Court Watch with Alex Swoyer
The 'Court Watch' podcast with Washington Times legal affairs reporter Alex Swoyer breaks down the Supreme Court's major cases and top news stories about the justices, federal courts and perplexing legal battles with key insight from court watchers from both sides of the aisle.
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Recent Stories
Traditional marriage advocates sharpen message as Supreme Court eyes challenge to same-sex marriage
Suppose you think same-sex couples are the victims in the legal battle over marriage. In that case, Kate Faust says you are wrong: It is the children.
Trump asks Supreme Court to let him fire FTC official
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to intervene in yet another legal battle over the president's attempt to fire agency officials.
Texas appeals court ruling that stops Ten Commandments from being posted in schools
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing a court ruling that blocked some of the state's school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments, and is telling schools to post the religious commands despite the judge's order.
Ex-U.S. attorney for Virginia died of epilepsy in March, medical report says
The former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia who was found dead in her Alexandria home in March died of epilepsy in her sleep, according to a recently released medical report.
Trump asks Supreme Court to quickly take up tariffs case after loss at appeals court
The Trump administration took the fight over tariffs to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, asking the justices to rule quickly that the president has the power to impose sweeping trade penalties under federal law.
Supreme Court asked to hear case of Alaska taking plane from man for transporting beer
An Alaska pilot is asking the Supreme Court to hear his dispute against the state for taking his airplane -- worth nearly $100,000 -- over a misdemeanor conviction of transporting beer in a passenger's luggage.
Texas Attorney General encourages schools to say Lord's Prayer
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is encouraging Texas school boards to adopt prayer time for students in classrooms.
Trump warns of sweeping damage if Supreme Court doesn't uphold his tariff power
President Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will "suffer greatly" if a court ruling against his tariff powers is allowed to stand. Mr. Trump asked the Supreme Court to strike down a federal appeals court ruling that said he overstepped by using a 1977 law to impose sweeping levies on imports from dozens of trading partners.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett's new book opines on abortion, faith, Supreme Court
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett defends her decision to overturn abortion rights nationwide in a new book coming out this month.
'69PWNDU': Vanity license plate issue returns to the Supreme Court
A Tennessee woman is asking the Supreme Court to rule that vanity license plates are personal -- not government -- speech and cannot be censored by the state.
Trump could use Insurrection Act to send troops to Chicago, Baltimore, other cities
Democratic leaders have opposed President Trump's deployment of the National Guard to restore order in Los Angeles and fight crime in the District of Columbia, but legal experts say the Insurrection Act of 1807 authorizes him to do so.
Supreme Court asked to hear same-sex wedding cake dispute brought by Christian baker
A California baker has asked the Supreme Court to hear her challenge to a state law that would force her to create wedding cakes for same-sex couples in violation of her Christian faith.
Legal experts sound alarm on Trump's flag burning executive order
President Trump has demanded a crackdown on burning the American flag, but legal experts said he'll have a hard time trying to find cases where he can actually win convictions.
Trump asks Supreme Court to block $12 billion in foreign assistance
The administration rushed to the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking a reprieve from lower court proceedings that, if left unchecked, would force President Trump to spend $12 billion in foreign assistance that he argues is a waste.
Trump signs executive order targeting flag burning despite Supreme Court protections
President Trump signed an executive order challenging the Supreme Court's longstanding protection of flag burning as free speech, seeking to push the issue back to a court that now has a conservative majority.
Trump's order on flag burning could return the question to the Supreme Court
The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said that if it were up to him, he would jail "every sandal-wearing, scruffy-bearded weirdo who burns the American flag," But the Constitution, the conservative hero noted in 2015, protects flag-burning as a form of free speech. And importantly: "I am not king" who can outlaw the act single-handedly.
Montgomery County Public Schools resumes parental opt-outs for LGBTQ lessons
Montgomery County Public Schools resumed processing religious exemptions from LGBT lessons as the semester began Tuesday, reflecting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that sided with Christian and Muslim parents.
Justice Alito releases financial disclosure report
Supreme Court Justice Samual A. Alito Jr.'s financial disclosure was released Tuesday, roughly three months after his colleagues did -- and it revealed lackluster findings.
Supreme Court asked to hear dispute over school secretly transitioning teen to 'genderqueer'
Parents of an 11-year-old girl have asked the Supreme Court to hear their complaint against a Massachusetts school district that secretly transitioned her to genderqueer -- even having her work with a gender-transitioning nonprofit without their knowledge.
'Flagrant violation': Paxton threatens companies mailing abortion pills to Texas
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told abortion pill providers to stop sending the drug to his state, saying in cease-and-desist letters that the mailing of the abortion pill violates state and federal law.
New York appeals court tosses Trump's 'excessive' fraud fine in blow to AG Letitia James
A New York appeals court on Thursday tossed the roughly $500 million fine against President Trump in a defeat for New York Attorney General Letitia James, who won a conviction against him and his company for inflating property value and deceiving banks.
Federal judge blocks Texas law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms
Another state law aiming to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms has been blocked, making it the third time a court has pushed back in recent months on red states looking to promote the historical doctrine.
Supreme Court could strike down several decades-old precedents in major disputes in upcoming term
At least four legal disputes in the conservative-led Supreme Court's upcoming term are expected to offer the justices the opportunity to overturn decades-old precedents.
West Virginia sues health care company in ongoing opioid litigation
West Virginia has announced that it is suing a health care company for conspiring with opioid manufacturers and pharmacies to contribute to the drug abuse epidemic in the state.
Fairfax County teacher flagged school-funded abortion scheme to principal in 2022, says report
A teacher flagged the issue of school-funded abortions in Fairfax County to a high school principal years ago, but nothing was done to resolve the illegality, according to a new report.
