Supreme Court Criticizes FHFA But Doesn’t Dismantle It : NPR
Supreme Court 📍
Cooper v. Aaron | Oyez
It's hard to believe that prior to 1958, government agencies were free to ignore rulings the US Supreme Court declaring a law unconstitutional. But US Supreme Court lacks an army or police force, and until President Eisenhower agreed to go along with Cooper v. Aaron and send National Guard to Arkansas to enforce the rulings of US Supreme Court, it wasn't clear if courts could force a government agency to follow the law.
Could a future president or state decide to ignore the law as set down by the courts? Things like this happen all the time, but usually there is enough political push-back to outright defiance to courts, that such defiance isn't long lasting or extensive.
U.S. Supreme Court limits police power to enter homes with no warrant | Reuters
The 9-0 ruling directed the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider Edward Caniglia's lawsuit accusing police of violating his constitutional rights by bringing him to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and taking away his guns without a warrant after a 2015 argument with his wife.
Lower courts had ruled that police in the Rhode Island city of Cranston did not violate the Constitution's Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches and seizures.
The case centered on a legal doctrine that gives officers leeway to engage in "community caretaking" to ensure public safety. In its ruling, the Supreme Court, which has previously applied this doctrine to vehicles, said it does not apply to the home as well.
NPR
Government regulations are not neutral when they "treat any comparable secular activity more favorably than religious exercise," said the majority, noting that "it is no answer that a state treats some comparable...activities as poorly as...the religious exercise at issue."
NPR
The U.S. Supreme Court seemed ready on Tuesday to uphold Arizona's restrictive voting laws, setting the stage for what happens in the coming months and years, as Republican-dominated state legislatures seek to make voting more difficult.
This is unfortunate as voting should be as easy as possible to maximize participation, and not to munipulate the output if folks don't agree with the conclusions.