Legal News
Reports on lawmaking, constitutional issues, and court cases. The Daily Signal combines news reporting with conservative commentary and legal analysis.
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news
Touchdown! Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Football Coach’s Right to Prayer
It’s the end of the fourth quarter. There’s no time remaining on the clock. The final score: 6-3. Coach Joe Kennedy has won. After a seven-year legal battle, the Supreme Court on Monday affirmed Kennedy’s right to take a knee in silent prayer in view of the public after high school football games. “The Free Exercise… -
opinion
Clarence Thomas in His Own Words
Thirty years after his confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas continues to have a profound influence on American law and culture—evident again with last week’s landmark rulings. A new book, “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” gives readers access to hours of the exclusive content from the justice himself. Building… -
opinion
Supreme Court’s Decision Is a Huge Win for Constitution
In the 2008 case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court recognized the individual right to gun ownership in the home. In the 2010 case of McDonald v. Chicago, it recognized that the right of individual gun ownership extended to states and local municipalities. This week, in New York State Rifle and Pistol… -
opinion
Clarence Thomas Just Issued His Career-Defining Court Opinion
On Thursday, the single greatest living American used the occasion of his 74th birthday to remind of his greatness. He did so by issuing the single piece of writing that, at least thus far, best encapsulates and defines his career as one of the most towering constitutionalists in the history of the republic. It is… -
news
Democrats Call for Expanding Supreme Court After String of Losses
Democratic lawmakers called for expanding the Supreme Court and abolishing the filibuster following a string of Supreme Court rulings not in their favor this week. Many Democrats and liberals reacted with anger over the three rulings that covered the exclusion of religious schools from a taxpayer-funded voucher program, expanded gun rights involving concealed carry and overturned Roe v. Wade’s… -
opinion
Life Wins: In Overturning Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Issues Victory for Rule of Law
Roe v. Wade—one of the most contentious Supreme Court decisions of the modern era—was sent to history’s dustheap on Friday. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, stating: We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected… -
news
What We Saw at Supreme Court Around Dobbs Decision
The Daily Signal was at the Supreme Court on Friday morning. Here’s what our team saw. -
news
Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade in Dobbs Decision
The Supreme Court overturned its Roe v. Wade ruling Friday with a 5-4 decision in a Mississippi case that returns the issue of abortion to the American people and their elected lawmakers after nearly 50 years. The high court’s dramatic and historic ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was not a surprise to… -
opinion
‘This Damn Vacation Is Over’: Clarence Thomas Recalls Grandfather’s Influence
Editor’s note: In these exclusive excerpts from the book “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” out Tuesday, author Michael Pack asks the Supreme Court justice about the influence of his maternal grandfather. Thomas was 2 when his father left the family. The new book is a successor to the 2020 documentary about Thomas with the… -
opinion
Courts to Determine If Schools Can Hide Information From Parents About Their Kids
If you sent your 9-year-old daughter to school and she broke her arm playing on the playground, but the school didn’t tell you, that would be grounds for a harsh conversation with administrators, if not a lawsuit, right? There are school policies and state and federal laws that outline parameters for transparency between parents, students,… -
opinion
What We Saw When Protesters Came to Homes of Kavanaugh, Roberts
A week after an assassination attempt on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a small group of 17 protesters made their way to Chevy Chase, Maryland, on Wednesday to march to his home as well as the home of Chief Justice John Roberts, something they have done each week for more than a month. The event… -
opinion
We Hear You: Praying for ‘Praying Coach’ in Supreme Court Case
Editor's note: The Daily Signal's audience is solidly behind Joe Kennedy, the high school football coach who lost his job for silently praying on the field after games, judging by the mailbag at [email protected]. Take a look.—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I can't tell you how frustrated I feel right now, having read Virginia Allen’s… -
opinion
What I Saw at ‘Blockade the Supreme Court’ Protest
As America awaits an imminent Supreme Court ruling in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the future of legalized abortion in America, a group of angry pro-abortion protesters made its way to Capitol Hill on Monday and attempted to “blockade” the court. A small group of demonstrators gathered Sunday night outside… -
news
Graphic Designer Asks Supreme Court to Allow Her to Say No to Same-Sex Weddings
The Supreme Court next fall will hear arguments in the case of a Colorado graphic designer who says a state law forces her to supply services for same-sex weddings, a violation of her religious beliefs and right to free speech. Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit legal organization focused on protecting religious freedom and free… -
opinion
Someone Just Tried to Kill Brett Kavanaugh. Welcome to the New Normal.
I was at the Supreme Court the night of May 2, when the news broke, based on a leaked draft opinion, that the high court likely would overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. I remember thinking that the rage expressed by the radical activists outside the Supreme Court Building was bad. But I never… -
opinion
The Eerie Silence Around Kavanaugh Assassination Attempt
If someone attempts to murder a Supreme Court justice, but corporate media barely covers it, did it actually happen? Sure, most outlets covered the news of the arrest of man who, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, arrived at Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home, armed with a “tactical knife, a pistol with two magazines and… -
news
Armed Man Arrested Near Brett Kavanaugh’s Home Threatened to Kill Him, Police Say
Police detained an armed man from California early Wednesday morning near the suburban Maryland home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, saying he threatened to kill Kavanaugh and had a handgun, a knife, and burglary tools. The FBI has taken over investigation of the case and the man was to appear in the afternoon before a… -
news
Football Coach Fired for Praying Hopes Supreme Court Allows Him to Thank God
Joe Kennedy was, in his own words, “a pretty bad kid.” So, when he was given the opportunity to coach football at the high school where he graduated, it felt like an opportunity for “penance … to pay back all the debt,” Kennedy says. He hoped to help prevent his players from falling into “the… -
opinion
Refusing to Prosecute Those Protesting at Supreme Court Justices’ Homes Is Inexcusable
One of the strengths of America is our legal system in which we settle our disputes peacefully in courts. We do this without the type of violence, intimidation, and threats against judges that occur in too many other countries around the world. We take for granted that judges in our country can do their jobs… -
news
What I Saw at Fourth Protest Outside Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Home
Pro-abortion protesters marched through Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s neighborhood for the fourth week in a row Thursday night. The 11 protesters chanted obscenities and yelled, “Pro-life is a lie, you don’t care if people die,” as they made their way through the Falls Church neighborhood, about 9 miles west of Washington, D.C. Police were present…