We are still waiting on two opinions – perhaps the highest-profile cases of the entire term – from the court’s November calendar. In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (argued Nov. 4, 2020), the justices are weighing in on a lawsuit filed by Catholic Social Services, a Pennsylvania organization that works with the city of Philadelphia to certify prospective foster parents. When city officials learned that CSS would not certify same-sex couples because of its religious beliefs, the officials instructed the agency responsible for foster care to cut off referrals to CSS. CSS and two longtime foster parents then went to federal court, where they argued that the city’s action violates CSS’ religious freedom. After the lower courts refused to order the city to resume referrals to CSS, the challengers went to the Supreme Court, which heard argument in November.
California v. Texas and Texas v. California (argued Nov. 10, 2020) are the latest challenges to the Affordable Care Act – and the second to the ACA’s individual mandate, the provision of the law that requires virtually all Americans to buy health insurance. A divided Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of the mandate in 2012, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the court’s four more liberal justices in agreeing that the mandate imposes a tax on the failure to buy health insurance. A group of 18 states with Republican attorneys general and governors (along with two individual plaintiffs) returned to court, where they argue that the mandate is now unconstitutional because Congress reduced the penalty for failing to obtain health insurance from $695 to zero. There are (potentially) three issues before the justices. A threshold question that they must resolve is whether the challengers have a legal right to sue, known as standing. If the justices conclude that at least one of the challengers has standing, then they will move on to decide whether the mandate is constitutional. And if at least five justices agree with the challengers that the mandate is unconstitutional, then the court must determine whether the rest of the ACA can survive, or whether it too must be struck down.
Three justices – Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito – have not yet written opinions for the November calendar. On the other hand, the court’s November calendar is only expected to yield eight opinions, making it hard to predict who’s writing what. Conventional wisdom has Roberts taking the ACA case and Alito (who has been the author of several prior important decisions involving religion) writing in Fulton, but we won’t know for sure until the opinions are released.
Quote by wickedpam:
Morning
Just hoping for the best and trying to prepare for the worst.
Analysis | Israel Will Remember Netanyahu for Stopping at Nothing to Halt His Corruption
Trial
His assumption was that he must remain prime minister as long as the trial against him proceeded, so he would be able to stop or subvert it
BREAKING: #RealityWinner has finally been released from prison. This is wonderful news for her family! Thanks to everyone who advocated tirelessly for her release. 😀 pic.twitter.com/BdnwQbtNxp
— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) June 14, 2021
Quote by livingonli:
They are going to have to redo my prosthetic to adjust it so that I don't get cuts and abrasions rubbing against it.
Quote by Raine:Quote by livingonli:
They are going to have to redo my prosthetic to adjust it so that I don't get cuts and abrasions rubbing against it.
I'm hoping the second time is a charm, Liv. This sucks that you have to go thru this again.
Quote by Will in Chicago:Quote by Raine:Quote by livingonli:
They are going to have to redo my prosthetic to adjust it so that I don't get cuts and abrasions rubbing against it.
I'm hoping the second time is a charm, Liv. This sucks that you have to go thru this again.
It stinks. I have to ask how many times they measured, Liv.
Quote by livingonli:Quote by Will in Chicago:Quote by Raine:Quote by livingonli:
They are going to have to redo my prosthetic to adjust it so that I don't get cuts and abrasions rubbing against it.
I'm hoping the second time is a charm, Liv. This sucks that you have to go thru this again.
It stinks. I have to ask how many times they measured, Liv.
They did it once for the original but since I gained weight since it was measured, the weight gain has to be factored in.
Quote by Raine:BREAKING: #RealityWinner has finally been released from prison. This is wonderful news for her family! Thanks to everyone who advocated tirelessly for her release. 😀 pic.twitter.com/BdnwQbtNxp
— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) June 14, 2021