WASHINGTON – O Supreme Court ended his term by ruling for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, a decision that almost certainly means Donald Trump will not face trial before the November election. That closely watched decision, which drew strong dissent from the minority justices, was part of a set of important opinions delivered in the court’s busy final weeks.
Here’s a look at the top cases the court decided this year.
It ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution in a decision that prolongs the postponement of Donald Trump’s trial in Washington on charges of election interference and practically rules out a trial before the November elections. The justices returned the case to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who would preside over the trial. She must now resolve what remains of the indictment of former President Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Majority: Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Dissent: Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
It unanimously ruled that states cannot invoke the post-Civil War “insurrection clause” to keep presidential and congressional candidates off the ballot. The justices reversed a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that found that former President Donald Trump, as part of his effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat, intentionally organized and incited the mob of supporters who violently attacked the Capitol on January 6 2021. to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.
Majority (unsigned opinion): Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett (in part)
Concurring in judgment: Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson, Barrett
It narrowed a federal obstruction charge that was used against hundreds of people who participated in the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, as well as against Trump. The court decided the case of a former Pennsylvania police officer and sent it back to a trial court to determine whether the obstruction charge, enacted in 2002 and intended to discourage tampering with documents requested in investigations, can be used against him. The decision could also have implications for Trump’s prosecution on election interference charges.
Majority: Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Jackson
Dissent: Barrett, Sotomayor, Kagan
Unanimously rejected a legal challenge by anti-abortion doctors to the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 and more recent decisions facilitating access to the drug, one of two pills used in medication abortions. The justices ruled that the doctors did not have the legal right, or standing, to sue, reversing an appeal ruling that would have overturned some FDA decisions that make mifepristone easier to obtain, including receiving the drug in the mail, and would have allowed it to be used longer during pregnancy.
Majority: Kavanaugh, Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Barrett, Jackson
Dropped one 40 year old decision which has been cited thousands of times in federal court cases and used to defend regulations on the environment, public health, workplace safety, and consumer protection. The court’s decision, colloquially known as Chevron, long targeted by conservative and business interests, called on judges to defer to federal regulators when the words of a statute are not crystal clear. The Supreme Court held that judges, not regulators, should decide the meaning of federal laws.
Majority: Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett
Dissent: Kagan, Sotomayor, Jackson
Defended a 1994 law designed to protect victims of domestic violence. The law prohibits people under domestic violence restraining orders from having guns. The 8-1 ruling reversed an appellate ruling that struck down the law based on the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling expanding gun rights.
Majority: Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett, Jackson
Dissent: Thomas
It sustained a tax on foreign income that was enacted by a Republican-controlled Congress and signed into law by Trump. By a vote of 7-2, the justices rejected an effort by conservative and business interests to strike down the tax as a violation of the Constitution, which could have doomed a much-discussed but never enacted wealth tax on billionaires.
Majority: Kavanaugh, Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson
Concurring in judgment: Barrett, Alito
Dissent: Thomas, Gorsuch
Preserved a Republican-controlled congressional district in South Carolina in a 6-3 decision, reversing a lower court ruling that found the state Legislature discriminated against black voters. Dissenting liberal justices warned that the court was insulating states from allegations of unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. State lawmakers removed 30,000 black residents from the district to strengthen Representative Nancy Mace’s control over it.
Majority: Alito, Roberts, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett
Dissent: Kagan, Sotomayor, Jackson
Overturned a ban on bump stocksrapid fire weapon accessories used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. The 6-3 decision concluded that the Trump administration overreacted when it changed course from its predecessors and banned bump stocks, which allow a rate of fire comparable to that of machine guns. In a dissent, the liberal justices warned that the decision could have “deadly consequences.”
Majority: Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett
Dissent: Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson
Defended the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding method, which does not depend on annual appropriations from Congress. By a vote of 7-2, the court reversed a ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found the funding structure violated the Constitution.
Majority: Thomas, Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, Barrett, Jackson
Dissent: Alito, Gorsuch
The court unanimously cleared the way for the National Rifle Association to sue a former New York state official. Backed in part by the Biden administration and represented by the ACLU, the gun rights group said Maria Vullo pressured companies to blacklist him after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. The opinion said the First Amendment prohibits government officials from using their power to punish or suppress speech.
Majority: Sotomayor, Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Kagan, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett, Jackson
By 5 votes to 4, it rejected a national agreement with OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma which would have allocated billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic, but also provided legal protection for members of the Sackler family, owners of the company. The deal had been on hold since last summer after the Supreme Court agreed to intervene.
Majority: Gorsuch, Thomas, Alito, Barrett, Jackson
Dissent: Kavanaugh, Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan
Voted 5-4 to pause the Environmental Protection Agency “good neighbor” plan to combat air pollution while legal challenges continue in response to a plea from Republican-led energy-producing states and the steel industry.
Majority: Gorsuch, Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh
Dissent: Barrett, Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson
It ruled 6-3 that people facing civil fraud complaints from the Securities and Exchange Commission have the right to a jury trial in federal court rather than being limited to an in-house proceeding. The decision deprived the agency of an important tool in combating securities fraud and could have far-reaching effects on other regulatory agencies.
Majority: Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett
Dissent: Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson
Dismissed a lawsuit filed by Republican-led states that alleged federal authorities unconstitutionally coerced social media platforms to take down controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security. The court voted 6-3 that the states and other parties had no legal right, or standing, to sue over their claim that the government relied on the platforms to limit conservative views.
Majority: Barrett, Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, Jackson
Dissent: Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch
In a limited decision, the court continued to wait social media laws in Texas and Florida This would limit how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. But the court majority recognized that platforms are much like newspapers and have a constitutional right to make choices about what to include and exclude from their space. The cases will continue in federal appeals courts: One court upheld the Texas law; another concluded that Florida’s law is likely unconstitutional.
Majority: Kagan, Roberts, Sotomayor, Kavanaugh, Barrett, Jackson
Concurring in judgment: Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch
The Supreme Court has cleared the way for Idaho hospitals to offer emergency abortions, for now. In a limited order, the court concluded that it should not have gotten involved so quickly in the case of Idaho’s strict abortion ban. By a vote of 6-3, it reinstated a lower court order that allowed state hospitals to perform emergency abortions to protect the health of a pregnant patient.
Majority: Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, Barrett, Jackson
Dissent: Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch
The justices found that cities can prohibit homeless people from sleeping outdoors in public places. The majority concluded that such laws do not violate the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment when shelter space is lacking. The opinion overturned an appeals court ruling that applied to nine Western states, including California, where a third of the country’s homeless population lives.
Majority: Gorsuch, Thomas, Alito, Roberts, Kavanaugh, Barrett
Dissent: Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson
