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 reinstates murder conviction in case of Etan Patz, missing New York City boy
The Supreme Court on Monday reinstated a murder conviction in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz.
Conservatives push DOJ to prosecute justices' harassers before statute of limitations expires
Conservatives are prodding the Justice Department to file charges against protesters who harassed Supreme Court justices after the 2022 leak of the draft opinion in the Dobbs abortion rights case, which would go on to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Supreme Court undercuts law barring occasional drug users from owning guns
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday in favor of an occasional marijuana user, saying the government went too far in prosecuting him as a habitual drug addict who faces a lifetime ban on possessing a gun.
Supreme Court sides with a Texas man who says it's not a crime for marijuana users to have guns
The Supreme Court sided Thursday with a Texas marijuana user who wants to legally own a gun, the latest in a line of firearm cases from a court that has expanded gun rights.
Georgia Republicans decline governor's request to redistrict
Georgia Republicans on Wednesday rejected Gov. Brian Kemp's calls to redraw the state's congressional and legislative maps, holding off due to the Supreme Court's landmark decision that restricts states' use of the federal Voting Rights Act to add more minority districts.
Democrats weigh options for rigging the Supreme Court
As they eye a return to power in Washington, Democrats are conspiring to control the third branch of government by forcing conservative Supreme Court justices off the bench and diluting their vote by packing the court.
Supreme Court rejects challenge over New York's gun liability law
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge from the gun industry to a New York law that allows firearms makers to be sued when harm is caused by third parties.
Supreme Court declines to hear Carter Page case against FBI officials
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up Carter Page's case against former FBI officials who oversaw what the government now concedes was an ill-advised attempt to surveil his activities during the 2016 campaign.
Supreme Court to consider how long migrants can be held pending deportation
The Supreme Court said Monday it will take up a case that tests how long the government can hold immigrants with serious criminal records in detention while it tries to deport them.
Supreme Court to review Florida's use of a six-person jury
The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to Florida's use of a six-person jury instead of one consisting of 12 people.
GOP senators have no backup plan if Supreme Court kills Trump's birthright citizenship order
Republican senators apparently have no Plan B if the Supreme Court sides against President Trump's order to end birthright citizenship this month.
Supreme Court rejects Alabama request for nitrogen gas execution
The U.S. Supreme Court says Alabama cannot proceed with a nitrogen gas execution after a lower court ruled that the method is unconstitutional.
New Hampshire court reverses father's murder conviction in case of missing 5-year-old girl
The New Hampshire Supreme Court on Thursday reversed a murder conviction for a man accused of killing his 5-year-old daughter and moving her corpse around for months before disposing of it.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley wants prosecutions, Arctic Frost accountability
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley says his panel this year will call on former special counsel Jack Smith to testify about Arctic Frost, the code name for the 2022-23 investigation into efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election.
Florida court allows use of new House districts drawn by Republicans for midterm elections
The Florida Supreme Court has allowed new U.S. House districts drawn by Republicans to be used in the midterm elections, marking another victory for the GOP in a nationwide redistricting effort aimed at helping the party retain its slim House majority.
Supreme Court awaiting Trump appeals in ballroom battle, CNN defamation lawsuit
The Supreme Court is awaiting appeals from President Trump in two separate cases.
Nonprofits shouldn't have to rely on Supreme Court protection
The Supreme Court's decision rebuking New Jersey for its harassment of pro-life pregnancy centers reminded state officials that they can't trample constitutional rights just because they feel like it.
Justice Alito is waiting on one 30-year-old case before he calls it quits
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. won't retire until the Supreme Court overturns a roughly 30-year-old religious liberty precedent.
Arizona Supreme Court denies prosecutor appeal against sending fake elector case back to grand jury
One of the three remaining criminal cases stemming from efforts by President Donald Trump's supporters to overturn the 2020 election results appears headed back to a grand jury in Arizona.
Supreme Court sides with Trump administration on federal regulation of telecom companies
The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration Thursday in upholding the power of federal regulators to enforce data privacy laws on telecommunications companies.
Mollie Hemingway predicts Justice Alito won't retire before overturning religious precedent
Mollie Hemingway says Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. won't retire until the Supreme Court overturns a roughly 30-year-old religious liberty precedent.
Supreme Court OKs Alabama congressional map favoring Republicans in this year's elections
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Alabama to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year's elections, blocking a lower court ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.
Colorado counters Supreme Court with law allowing damages for 'conversion therapy'
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis struck back Monday against the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding "conversion" talk therapy, signing a bill allowing patients to sue for damages and issuing an executive order blocking state funds from being used to support such counseling.
Supreme Court under Trump has not undone civil rights
In 1954, author Darrell Huff published a pithy bestseller, "How to Lie With Statistics." Huff's most notable observation? That "correlation does not imply causation."
Supreme Court sides with death row inmate, issues criminal rulings
The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a Black death row inmate in Mississippi who challenged his conviction, claiming the prosecutor wrongly eliminated Black jurors from the pool that found him guilty of capital murder.
