The Roberts Court's latest decisions have sparked controversy, with some arguing that it is abandoning its duty. The landmark Voting Rights Act has been further eroded, with the court declining to hear cases that could potentially undermine the law.
In a recent case involving Alex Jones, the Infowars host was unable to upend his $1.4 billion defamation judgment, despite the court's decision to reject his petition for review. However, this does not mean that Jones is off the hook entirely - he remains responsible for paying the judgment, which he called "the largest in American libel history".
The rejection of Jones' case was one of several routine order denials by the court on Tuesday morning, with Justice Samuel Alito writing a statement joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. The three GOP appointees agreed that the petition wasn't ripe for review, but Alito also noted that the "troubling allegations" in the case underscored the importance of parental rights.
However, not all justices were on board with this decision. Justice Sonia Sotomayor led a dissenting opinion in a death penalty case, arguing that the court was abandoning its duty by refusing to address an obvious injustice. Similarly, in another case, the Republican-appointed majority declined to halt an execution despite the defendant raising a constitutional question.
Sotomayor lamented that the majority "abandons its duty" in declining to step in, even though a man's life is in the balance. The court also had a significant impact on Wednesday's key hearing in a voting rights dispute, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh airing his view that race-based remedies must have some sort of time limit.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund's Janai Nelson argued that this notion would be "catastrophic" if implemented, as it could gut Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This section remains in place after Chief Justice John Roberts and his conservative colleagues previously invalidated another key part of the law.
As the court heads back to its bench for a two-week hearing session starting on November 3, the pivotal tariffs hearing will take place on November 5, with President Trump potentially attending himself. The court is also set to issue an order list next Monday with the latest actions on pending petitions.
In a recent case involving Alex Jones, the Infowars host was unable to upend his $1.4 billion defamation judgment, despite the court's decision to reject his petition for review. However, this does not mean that Jones is off the hook entirely - he remains responsible for paying the judgment, which he called "the largest in American libel history".
The rejection of Jones' case was one of several routine order denials by the court on Tuesday morning, with Justice Samuel Alito writing a statement joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. The three GOP appointees agreed that the petition wasn't ripe for review, but Alito also noted that the "troubling allegations" in the case underscored the importance of parental rights.
However, not all justices were on board with this decision. Justice Sonia Sotomayor led a dissenting opinion in a death penalty case, arguing that the court was abandoning its duty by refusing to address an obvious injustice. Similarly, in another case, the Republican-appointed majority declined to halt an execution despite the defendant raising a constitutional question.
Sotomayor lamented that the majority "abandons its duty" in declining to step in, even though a man's life is in the balance. The court also had a significant impact on Wednesday's key hearing in a voting rights dispute, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh airing his view that race-based remedies must have some sort of time limit.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund's Janai Nelson argued that this notion would be "catastrophic" if implemented, as it could gut Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This section remains in place after Chief Justice John Roberts and his conservative colleagues previously invalidated another key part of the law.
As the court heads back to its bench for a two-week hearing session starting on November 3, the pivotal tariffs hearing will take place on November 5, with President Trump potentially attending himself. The court is also set to issue an order list next Monday with the latest actions on pending petitions.
I'm getting really worried about the state of our democracy right now... all this talk about erosion of voting rights and parental rights feels like a slippery slope to me 
. It's crazy how some justices are more concerned with "parental rights" than actual human lives 
. The system is supposed to be about justice, not politics. I'm not saying everyone on the court is bad, but this kind of logic from Justice Alito is just... mind-boggling 
. We need a balance between freedom and equality, not some arbitrary limits on what we consider "rights" 
. Can't we just focus on making sure everyone has access to the ballot box and an equal shot at life? 
.
. And what about this business with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act? The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is saying it would be "catastrophic" if the court implements some sort of time limit for race-based remedies 
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Sonia Sotomayor is speaking truth to power here, I love her for that 
I mean, come on! It's like they're playing a game of judicial whack-a-mole - you knock down one thing, another pops up. But seriously, Alex Jones still owes $1.4 billion? That's like me owing my aunt $1.4 billion for Thanksgiving dinner 
... never gonna happen! And Justice Sotomayor is totally right about the death penalty case - it's not exactly a 'ripe' situation to ignore when a guy's life is on the line. I mean, can't they just call in a pizza and let him hang? 
And what about those death penalty cases? I mean, come on, can't we do better than just leaving a guy to rot? 
. The fact that some justices are willing to let people like Alex Jones off the hook for their actions is just mind-boggling 
. I just hope the court knows what they're doing and that the American people can trust them to do what's right 
.
how the Republican appointees are trying to make parental rights sound like an excuse for Alex Jones' actions 
. It's not hard to see how that would be catastrophic if implemented 
. I'm definitely keeping an eye on this situation and hoping the court makes some wise decisions 
.
The idea of President Trump attending a hearing on tariffs himself? That's just wild 
. And what about the latest actions on pending petitions? Will they finally make some progress or just kick the can down the road? 
Only time will tell, but I'm not holding my breath 
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the Roberts Court is supposed to be all about justice but it feels like they're more interested in protecting the rich and powerful than actually doing what's right 
but at least he has to pay up now, that's some small consolation