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
Supreme Court tries to define where the U.S. border begins for asylum purposes
It turns out that where the U.S. border begins, at least for purposes of asylum, is not actually clear.
Supreme Court skeptical of states receiving mail-in ballots past Election Day
Several Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism Monday over states that allow ballots to be received and counted days after Election Day, though they worried about where to draw lines and whether tossing out late-arriving ballots would also eliminate early voting.
Supreme Court sides with Cox Communications in a copyright fight with record labels over downloads
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with internet service provider Cox Communications in its copyright fight with record labels over illegal music downloads by Cox customers.
Missouri court upholds mid-decade congressional redistricting backed by Trump
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a mid-decade redistricting plan that gives Republicans an improved chance at winning an additional U.S. House seat in this year's midterm elections.
The perils of birthright citizenship
On April 1, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on President Trump's Executive Order 14160, ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants.
Supreme Court rejects appeal from Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from longtime Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed who has sought to test crime-scene evidence that he says will help clear him.
Supreme Court rejects appeal from online citizen journalist over her arrest in Texas
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the appeal of a Texas-based online citizen journalist who said she was wrongly arrested in a case that drew attention from national media organizations and free speech advocates.
Republicans' fight for election security heads to the Supreme Court
When Americans vote, they should know their ballots are secure and will be counted correctly.
Supreme Court lets preacher challenge city law restricting where he can evangelize
The Supreme Court gave a green light Friday to a Mississippi preacher to challenge an ordinance he said prevented him from evangelizing near a public amphitheater.
It's not just pizza: Feds say threats against judges are surging
The CIA has been helping out in an investigation into a bizarre intimidation tactic used against federal judges in which someone has been ordering pizzas sent to their homes, the head of the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Supreme Court to decide Trump's attempt to shut down deportation amnesty for Haitians, Syrians
The Supreme Court said Monday it will take up two cases involving President Trump's attempt to end deportation amnesties for hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants -- but ruled they can remain here while the case is pending.
Las Vegas police in legal fight with judge who ordered the release of a suspect with 35 arrests
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is defying a judge's order to release a serial offender, arguing in a Nevada Supreme Court petition that it has the final say in keeping the 35-time arrestee behind bars.
Apache tribe members urge Supreme Court to protect sacred land from U.S. mine deal
Members of the Western Apache tribe rushed to the Supreme Court on Monday seeking an emergency order to block a proposed land transfer to a mining company, saying it would destroy a sacred tribal place in Arizona.
Trump blasts judges who 'disrespect the presidents who nominate them'
President Trump is airing his dissatisfaction with federal courts and certain justices he appointed to the Supreme Court.
Dhillon names names: which colleges are complying with affirmative action ruling -- and which aren't
"The consequences for Harvard for refusing to comply with federal law will be significant."
Court rules first graders have First Amendment rights in Black Lives Matter dispute
A federal appeals court has ruled that First Amendment free speech rights apply all the way down to first graders, as the judges weighed in on a tricky case involving a student who wrote a note to a Black classmate trying to say "all lives matter."
Assistant AG Harmeet Dhillon scours social media for tips to act for justice
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon is among the most active Trump officials on social media -- and it's not just her own posts.
How Antonin Scalia's originalism changed everything -- and what it means today
James Rosen joins Alex Swoyer's Court Watch podcast to talk about the justice who changed American law and left almost nothing off the record.
Supreme Court: California parents have a right to know whether child is transitioning in school
The Supreme Court sided with parents Monday in a legal fight over California's requirement public school teachers keep gender transitions secret from the students' parents.
Supreme Court blocks New York redistricting that could have given Democrats extra seat
The Supreme Court put a stop Monday on a lower court ruling that had ordered New York to redraw some congressional districts in a way that Democrats had hoped would net them an additional House seat.
Tariff overreach weakens America's economy and strengthens China
Last month, the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs the Trump administration imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Supreme Court considers drug users' right to possess firearms
The Supreme Court on Monday stepped into the intersection of drug use and gun ownership, trying to sort out what level of marijuana use makes someone so dangerous that they lose their right to possess a firearm.
A Supreme Court case over whether marijuana users can own guns is creating unusual alliances
Gun rights and cannabis legalization are usually on opposite ends of the political spectrum, but both movements have brought about seismic shifts in the United States in recent decades.
Swing-state showdown: Wisconsin Supreme Court election carries presidential stakes
President Trump's outstanding State of the Union address was the focus of the media this week.
Trump's judicial pipeline: White House moves quickly to lock in lifetime appointments before October
The White House has struck a deal on a new federal district judge in Tennessee and also appears to have a leading candidate for the new vacancy on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sotomayor delivers fiery message of pride to Puerto Ricans amid debate over island's status
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic member of the Supreme Court, had some words of encouragement for fellow Puerto Ricans this month during an appearance at a university on the island.
Source warns Trump is being 'undermined from within' on election fraud effort
Trump backers met secretly last year to lay the groundwork for a major push to combat election fraud -- but they feel they're being stymied by people in the president's orbit.
Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to allow an end to legal protections for Syrian migrants
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to end legal protections for migrants from Syria for now, in the latest emergency appeal to the nation's highest court.
Commerce Secretary Lutnick meets with Indian trade official after Supreme Court tariff ruling
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met Thursday with India's trade minister, a sign the countries remain engaged after a Supreme Court ruling upended President Trump's tariff playbook.
Supreme Court tariff limits ruling highlights Trump's threats to liberty and constitutional order
Last week, the Supreme Court held that the president's sweeping tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act exceeded the authority granted to him by the statute.
Supreme Court decries 'unfairness' after government seized, sold home for less than half its value
The Supreme Court struggled Wednesday to deliver justice to a family whose home was seized and sold by a local county at well below the estimated market value to cover a small tax debt.
Supreme Court rules against private prison firm facing forced-work suit from immigration detainees
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against a private prison company facing a lawsuit alleging immigration detainees were forced to work and paid only $1 a day in Colorado.
Five Supreme Court Justices miss Trump's State of the Union address
Four of the nine Supreme Court justices attended President Trump's first State of the Union address of his second term Tuesday night, just days after he railed against the six justices who voted against his sweeping tariff policy.
Supreme Court strikes down Trump's tariffs
Champagne corks briefly popped last week at the five-star resorts where the global elite hang out.
FedEx sues for refund after Supreme Court strikes down tariffs
FedEx has filed a lawsuit seeking a full refund of the money it paid to satisfy President Trump's tariffs, making it the first major company to seek redress after the Supreme Court struck down certain levies.
Supreme Court says it will take up climate change law challenge out of Colorado
The Supreme Court announced Monday it will hear a dispute brought by Colorado communities against oil companies over actions the localities say have caused extreme summer heat waves and temperatures.
After Supreme Court rebuke, Democrats call for government to refund billions in Trump tariff money
A trio of Senate Democrats is calling for the government to start refunding roughly $175 billion in tariff revenues that the Supreme Court ruled were collected because of an illegal set of orders by President Donald Trump.
U.S. trade partners delay meetings, demand clarity after the Supreme Court guts Trump's tariff power
Nations that negotiated trade deals with President Trump are demanding clarity from the U.S. and scrutinizing their options after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs that formed the backbone of the agreements.
Trump, despite the Supreme Court, will win tariff wars
The U.S. Supreme Court may have ruled against President Trump's use of emergency powers to levy tariffs on various countries with an aim at course correcting trade imbalances that have been damaging America's economy for years. But China shouldn't cheer just yet. Trump has other means.
Trump administration says it is in no rush to issue refunds to companies that paid tariffs
The Trump administration said Sunday it is in no rush to hand out refunds to companies that paid the tariffs nullified by a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: Tariff revenue projections 'unchanged' after SCOTUS ruling
The U.S. is not projecting any changes to the tariff revenue it will take this year as President Trump is reissuing tariffs the Supreme Court struck down under different legal authority, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday.
Trump tariff agenda tripped up by Supreme Court decision
President Trump loves to take unilateral action, but the Supreme Court has delivered a stark message about clear limits to how far he can go without getting Congress on board.
Supreme Court implements new rules to help justices spot conflicts of interest
The Supreme Court announced new rules Tuesday designed to help identify all of the parties involved in a case, allowing the justices to figure out if they have conflicts of interest that demand their recusal.
Georgia AG Chris Carr refuses to make taxpayers foot bill for prison inmates' sex-change surgeries
The state of Georgia is fighting in federal court to enforce its law banning prisoners from sex-change surgeries funded by taxpayers, and the state's top lawyer is willing to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court to protect public money from going to what he calls trans activism.
'Easy to repeal': GOP gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco vows to end California's sanctuary law
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican and the leading candidate in California's governor's race, says he will move to repeal the state's sanctuary law that restricts localities' cooperation with ICE if he's elected.
Will the Supreme Court stop Hawaii's stealth gun ban?
In January, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Wolford v. Lopez, a pivotal case that will help decide whether Hawaii and other anti-gun states can sidestep the Constitution with lawyerly tricks.
Supreme Court allows California's Democrat-friendly congressional map to stand
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rebuffed Republicans' challenge to California's new congressional map, delivering a significant boost to Democrats' hopes of taking control of the U.S. House in November's elections.
Hong Kong firm begins arbitration proceedings over ruling against its Panama Canal port contract
Hong Kong's CK Hutchison Holdings said Wednesday its subsidiary has started arbitration proceedings against Panama, after that country's Supreme Court ruled a concession for the subsidiary to operate Panama Canal ports was unconstitutional.
Supreme Court showdown could unleash litigation war on U.S. energy companies
Politicians and trial lawyers in Louisiana are hoping to use the home-field advantage of state courts to shake down oil and gas companies.
3 months after rapidly scheduled arguments, the Supreme Court has yet to decide on Trump's tariffs
When the Supreme Court granted an unusually quick hearing over President Donald Trump's tariffs, a similarly rapid resolution seemed possible.