Pro-life groups praise Youngkin's probe into school-funded abortions
A pro-life group is applauding Gov. Glenn Youngkin's state probe into a northern Virginia county school district that allegedly funded minors' abortions.
Supreme Court allows Mississippi age verification law for social media
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an internet trade group's request to block Mississippi's age verification law, which requires social media companies to confirm minors aren't using their platforms or being exposed to harmful content.
Most voters say race shouldn't be a factor when drawing up congressional districts
A majority of Americans say states shouldn't consider race when drawing up congressional districts, a new poll of 1,500 likely general election voters said.
Supreme Court to kick off new term with LGBTQ challenge, voting rights, election battles
The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to a state banning conversion therapy after a Christian counselor said the Colorado law restricts her speaking freely to her clients struggling with gender dysphoria and other LGBTQ issues.
Justice Dept. directs employees not to use preferred pronouns
The Justice Department sent out an internal memo on Tuesday directing employees not to use preferred pronouns in their email signatures.
Trump Justice Dept. reaches agreement barring race-based admissions at West Point, Air Force Academy
The Justice Department announced a settlement Tuesday that promises the Military Academy at West Point and the Air Force Academy will stop using race-based admissions preferences and instead pick future students "exclusively on merit."
Texan who was eight weeks pregnant files wrongful death suit after man drugs her with abortion pills
A Texas woman is suing her ex-lover and an abortion pill distributor after secretly being given the drug to abort her daughter after the tablets were dissolved in hot chocolate.
Courts swat down states' attempts to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms
The Ten Commandments are faring poorly in the courts, where judges are taking a dim view of Republican-led states' attempts to post biblical law in their public schools.
Four Trump legal battles still in play in two states
President Trump still faces a quartet of legal battles in New York and Georgia, even though federal prosecutions against him over charges of election interference and mishandling classified documents went away when he entered the White House.
Trump asks Supreme Court to approve ICE's arrests in Los Angeles
The Trump Justice Department sparked the next major legal battle over his deportation policies Thursday, rushing to the Supreme Court to ask the justices to give a preliminary OK to Homeland Security's aggressive push to arrest illegal immigrants in Los Angeles.
Gallup poll finds record partisan gulf in approval ratings for Congress, Supreme Court
A Gallup poll released Thursday found record-high party gaps in approval ratings for Congress and the Supreme Court, with the latter suffering its lowest overall approval rating since the survey began.
Judge orders Texas Democrat to respond to governor's bid to remove him from office
The Supreme Court of Texas has ordered the top Democrat in the Texas state legislature to respond to a lawsuit filed by Gov. Greg Abbott that seeks to remove him from office.
Supreme Court, Justice Department push back on lower courts over emergency docket orders
Critics have berated President Trump because they fear he will defy the courts. In recent weeks, however, federal judges have tested the boundaries of the law, with a series of rulings that seem to challenge Supreme Court pronouncements.
'It's hurting': Tennessee inmate executed for triple murder with implanted defibrillator intact
Tennessee became the first state to execute an inmate who had an implanted defibrillator in his chest. Byron Black, 69, was executed Tuesday morning despite an unsuccessful legal fight to have the defibrillator turned off ahead of the execution.
Amish schools ask Supreme Court to uphold their right to refuse vaccinations in New York
Three Amish schools in New York petitioned the Supreme Court, asking the justices to rule that the First Amendment supersedes a state law requiring that school children be vaccinated.
Sen. Tom Cotton says probe of former special counsel Jack Smith shows nobody 'above the law'
Sen. Tom Cotton confirmed Monday that former special counsel Jack Smith is under investigation for his probes into President Trump during the 2024 election.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-girlfriend -- victim 3 in court papers -- asks judge to release him
One of Sean "Diddy" Combs' victims in the sex-trafficking saga -- a former girlfriend -- has asked a federal judge in Manhattan to release the hip-hop mogul on bail ahead of his October sentencing on a prostitution conviction.
Out of order? AI hallucinations suspected in withdrawal of federal judges' questionable rulings
AI hallucinations aren't just for high school students. Federal judges are apparently turning over their jobs to chatbots and suffering the consequences.
Bold and Blunt: Democrats ratchet anti-MAGA lawlessness
Democrats have been fighting against the Donald Trump machine for years -- since at least 2015, when he first descended the golden escalator to announce his bid for the White House. But no matter how many times they're outed as politically weaponized, Democrats don't stop.
WATCH: Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction in the hands of Supreme Court
Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's former lover and recruiter of underage females to his sex trafficking ring, has briefed her case at the Supreme Court, hoping the justices review her conviction during the 2025-26 term.
Can the president impose taxes?
This week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which sits right below the Supreme Court, is hearing a case of profound constitutional importance.
The Supreme Court preserves the flawed, but effective Universal Service Fund -- now what?
Today, communities across America depend on the affordable, reliable access to modern wireless cellular connection and Wi-Fi provided by the Universal Service Fund.
Trump White House studying judges in case of Supreme Court vacancy
The White House and conservative lawyers are preparing a short list of judges for President Trump to review if a Supreme Court vacancy appears in the next three-plus years.
Supreme Court to decide if federal candidates have a right to challenge state election laws
The Supreme Court will decide in its next term if congressional candidates can challenge an Illinois law that allows ballots to be counted up to two weeks after Election Day.
Bondi accuses Judge Boasberg of anti-Trump bias, demands court investigation
The administration widened its battle against federal judges this week, filing a formal misconduct complaint against Judge James Boasberg over comments he made accusing President Trump of creating a "constitutional crisis" by ignoring court rulings.
