Court Watch with Alex Swoyer
The 'Court Watch' podcast with Washington Times legal affairs reporter Alex Swoyer breaks down the Supreme Court's major cases and top news stories about the justices, federal courts and perplexing legal battles with key insight from court watchers from both sides of the aisle.
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Recent Stories
Democrats reject constitutional amendment to limit Supreme Court to nine justices
House Democrats on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted against a constitutional amendment to set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine.
Democrats plot crackdown on Supreme Court
Democrats eyeing majorities in the House and Senate are plotting how they will police Supreme Court justices they say are influenced by right-wing, dark money groups.
New Jersey wants Supreme Court to weigh in on sports betting regulation
New Jersey is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide a dispute over prediction markets and the laws regulating betting on sporting events.
Republicans seek Supreme Court OK for lower campaign ad rates; case could swing Senate races
Republican committees are asking the Supreme Court to block a lower court ruling that effectively raised the rates they must pay for campaign ads, in a case that could affect the winners of several key congressional elections.
Snubbed by Big Law, Clarence Thomas found his path to the Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas says those who dislike him and the direction he's led the Supreme Court should blame the snobbish law firms that didn't offer him a job when he emerged from Yale Law School in the 1970s.
Why Clarence Thomas was 'scary' in law school
Justice Clarence Thomas says those who dislike him and the direction he's led the Supreme Court should blame the snobbish law firms that didn't offer him a job when he emerged from Yale Law School in the 1970s.
Supreme Court's mail-voting ruling settles nothing -- and chaos may follow anyway
The Supreme Court sided with Trump on mail voting Monday, but didn't say his order is legal. Here's why the fight -- and the confusion -- is far from over.
Capitol Police arrest California man in possession of a guillotine near Supreme Court
A 35-year-old California man was arrested Tuesday on charges of possessing an assembled guillotine, which U.S. Capitol Police spotted in the bed of his pickup truck near the U.S. Supreme Court.
Democrats file new challenge to Trump postal service election plans
Congressional Democrats and voting rights advocates mounted new challenges Tuesday to President Trump's plans to have the post office police this year's elections, moving just a day after the Supreme Court gave the administration some wiggle room.
Elon Musk faces no criminal charges for million-dollar voter giveaway
Elon Musk will not face criminal charges for alleged election bribery over promising to dole out $1 million checks to voters during Wisconsin's Supreme Court election last year, a state prosecutor said Tuesday.
Nothing changes yet with the Supreme Court's order on elections. But it could open door to 'chaos'
The Supreme Court's decision giving preliminary approval for President Donald Trump's order restricting mail voting may not lead to a single election procedure changing during the November midterms, but it has already thrown into uncertainty the method that nearly one-third of the country uses to vote.
Supreme Court gives Trump room to run on plan to have post office police mail-in ballots
The Supreme Court on Monday gave President Trump some leeway to work on plans to have the U.S. Postal Service decide which mailed ballots to deliver, saying it was too early for lower courts to intervene and block him.
Goldwater Institute makes the case for Supreme Court to strike down home distilling ban
The libertarian Goldwater Institute has filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court backing the end of a 19th-century law against distilling booze at home.
California Supreme Court hears arguments over sheriff's seizure of ballots
The California Supreme Court is weighing whether a Southern California sheriff who seized election ballots must return them to county election officials.
The Supreme Court should review the E. Jean Carroll case
Lawyers representing President Trump have been pilloried in the media for asking the Supreme Court to review the larger E. Jean Carroll defamation judgment, totaling $83.3 million.
Judge clears Trump administration to end deportation amnesty for roughly one million TPS migrants
President Trump's decade-long project to end deportation amnesties for a large swath of countries has finally come to fruition, after battling from district courts up to the Supreme Court and back down again.
Preservation group urges Supreme Court to suspend Trump's White House ballroom project
A historic preservation group that sued to block construction of President Donald Trump's White House ballroom urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to suspend the project while it considers whether the work can continue.
Supreme Court asked to punish Hawaii Supreme Court justices over 'white sight' claim
America First Policy Institute asked the Supreme Court to discipline three justices on Hawaii's Supreme Court over a ruling in which the justices accused the high court of "white sight."
