The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states may count mail ballots postmarked by Election Day even if they arrive later. The decision upholds Mississippi’s five-day grace period and preserves similar rules in more than a dozen states.
Posts tagged as “The 5th Circuit Court of Appeal”
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Damon Landor cannot seek money damages from Louisiana prison officials who shaved his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafarian beliefs. The dissent warned the decision will leave many prisoners without a remedy for violations of their religious rights.
The Supreme Court extends a temporary order maintaining mail access to the abortion pill mifepristone while reviewing a case that could limit its availability nationwide.
A federal appeals court has blocked the mailing of the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide, requiring in-person dispensing and limiting access through telehealth. The ruling supports Louisiana's abortion restrictions and challenges FDA regulations established during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Supreme Court has allowed the use of a 2021 map for the upcoming election in Galveston County, despite the fact that it wiped out the county's only majority-minority precinct in violation of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The decision has raised concerns about the future of the VRA and has been met with criticism from civil rights groups, who argue that it undermines the VRA and will have a detrimental effect on minority voters. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has been asked to take up the case en banc and reverse its decision, setting a precedent that could be used to justify the use of racially gerrymandered maps in the future.
The Biden administration has requested a stay from the Supreme Court on a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruling regarding its communication with social media companies. The ruling would have placed restrictions on the Biden administration's contact with social media companies, and the outcome of the case could have far-reaching implications for the government’s ability to regulate social media companies and the free speech rights of social media users. The government has filed a stay application with the Supreme Court and intends to file a petition by October 13.
Over 100 former clerks of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas have signed a letter defending his "integrity" and "independence" in response to reports of unethical gift-giving. The signatories argue that the reports are part of a "larger attack on the Court" and its "legitimacy", and include high profile circuit court judges and John C. Eastman, who is now criminally indicted in Georgia. The letter focuses on defending Justice Thomas' "integrity, character and ethics" without addressing Eastman's involvement.
A federal appeals court has upheld parts of a decision limiting access to the widely used abortion pill, mifepristone. The ruling agreed with a lower court that the Food and Drug Administration's moves since 2016 to relax the rules for mifepristone's use should be reversed, but declined to suspend the underlying approval of the medication. The decision is a victory for abortion opponents, but the Justice Department is expected to appeal the decision and the case is expected to continue to make its way through the courts.