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TBA Law Blog

SCOTUS Delivers 3 Opinions, with More to Come on Monday

Posted by: Liz Slagle Todaro on Jun 28, 2024
News Type: U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court today issued three rulings and indicated that the final opinions of the term will be issues on Monday. The court held that an obstruction law used to charge hundreds of rioters who took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was improperly applied, according to NPR. The statute in question bars obstruction of an official proceeding, and the court found that it only applies in cases of evidence tampering, such as destruction of records or documents. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said he was disappointed by the decision, but emphasized its impact will be limited as no defendants were charged only with that offense. The Tennessean has more on how the ruling may shorten prison sentences for at least two people arrested in Tennessee.

The court also handed down its biggest decision on homelessness in decades, ruling that ordinances banning people from sleeping and camping in public places do not violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, reports the New York Times. Justice Sotomayor dissented, arguing that the decision focused only on the needs of cities but not the most vulnerable, noting that sleep is a biological necessity, and this decision forces “an impossible choice — either stay awake or be arrested."

Finally, the court overturned the landmark Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council (1984) decision, cutting back sharply on the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer and ruled that courts should rely on their own interpretation of ambiguous laws. CBS reports that the decision will likely have far-reaching effects on issues such as employment, environmental protection and health care. SCOTUSblog has more on all of these cases. Four cases remain to be decided, including whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution, AP reports.

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