• Jack Daniels wins big in challenge to spoofing “Bad Spaniels” dog toy

    Thursday’s decision in Jack Daniel's Properties v. VIP Products firmly rejected the use of the Jack Daniel’s trademarks by a manufacturer selling a line of dog toys that mock various beverage manufacturers. The one at issue here copies numerous elements of the famous Jack Daniel’s bottle. In the wor

  • The morning read for Friday, June 9

    Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Friday morning read: Supreme Court rules in favor of Black Alabama voters in unexpected defense of Voting Rights Act (Mark Sherman, The Associated Press) Sup

  • Court endorses private Section 1983 enforcement of spending clause enactments

    Civil rights plaintiffs scored a significant victory in Health & Hospital Corp. of Marion County v. Talevski on Thursday, with a seven-justice majority reaffirming that private plaintiffs can enforce spending clause enactments through 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and allowing private damages actions to enforce the

  • Sovereign immunity under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and racially discriminatory juror strikes

    The Relist Watch column examines cert petitions that the Supreme Court has “relisted” for its upcoming conference. A short explanation of relists is available here. First, the “old business.” On Monday, the Supreme Court granted review in Vidal v. Elster, involving whether the United States Patent

  • A courtroom prop, a song, and another surprise

    Several police officers outside the Supreme Court building have donned masks as haze from Canadian wildfires has become more noticeable in Washington this morning. Inside, the courtroom is full, with groups of lawyers from three organizations being sworn into the bar: the Christian Legal Society, t

  • Supreme Court upholds Section 2 of Voting Rights Act

    This article was updated on June 8 at 2:03 p.m. By a vote of 5-4 on Thursday, the justices issued a major voting rights decision, ruling that Alabama’s new congressional map likely violates the Voting Rights Act. But even more significantly, the court declined an invitation to adopt an interpreta

  • The morning read for Thursday, June 8

    Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Thursday morning read: Justice Thomas delays disclosures after reports of travel, property sale (Ann E. Marimow & Robert Barnes, The Washington Post) Supreme

  • Announcement of opinions for Thursday, June 8

    On Thursday, June 8, we will be live blogging as the court releases opinions in one or more argued cases from the current term. Click here for a list of FAQs about opinion announcements.   <span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span>

  • Announcement of opinions for Thursday, June 8

    On Thursday, June 8, we will be live blogging as the court releases opinions in one or more argued cases from the current term. Click here for a list of FAQs about opinion announcements.   

  • Justices file annual financial disclosures – Thomas and Alito delay

    It has been just over two months since ProPublica revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas had not included over two decades’ worth of frequent luxury travel hosted by Harlan Crow, a Dallas billionaire, on the annual financial disclosures that the Supreme Court justices file each year. But court watche

  • The morning read for Wednesday, June 7

    Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Wednesday morning read: New Supreme Court financial reports set for release amid increased ethics scrutiny (Lawrence Hurley, NBC News) Disney-DeSantis Feud Recusal a

  • The morning read for Tuesday, June 6

    Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Tuesday morning read: Here are the major Supreme Court decisions we're still waiting for this term (The Washington Desk, NPR) U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on