On Thursday, the nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court tackled a question “for the ages” in the Trump v. United States immunity case arguments. But after nearly two hours and 40 minutes of questioning, the case’s outcome seems uncertain. The case came to the Court on an accelerated basis. In August 2023, a grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump on four charges related to his actions after the 2020 presidential election. On Feb. 6, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that Special Counsel Jack L. Smith could move forward with a trial. On Feb. 28, 2024, the Sup ..read more

The final briefs in former President Donald Trump’s latest case at the Supreme Court have been submitted related to a former president’s immunity from criminal prosecution from acts taken while in office. Back on March 12, 2024, Constitution Daily reported on the initial briefs in Trump v. United States after the Supreme Court took the case on Feb. 28, 2024. The final brief from Special Counsel Jack L. Smith (as the respondent) was filed on April 8, 2024, and the reply from former President Trump (as the petitioner) was filed on until April 15, 2024. They will likely foreshadow parts ..read more

On Thursday morning, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Donald J. Trump v. United States, a case about former President Donald Trump’s immunity from criminal prosecution from acts taken in office. The arguments will focus on the questions of what constitutes an official act of a president; which acts are within the president’s duties; and the liability of former presidents to criminal prosecution for conduct while in office. LIVE AUDIO: The Supreme Court of the United States On its website, the Court provides live audio of the case arguments each term. For Donald J. Trump v. United ..read more

Before the U.S. Supreme Court takes up former President Donald Trump’s claim of immunity from criminal prosecution in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the justices will hear another Jan. 6 case that may affect not just Trump, but 300 others involved in that violent riot, and the future power of federal prosecutors in similar situations. Fischer v. United States, to be argued on Tuesday, is not a constitutional challenge. Instead, it is a challenge to how prosecutors are interpreting and using a federal criminal law. For the justices, it is a question of statutory interpretation ..read more

On April 22, 2024, the Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of local government ordinances regulating the use of public property by homeless people. Its decision could have a big impact on states with large homeless populations like California, Oregon, and Arizona. The case of Grants Pass v. Johnson comes to the Court from a city in Oregon with an estimated 39,000 residents. Grants Pass has three laws pertaining to camping inside parks and on sidewalks, rights of way, bridges, and other public property. Violations of the laws first result in civil fines, and the charges might esca ..read more

On April 15, 2024, the Supreme Court will start its final scheduled session for the 2023 term, with major cases about abortion laws and former President Donald Trump’s immunity from prosecution still to come. In all, the Supreme Court justices will hear 10 sets of arguments, with Trump v. United States concluding the session on April 25. Among the other cases are a dispute about ordinances to regulate homeless people camping on public property; a question about a visa-denial process; and an appeal from three Jan. 6 riot participants over obstruction of Congress charges. April 15, 2024 Snyder v ..read more

The only people who may have actually believed the Supreme Court was getting out of the abortion issue by eliminating the constitutional right to abortion and returning the issue to the states likely were the conservative justices who voted to do so. The fallacy of that belief is on display in the arguments today and next month. “Our decision returns the issue of abortion to those legislative bodies,” wrote Justice Samuel Alito, author of the 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Whether Alito and the four others who agreed to end the nearly 50-year-old right really be ..read more

The recent House passage of a bill banning TikTok from app stores in the United States has ignited a national constitutional discussion about free speech and public security. On March 13, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the TikTok ban, with bipartisan support, in a 352-63 vote. The Senate will now consider the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. President Joseph Biden has stated that he would sign the law if the Senate passes it. The law would block TikTok from the Apple and Google marketplaces until its parent company, ByteDance, sells the app. L ..read more

The Constitution of the United States is rarely changed, but that has not stopped speculation about the next amendment to our nation’s founding document. In recent years, several ideas have gained some popular support, including an amendment to force the government to balance its budget, and to revive the Equal Rights Amendment. Another idea concerns an amendment limiting how long members of Congress can serve in office. In a September 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 87 percent of respondents supported term limits for members of Congress. Likewise, in a March 2023 study from the University of ..read more

On April 25, 2024, Supreme Court will consider former President Donald Trump’s claims of immunity from conspiracy and obstruction charges related to the 2020 presidential election. Here is a breakdown of the second high-profile case involving Trump at the Court this year. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court decided in Trump v. Anderson that Colorado could not block the former president from appearing on its primary ballot. The immunity case in Donald J. Trump v. United States will center on one simple sentence: “whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immu ..read more