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
The Supreme Court weighs Trump's bid to fire independent agency board members
The Trump administration's push to expand control over independent federal agencies comes before a sympathetic Supreme Court that could overturn a 90-year-old decision limiting when presidents can fire board members.
Chief Justice Roberts blocks ruling that threatened Trump personnel moves
Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has put a hold on a lower court ruling that had suggested judges could step in to hear cases where the normal machinery of the executive branch wasn't working.
'They are treasures': Trump praises Kennedy Center honorees at State Department dinner
President Trump on Saturday praised the recipients of the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, presenting gold medallions bearing their names donated by Tiffany & Co. at the White House.
Trump strikes echo Obama's lethal legacy; drug boat war renews partisan split on counterterrorism
President Trump may be the alleged drug boat destroyer, but he has a long way to go before he tops the drone warrior.
Supreme Court agrees to hear Trump's birthright citizenship case
The Supreme Court said it will hear a case involving President Trump's attempt to rewrite the rules on birthright citizenship, adding a monumental battle over immigration and constitutional rights to its docket.
DOJ asks Supreme Court to intervene in immigration judge gag order case
The administration rushed to the Supreme Court on Friday, asking the justices to set aside a lower appeals court ruling that gave anti-Trump litigants a new avenue to challenge the president's personnel moves.
Most universities ignore Trump administration's ban on diversity-themed admission essays
Most universities are ignoring the Trump administration's insistence that diversity-themed essays in student applications violate the Supreme Court's prohibition on race-based admissions.
Supreme Court restores Texas' GOP-friendly congressional map
The Supreme Court said Thursday that Texas can go back to using its new, Republican-friendly congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections, putting on hold a lower court ruling that found the map to be an illegal attempt to strip minorities of voting power.
Supreme Court grapples with Christian proselytizer punished by city for loudspeaker
The Supreme Court heard the case on Wednesday of a prolific Christian preacher who wants to be able to challenge a Mississippi ordinance that he says limits his ability to proselytize.
Until health care is fixed, expect more shutdowns
Justice Antonin Scalia famously called it "SCOTUScare" when the Supreme Court rescued Obamacare in 2015. Today, the late justice might be grousing about "Shutdowncare."
West Virginia again bans religious reasons for school vaccine exemptions
The West Virginia Board of Education on Tuesday reinstated a school vaccination mandate after the state Supreme Court paused a lower court's ruling that allowed parents to cite religious beliefs to opt out of shots required for their children to attend classes.
Judge blocks part of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill that targeted Planned Parenthood
A federal judge put a hold Tuesday on the part of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill budget law that ordered state Medicaid programs to stop doing business with Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.
Today, Supreme Court hears silenced evangelist Gabe Olivier's case
Gabe Olivier was minding his own business one day when he heard a stranger preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a nearby street corner. Those words changed him -- dramatically and forever.
Costco sues Trump to lock in tariff refunds ahead of Supreme Court decision
Costco Wholesale Corp. is suing the Trump administration in an attempt to secure refunds if the Supreme Court invalidates President Trump's use of a 1977 law to impose unilateral levies on dozens of trading partners.
Supreme Court skeptical of New Jersey's move to subpoena pro-life pregnancy center
The Supreme Court grappled Tuesday with a challenge from a network of pro-life pregnancy centers against New Jersey's demand for the names and contact information of the group's donors.
Supreme Court grapples with judges' leeway in deciding asylum cases
The Supreme Court on Monday tried to sort out whether federal judges must defer to immigration courts when they hear appeals of asylum claims, in a case that could help speed up some deportation cases.
N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James hit with ethics complaint after mortgage fraud case dismissed
A right-leaning watchdog group has filed an ethics complaint against New York Attorney General Letitia James following last week's dismissal of her mortgage fraud case.
Trump awaits make or break rulings on firings, campaign finance from Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has a defining couple of weeks ahead of it.
'Seditious Six' unlikely to face punishment, say law experts
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona stands out as the most likely to face penalties among the six Democratic lawmakers who, in an online video, told members of the military to refuse illegal orders from the commander in chief, according to military law professionals.
Judge Boasberg assigned Eric Swalwell's lawsuit challenging mortgage fraud case against him
Judge James Boasberg, who has stood out as one of President Trump's chief judicial adversaries, is overseeing Rep. Eric Swalwell's lawsuit challenging allegations he committed mortgage fraud.
DOJ faces uphill climb to revive Comey prosecution
The Justice Department faces an uphill legal climb to reinstate charges against former FBI Director James B. Comey after a judge threw out the case this week.
Major Supreme Court disputes await rulings on tariffs, National Guard and gerrymandered maps
It's still early in the new term, but the Supreme Court already has several major legal battles teed up for rulings that could shape President Trump's presidency -- and they could be issued any day now.
Voting groups ask Supreme Court to block Texas' GOP-friendly map
Voting rights activists urged the Supreme Court to prevent Texas from using a new, more Republican-friendly congressional map in next year's elections, telling the justices on Monday that the state illegally discriminated against minority voters.
Sen. Eric Schmitt says upper chamber in talks to have 'Watergate-style hearings' over Arctic Frost
The Senate will likely hold "Watergate-style hearings" to get to the bottom of the Biden administration's pursuit of President Trump and other Republicans stemming from the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Sen. Eric Schmitt told The Washington Times.
