices are expected to issue opinions in pending cases, in Washington, U.S., June 14, 2024.
Companies Involved:
- Amalgamated Bank
- Meta Platforms Inc.
- NVIDIA Corp
March 10 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court’s current term includes cases involving guns, gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, online pornography, religious rights, TikTok, preventive healthcare, Planned Parenthood funding, job discrimination, federal regulatory powers on nuclear waste storage and vape products, voting rights, and more.
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Here is a look at some of the cases already decided and still to be decided by the justices.
Transgender Rights
The court’s conservative justices indicated their willingness to uphold a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors during arguments on December 4 in a major case that could affect various other state laws targeting transgender people.
Biden’s administration appealed a lower court’s decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on medical treatments, including hormones and surgeries for minors experiencing gender dysphoria. That refers to the significant distress that can result from incongruity between a person’s gender identity and the sex they were assigned at birth.
A ruling is expected by the end of June.
‘Ghost Guns’
The court heard arguments on October 8 over the legality of a 2022 federal regulation devised by Democratic former President Joe Biden’s administration to crack down on “ghost guns,” largely untraceable firearms whose use has proliferated in crimes.
A lower court found that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its authority in issuing the rule targeting parts and kits for ghost guns, which can be assembled at home in minutes. The justices during the arguments signaled a willingness to uphold the regulation.
A ruling is expected by the end of June.
Mexico Guns Lawsuit
The justices signaled sympathy on March 4 toward a bid by two American gun companies to throw out the Mexican government’s lawsuit accusing them of aiding illegal firearms trafficking to drug cartels and fueling gun violence in the southern neighbor of the United States.
They heard arguments in an appeal by firearms maker Smith & Wesson and distributor Interstate Arms of a lower court’s ruling allowing the lawsuit to proceed on the grounds that Mexico has plausibly alleged that the companies aided and abetted illegal gun sales, harming its government.
A ruling is expected by the end of June.
U.S. TikTok Ban
The justices on January 17 upheld a law banning TikTok in the United States on national security grounds if its Chinese parent company ByteDance did not sell the short-video app by a deadline set by Congress.
The justices ruled 9-0 that the law, passed by Congress last year and signed by Biden, did not violate the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protection against government abridgment of free speech.
The justices affirmed a lower court’s decision that had upheld the measure. Republican President Donald Trump, Biden’s successor, subsequently opted not to enforce the law and gave the parties time to try to reach a deal.
Online Pornograph
The justices heard arguments on January 15 over whether a Texas law that requires pornographic websites to verify the age of users in an effort to restrict access to minors violates First Amendment protections against government infringement of speech.
The justices expressed worries over the availability of online pornography but also voiced concern over burdens imposed on adults to view constitutionally protected material.
A trade group for the adult entertainment industry appealed a lower court’s decision upholding the Republican-led state’s age-verification mandate.
A ruling is expected by the end of June.
Source: Reuters – U.S. Supreme Court Cases
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