Supreme Court asked to review Texas law requiring the Ten Commandments in public schools
Civil rights advocates on Monday said they asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, teeing up a case that could set a new national standard for the limits of state-sponsored religious expression in classrooms.
Supreme Court again rejects Trump's appeal in E. Jean Carroll's $5 million defamation lawsuit
The Supreme Court on Monday again rejected President Trump's request to review a $5 million judgment in New York writer E. Jean Carroll's defamation lawsuit against him.
Democrats vow to rein in Supreme Court's 'shadow' docket if they retake Congress
Taking on the Supreme Court is high on the priority list for Democrats, should they win back Congress after the midterms.
Trump asks Supreme Court to approve his White House ballroom project
President Trump went to the Supreme Court on Friday to ask permission to keep building his grand plans for a ballroom at the White House, telling the justices the project is "vitally required by national security."
Hakeem Jeffries calls for Supreme Court overhaul if Dems capture midterms
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who could become speaker if Democrats win the majority in November, is pushing a bold agenda to alter American institutions.
Supreme Court doesn't act in time to stop execution of 'vicious' dog
A last-ditch appeal to the Supreme Court wasn't enough to stave off the euthanization of Bruce, a 3-year-old dog that a California county deemed too "vicious" after multiple biting incidents.
Immigration groups ask judge to block Trump's new birthright citizenship order
Immigrant rights advocates rushed to a federal court Tuesday to ask the judge to shut down President Trump's latest attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, saying the Supreme Court has already settled the issue and the White House lost.
Republicans pick nominee for Alabama U.S. House district they redrew after Supreme Court ruling
Republicans aiming to flip Alabama's 2nd Congressional District after redrawing the heavily Black district in their favor will pick their nominee Tuesday to challenge U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, the Democratic incumbent who is seeking a second term despite the political headwinds.
Could an 'invasion' declaration undo the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling?
Sen. Jim Banks, Indiana Republican, has a plan to counter the Supreme Court's "generational error" in its ruling this summer that the Constitution grants automatic citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants in the U.S.
Supreme Court to kick off new term with climate lawfare, immigration disputes
The Supreme Court on Tuesday released its upcoming oral argument calendar for October, when the justices gavel in for their new 2026-2027 term and are set to hear a major climate dispute involving big oil and allegations of climate change.
Judge scolds Trump administration for 'shameful cruelty' in trying to end TPS for Somali migrants
A federal judge took a vicious shot at the Trump administration on Tuesday, saying it was showing "shameful cruelty" in trying to speed the end of a deportation amnesty for hundreds of Somali migrants after a Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer.
Approval of Supreme Court hits record low with a few rulings against Trump turning off Republicans
Americans are now more displeased with the U.S. Supreme Court than they have been in the past 26 years, according to a new poll.
25 states sue over Trump's new tariffs, calling them 'pretext' to replace his old ones
Twenty-five states sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February.
Supreme Court won't halt $656M judgment against the PLO and Palestinian Authority
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor refused Monday to halt a $656 million judgment against Palestinian authorities in a long-running lawsuit filed by Americans killed or wounded in attacks in Israel.
Ketanji Brown Jackson's love story proves even future Supreme Court justices overthink dating
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's first date was with the man who would become her husband -- but she didn't even know it was a date, at first.
Justice Kagan should recuse herself in Suncor energy case
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan is facing appropriate calls to recuse herself from an important climate change lawfare case on the high court's October docket.
Wisconsin appeals court overturns ruling that had restored collective bargaining power
A Wisconsin appeals court on Wednesday restored a 2011 anti-union law that abolished collective bargaining rights, in a setback for unions and public workers. Unions are expected to appeal, sending the case to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is controlled by liberal justices.
Trump and DOJ ask Supreme Court to toss $83 million defamation verdict in E. Jean Carroll case
President Donald Trump and the Justice Department are asking the Supreme Court to toss an $83 million defamation verdict won by writer E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault, saying he can't be sued for comments he made while he was president.
Court panel declines to block Trump's mail ballot order, but its status for midterms remains unclear
A federal appellate panel on Tuesday refused to block President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to restrict mail voting, a day after the administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the proposal in a separate case.
