Prepation

Published on January 26, 2022 at 07:45AM Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) Justice Stephen Breyer announced Wednesday he will retire at the end of the 2022 term this October. Breyer, a Bill Clinton (D) appointee, has served on the court since 1994. He is one of three justices on the nine-member court to be appointed by a Democratic president. Breyer’s retirement will be President Joe Biden’s (D) first opportunity to nominate a member to the court; both Donald Trump (R) and Barack Obama (D) nominated three SCOTUS justices while in office. Biden’s nominee will need to win the approval of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full U.S. Senate before taking office. Democrats currently hold a 50-50 majority in the full Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris (D) able to cast a tie-breaking vote. Control of the committee is split 11-11. Under the organizing resolution the U.S. Senate adopted at the beginning of the current Congress, a tied vote in committee will not pre...

Published on January 19, 2022 at 02:16PM The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on Jan. 14 accepted five cases for argument during the 2021-2022 term : George v. McDonough involves when a veteran has the legal right to appeal after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) denies a disability benefits claim. Veterans have the right to challenge final VA decisions if the agency makes a “clear and unmistakable error” (CUE). This case is about whether CUE occurred when the VA relied on later-overturned regulations to deny a disability claim. George originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit . Kennedy v. Bremerton School District , originating from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit , concerns religious expression and government speech at a public school and the Constitution’s establishment clause .  Vega v. Tekoh concerns Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination, specifically related to the Supreme Court’s ruling in ...