U.S. Supreme Court

Attorney Bob Hilliard — representing the family of Mexican teenager Sergio Adrian Hernandez, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent — speaks in front of the Supreme Court after presenting his argument on Tuesday.

Conservative Justices Skeptical Of Extending Constitution Beyond U.S. Border

7:31pm February 21, 2017

by Nina Totenberg

The Supreme Court heard arguments in a "very sympathetic case" involving the shooting of an unarmed Mexican teen on the border. The justices will decide if the boy's family may sue the border agent.

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A border in the Rio Grande culvert divides the Mexican city of Juárez (bottom) and the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas, shown here in 2010.

Supreme Court To Decide If Mexican Nationals May Sue For Border Shooting

9:47am February 21, 2017

by Nina Totenberg

A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed an unarmed Mexican national from across the border, and the agent was not disciplined. The boy's family says a suit is their only possibility for justice.

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Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch (right) arrives with former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., for a meeting with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Wednesday.

Gorsuch Calls Trump Tweets About Judges 'Demoralizing' And 'Disheartening'

8:57pm February 08, 2017

by Ted Robbins

Remarks by Neil Gorsuch, the president's nominee to the Supreme Court, about Trump's put-downs of judges were quoted by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who met with Gorsuch about the nomination.

Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch (center) arrives with former New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte on Capitol Hill last week for a meeting with Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. There are different kinds of conservative judges, from the pragmatist to the origin

Judge Gorsuch's Originalism Contrasts With Mentor's Pragmatism

8:17am February 06, 2017

by Nina Totenberg

Neil Gorsuch is a self-proclaimed "originalist." It is a philosophy very different from that of his mentor, Justice Byron White.

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Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, faces members of the media while meeting with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in his Senate office.

Trump's Supreme Court Pick Is A Disciple Of Scalia's 'Originalist' Crusade

10:27am February 02, 2017

Judge Neil Gorsuch was friends with the late justice and subscribed to the judicial philosophy of "originalism" he popularized. So what is it exactly? The doctrine has plenty of critics.

Adam Scott of Australia plays during the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship at the Trump National Doral Blue Monster course in 2016.

Trump's Supreme Court Nominee Could Hear Case Affecting Trump Golf Courses

6:04am January 29, 2017

by Greg Allen

When President Trump nominates a new Supreme Court justice, he will be choosing someone who may rule on a case affecting golf course profits. The case helps illustrate Trump's conflicts of interest.

The lethal injection chamber at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., as seen in 2002.

National

Alabama Inmate Coughed, Heaved For About 13 Minutes During Execution

1:05pm December 09, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Ronald Bert Smith Jr. died by lethal injection late Thursday night, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to stay his execution. A judge sentenced Smith to die for murdering a man in 1994.

National

Supreme Court To Hear Death Penalty Case Based On Racially Tainted Testimony

6:42am October 05, 2016

by Nina Totenberg

Duane Buck was given the death penalty after an expert witness testified that he was more likely to be dangerous in the future because he was black. The Supreme Court hears his case Wednesday.

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Voting Restrictions Won't 'Make America Great Again'

6:20pm September 03, 2016

by Mary C. Curtis

Donald Trump's outreach to African-Americans can't erase his and the GOP's support for tactics that disenfranchise or discourage black voters, writes Mary Curtis in this commentary.

Tracing The 'Rise Of The Judicial Right' To Warren Burger's Supreme Court

1:45pm July 06, 2016

Burger served as chief justice of the Supreme Court from 1969 until 1986. Linda Greenhouse, author of The Burger Court, says those years helped establish the court's conservative legal foundation.

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