Brandywine retiree asks Supreme Court to hear property-rights lawsuit against Prince George's County
A landowner in Brandywine has asked the Supreme Court to hear his lawsuit against Prince George's County, which barred him from digging a temporary well and sewers as he built a rural retirement home.
Trump asks Supreme Court to revive his plans for post office to police elections
President Trump asked the Supreme Court Monday to allow him to implement his executive order directing the U.S. Postal Service to police mail-in voting by refusing to deliver ballots to people whose eligibility hasn't been verified by the feds.
Jeffries alleges 'voter suppression' after Black lawmaker retires in wake of Supreme Court ruling
Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries is alleging "voter suppression" after the retirement from Congress of a Louisiana Democrat whose predominantly Black congressional district was redrawn by Republicans.
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan says the Supreme Court is not a rubber stamp for Trump
The U.S. Supreme Court may be deeply conservative, but it is not simply a rubber stamp for President Donald Trump, Justice Elena Kagan said Thursday.
Supreme Court term saw more ideological divides; Justice Jackson furthest to the left
The number of 6-3 ideologically split decisions at the Supreme Court rose this term with rulings on transgender athletes, the Voting Rights Act, campaign finance and several immigration decisions all being won by the conservative majority, according to a prominent court scholar.
Republicans flood Congress with bills to confront Supreme Court on birthright citizenship
The Supreme Court may have crushed President Trump's plans to restrict birthright citizenship, but congressional Republicans are seeking legislative alternatives that could restrict it in certain cases.
WATCH: By the numbers, how the justices lined up this term
Dr. Adam Feldman, Supreme Court scholar and statistics keeper with Legalytics, joins Court Watch with Alex Swoyer to break down where the justices aligned, where they split, and what the numbers reveal.
Supreme Court to decide if Alaska man's $95,000 fine for a six-pack of Budweiser was fair
Alaska doesn't mess around when it comes to illegal alcohol, authorizing severe penalties for anyone who allows it to be brought into communities where it's banned.
Supreme Court ruling puts torpedo in administrative state
The Supreme Court has gutted one of the load-bearing walls of the deep state, returning power to the people and likely making life much more affordable in the long run.
WATCH: Supreme Court delivers a mixed verdict on Trump's biggest fights this term
Alex Swoyer and former Trump DOJ attorney Abhishek Kambli break down what the justices got right, what they got wrong, and what it means heading into the next term.
E. Jean Carroll is paid $5.6 million in Trump sex abuse and defamation case
The writer E. Jean Carroll has collected over $5.6 million that a jury awarded in her sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump, court records and her lawyers said.
Trump claimed some big wins at Supreme Court, former DOJ lawyer says
Despite some high-profile setbacks, President Trump had a largely successful year at the Supreme Court, a former Justice Department civil litigation expert said, pointing to major victories for the White House on executive power and immigration enforcement.
Justices say they're trying to control 'shadow' docket better
The Supreme Court has made a concerted effort to do more to explain decisions on its interim or "shadow" docket, justices told Congress on Tuesday, saying they're responding to public demands for more transparency.
Supreme Court justices detail sicko threats, ask Congress for more security money
Supreme Court justices detailed growing and disturbing threats to their safety as they asked Congress on Tuesday to increase their security budgets.
Conservative groups seek Justice Elena Kagan's recusal from 'climate lawfare' case
Nearly two dozen conservative groups asked the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday to look into why Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan has not recused herself from an upcoming case involving "climate lawfare."
Could birthright citizenship be the next Roe v. Wade?
It took nearly 50 years for conservatives to see Roe v. Wade overturned. They're hoping it won't take that long to nix Trump v. Barbara, last month's decision on birthright citizenship.
Unsealed letter reveals Scalia's fierce defense of landmark religious liberty decision
Justice Antonin Scalia usually let his opinions speak for themselves, but he was so irked by criticism of one of his religious liberty rulings that he wrote a private defense of his reasoning, according to an unsealed court document obtained by "Seen, Heard & Whispered."
Trump moves to force Supreme Court do-over on birthright citizenship
President Trump will take the unusual step of asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision on birthright citizenship after the high court last week struck down his executive order restricting it.
