The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against a New York state law that placed restrictions on residents seeking to obtain a concealed carry permit to carry a gun in public. The law, which has been on the books for more than 100 years, required residents seeking concealed carry permits to provide a reason why they needed to carry a gun while they were in public. The Supreme Court, which ruled 6-3 against the statute along partisan lines, claimed that the restrictions were too burdensome and not in compliance with the Second Amendment. “Because the State of New York issues public-carry…
Stephen Breyer
Supreme Court Reinstates Boston Marathon Bomber’s Death Penalty Sentence
On Friday, the United States Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The 6-3 decision was made strictly along ideological lines — all six conservative bloc justices voted in favor of reinstating Tsarnaev’s death sentence, while all three liberals dissented. The decision is supported by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which argued in favor of reinstating Tsarnaev’s original sentence last year. Such arguments go against campaign promises made by President Joe Biden, who as a candidate vowed to end the federal death penalty. The choice to argue in favor of Tsarnaev’s death sentence also…
Breyer’s Retirement Is Likely to Spark More Dark Money Spending in 2022 Midterms
Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring, giving President Joe Biden the first Supreme Court pick of his presidency and likely sparking even more “dark money” spending in the leadup to 2022 midterm elections. Even before Breyer announced his retirement this week, groups funded by secret donors from both sides of the aisle had already started to weigh in on the impending vacancy. As news of Breyer’s retirement broke, liberal dark money group Demand Justice tweeted a video ad calling for Biden to nominate “the first black woman Supreme Court Justice.” During his candidacy in the 2020 presidential election, Biden promised to…
Gorsuch Goes Maskless at Supreme Court, Increasing Colleagues’ COVID Risk Levels
Since last Friday afternoon, Justice Neil Gorsuch has refused to wear a mask during in-person hearings at the Supreme Court, a decision that could impact the health of his fellow justices — especially given that the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus continues to push COVID hospitalization rates into record high levels. NBC News has reported that on Tuesday Gorsuch appeared without a mask on. All other justices in attendance were wearing masks, while two justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer, attended via remote video communication. All nine justices are vaccinated, including with boosters, for protection against coronavirus. The…