Trump says tariff revenue poised to 'skyrocket,' urges quick decision in Supreme Court case
President Trump urged the Supreme Court on Monday to decide a "time sensitive" case that could blow a big hole in his trade agenda, saying tariff payments are poised to "skyrocket" and he doesn't want to see his plans ruined.
Supreme Court to weigh in on 'climate lawfare,' consider disputes over jurisdiction
The Supreme Court is poised to play referee on climate change lawsuits this term, with the justices being asked to decide where the court battles should take place.
Pro-life pregnancy centers expand as Planned Parenthood contracts after Dobbs decision
The nation's pro-life pregnancy centers have flourished since the Supreme Court's landmark 2022 decision rejecting a nationwide right to an abortion, adding patients, services and locations despite an onslaught of Democratic attacks.
Justices to hear case challenging Trump's border turn-back policies
The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear a case that asks where the U.S. border begins, and whether someone still in Mexico can claim asylum protections that usually kick in only when someone actually reaches American soil.
Supreme Court won't hear Christian school's request to pray over loudspeaker ahead of football game
The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a request from a Christian school to be able to pray over the loudspeaker before a football game.
Supreme Court to weigh banning trans athletes from girls' sports in January
The Supreme Court announced this week it will hear one of the biggest cases of the term in January, weighing whether transgender athletes can be banned from girls' sports.
Nevada Supreme Court sends 'fake electors' case back to Clark County
The yearslong case against six Nevada Republicans who were accused of submitting a bogus certificate that declared President Donald Trump the winner of the state's 2020 presidential election has been sent back to Clark County, where a jury is more likely to rule against them.
Trump to Supreme Court: Erase case over food stamps
The end of the government shutdown means food stamp benefits are flowing again, and the Justice Department told the Supreme Court to dismiss a case involving President Trump's move to delay payments during the closure.
Retired judges push back on Todd Blanche's 'war' on 'activist judges' comments
Former judges are disputing Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's comments when he said it's time to declare war on activist judges as the administration fights in courts to defend President Trump's agenda.
Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch debuts childrens' book spotlighting everyday heroes
Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch next year will release a children's book called "Heroes of 1776" to share stories of courage by young people who supported the Declaration of Independence.
Trump sees progress in cutting tariff rates on India, Switzerland
President Trump said Monday he is eyeing plans to lower tariffs on countries like India and Switzerland, citing progress in negotiations, even as the Supreme Court considers a case that could upend his trade agenda.
Supreme Court grapples with prisoner's religious discrimination claim over shaving head
The Supreme Court on Monday hear arguments over whether a Louisiana inmate who was forced to shave his head against his religious beliefs can sue the guards for damages.
At the Supreme Court, a debate over whether tariffs are taxes
When the Supreme Court heard arguments on President Trump's emergency tariffs, plaintiffs opposed to the tariffs insisted, "Tariffs are taxes." That framing gets history and the law wrong.
Trump administration renews Supreme Court appeal to keep full SNAP payments frozen
President Donald Trump's administration returned to the Supreme Court on Monday in a push to keep full payments in the SNAP federal food aid program frozen while the government is shut down.
Supreme Court to weigh mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day
The Supreme Court announced Monday it will hear a challenge over mail-in ballots arriving past Election Day in a major effort by Republicans to end the counting of late-arriving ballots.
Supreme Court won't consider challenge to overturn same-sex marriage ruling
The Supreme Court announced Monday it will not consider a request to overturn its 2015 landmark decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
Supreme Court ponders Trump administration's halt of food stamp program
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Trump administration to decide whether it still wants to pursue an appeal that would block payment of some food stamp benefits while the government shutdown continues.
NRA returns to the Supreme Court over New York official's threats, First Amendment violations
The National Rifle Association is back at the Supreme Court seeking permission to pursue damages against a New York official who tried to get financial institutions to rethink doing business with the gun group.
Tariffs undermine the American manufacturing renaissance
A case before the Supreme Court this week - Trump v. V.O.S. Selections Inc. - will test whether the executive can continue to bypass Congress to raise revenue by proclamation.
Supreme Court struggles with legality of Trump's tariffs, questions his authority to bypass Congress
President Trump's fondness for tariffs ran into serious skepticism Wednesday at the Supreme Court, where the justices questioned whether Congress had truly given the executive such an expansive power to slap duties on all foreign goods.
Supreme Court weighing Trump tariffs in a trillion-dollar test of executive power
President Donald Trump's power to unilaterally impose far-reaching tariffs is before the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a pivotal test of executive power with trillion-dollar implications for the global economy.
Can the president tax you?
This week, the Supreme Court will begin the process of deciding whether the president can impose a sales tax on products and services originating in foreign countries and purchased in the U.S.
Trump calls Supreme Court tariff case 'life or death' for America
President Trump said the Supreme Court hearing Wednesday that will determine whether his tariff program is legal is "life or death" for the U.S.
Judge Cannon must decide whether to release Jack Smith's report in 60 days
A federal appeals court this week ordered Judge Aileen Cannon -- who dismissed special counsel Jack Smith's classified documents case against President Trump -- to review requests to release Mr. Smith's voluminous report.
Bessent to attend Supreme Court session on landmark tariff case
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans to go to the Supreme Court on Wednesday to watch oral arguments in a case that could jar President Trump's trade agenda.
Trump says he won't attend Supreme Court hearing on his tariffs
President Trump reversed course Sunday, posting on social media that he won't attend Supreme Court arguments on Wednesday concerning legal challenges to his tariffs.