Teen transgender athlete in case before Supreme Court wins girls' state track championship
Transgender athlete Becky Pepper-Jackson did very well last weekend at the West Virginia girls' state track championships - maybe too well.
U.S. Supreme Court settles long-running water dispute over dwindling Rio Grande
The U.S. Supreme Court has approved a settlement package designed to rein in groundwater pumping along one of North America's longest rivers and ensure enough water reliably makes it from New Mexico to Texas, ending a long-running dispute over management of the Rio Grande.
Alabama returns to Supreme Court for help in allowing a GOP-friendly map
Alabama officials asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to use the GOP-backed congressional map that was shot down by a lower court the day before.
Supreme Court sides with Trump in dispute over immigration judges' speech restrictions
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with President Donald Trump's administration in a lawsuit over speech restrictions for immigration judges that touched on the rights of federal workers.
Supreme Court rejects Meta's appeal in Vermont social media addiction case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a push to avoid a lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users, a decision that comes as social media companies increasingly face legal scrutiny.
Supreme Court refuses Florida's complaint against states that issue truck licenses to migrants
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would not let Florida file a complaint challenging two other states that allowed illegal immigrants to obtain commercial driver's licenses and drive on America's roads.
Supreme Court won't intervene in discrimination suit led by Black ex-head coach Flores against NFL
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to intervene in a discrimination lawsuit led by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores against the NFL, allowing the case to proceed toward trial.
Supreme Court rejects Florida's bid to sue Western states over truck licenses for immigrants
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Florida's long shot attempt to sue California and Washington state over the issuance of commercial driver licenses to truckers who don't speak English and are not authorized to be in the United States.
Supreme Court checks dangerous abuse of donor disclosure
The Supreme Court last month delivered a decisive and unanimous victory for donor privacy and free association in First Choice Women's Resource Centers v. Davenport.
More than a dozen Supreme Court rulings to watch for this term
The Supreme Court is preparing to close out its term with mammoth rulings that could shape the contours of elections and presidential power and plow new ground on transgender rights.
Republicans are rushing to redraw districts before midterms. Here's where things stand
Republicans are rushing to redraw congressional districts to their advantage ahead of the midterm elections following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened minority protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.
Palestinian who led protests at Columbia University will ask Supreme Court to halt deportation
Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian student who led anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, vowed to take his battle against deportation to the Supreme Court after losing yet another round in the lower courts.
WATCH: TMZ hits Washington and finds politicians are just like us
TMZ is known for chasing celebrities through LAX, but now the outlet has set up shop in Washington, D.C. Reporters Jacob Wasserman and Charlie Cotton join host Alex Swoyer to talk about what it's like covering Capitol Hill the TMZ way.
Line forming for Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund, Blagojevich, Eastman among those eyeing payout
John Eastman, a prominent conservative lawyer who advised President Trump on the 2020 election, is deciding whether to file a claim under the new Anti-Weaponization Fund set up to compensate victims of the Biden administration's "lawfare."
Trump expects to lose birthright citizenship case at Supreme Court
President Trump on Thursday said he figures the Supreme Court will rule against him in his attempt to block illegal immigrants' babies from getting automatic U.S. citizenship, calling the predicted outcome "a disgrace."
Supreme Court ducks IQ level question for death row inmate
The Supreme Court backed away from deciding what level of IQ is too low for someone to deserve capital punishment, turning away a case that tried to get the justices to decide the issue.
Gun activists ask Supreme Court to block Maryland's ban on firearms at 'sensitive places'
A coalition of gun-rights groups has asked the Supreme Court to step in and block a Maryland law that bars even concealed-carry permit holders from carrying firearms at "sensitive places" such as state parks, museums and mass transit.
FDR could not pack the Supreme Court, but two-time presidential loser Harris thinks she can
Back in 1937, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was riding higher than almost any other politician in American history.
Wyoming Supreme Court delivers victory for school choice
The Wyoming Supreme Court just handed families a decisive victory in the fight for school choice.
Acting AG shuts down Maxwell pardon talk at Senate hearing: 'I can commit to that'
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said he will not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking from her work with Jeffrey Epstein.
Supreme Court to weigh teachers' ability to sue over sex discrimination
The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear a case involving former Georgia Tech women's basketball coach who said she was fired after complaining that her school was giving men's sports teams better treatment.
Virginia Supreme Court gerrymandering decision a rule-of-law victory
We are blessed in Virginia to reside in the larger context of a constitutional republic.
Supreme Court sends closely watched Native American voting rights decision back to lower court
The Supreme Court acted in a Voting Rights Act case brought by Native American tribes on Monday, saying a closely watched ruling needs to be reconsidered after the high court weakened the Civil Rights-era law.
Supreme Court rejects appeals from drug manufacturers over Medicare price negotiations
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals from pharmaceutical companies that object to negotiating Medicare drug prices with the federal government.
Supreme Court allows abortion pill to be distributed by mail
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the abortion pill to remain available by telehealth, meaning it can be prescribed remotely and delivered by mail -- even into states where abortion is restricted.