Wall Street Journal
Supreme Court correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and author of The Terror Courts: Rough Justice at Guantanamo Bay
PROFILE
Jess Bravin
Guest
FROM Jess Bravin
To the Point
SCOTUS Unanimously Upholds One Person One Vote All eight members of the current US Supreme Court today rejected efforts to shift voting power away from urban centers to rural districts with smaller populations. The unanimous decision was a blow to conservatives. Jess Bravin covers the court for the Wall Street Journal .
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SCOTUS Will Review Obama Immigration Plan The US Supreme Court is set to make a blockbuster ruling in the midst of this year's presidential campaign. It's agreed to rule on a challenge to President Obama's use of executive power to defer deportation of more than four million undocumented workers. Jess Bravin covers the court for the Wall Street Journal .
To the Point
SCOTUS Rules on Facebook Threats, Abercrombie Head Scarf Case With less than a month remaining for the Supreme Court to issue opinions on this term's biggest cases, the justices issued two notable decisions today. One had to do with headscarves and employment discrimination ; the other, online threats and free speech . Jess Bravin is the Supreme Court correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. Special thanks to Sarah Sweeney for production assistance.
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Supreme Court Rules on Hobby Lobby Case In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court sided today with employers who said the contraception mandate under Obamacare violated their religious beliefs. The courts ruled that “closely held” companies may now qualify for a religious exemption to the nation’s healthcare law. Jess Bravin is the Supreme Court correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Cell Phone Searches The Supreme Court has ruled that police must always have a warrant to search mobile devices when arresting someone. In his opinion, chief justice John Roberts wrote, "Modern cellphones aren't a technological convenience. With all they contain and all they may reveal, they hold for many Americans 'the privacies of life.'"
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Hobby Lobby Preview The Supreme Court will hear arguments tomorrow over whether Hobby Lobby has a right to restrict the kinds of contraception covered by the company’s health plan. As it stands, the restrictions violate rules set out by the Affordable Care Act. We preview the arguments and political significance of the case.
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Social Issues Central in Supreme Court’s New Term The US Supreme Court opened its new term today, having accepted a group of cases that could produce new precedents on a series of hot-button issues. Jess Bravin covers the court for the Wall Street Journal.
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Gay Rights Victories from a Divided US Supreme Court Two different five-vote Supreme Court majorities made rulings today that advance the cause of same-sex marriage in the United States. The Defense of Marriage Act , which recognizes only heterosexual marriage, was held to be unconstitutional . Same-sex marriage is now legal again in California, because a lower-court ruling against that state's voter-passed ban will be allowed to stand. We hear the legal details and the emotional reaction from both sides, who agree on one thing: traditional marriage is changing fast.
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Guantanamo Bay, Unmanned Drones and the Fight against Terror As today's live broadcast begins, President Obama is addressing national security at the National Defense University in Washington. In a lengthy briefing prior to the speech, aides outlined his renewed intention to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay and his plans to establish new rules for the use of unmanned drones for targeted killings. The President said that, while terrorism is a threat that will always be with us, it's not a reason for perpetual war. With US troops leaving Afghanistan, and al Qaeda leadership decimated since the attacks of September 11, he said it's time to refocus American strategy. Will today's speech win support from a divided Congress?
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Rough Justice for Terrorists at Guantanamo Bay In the aftermath of September 11, the Bush Administration began rounding up terrorist suspects and incarcerating them at Guantanamo Bay. Instead of trying them in civilian federal courts or military courts martial, officials established a parallel justice system, which is still operating. Wall Street Journal reporter Jess Bravin has been cited by the American Bar Association for enhancing understanding of "our most fundamental values and principles under law." Elsewhere he's described as "legitimately outraged" by what he uncovered during ten years of reporting on the trial of terrorist suspects at Guantanamo. That's the subject of The Terror Courts : Rough Justice at Guantanamo Bay.
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Will the Supreme Court Remove Campaign Funding Limits? Just yesterday, the US Supreme Court agreed to review another controversial issue: limits on individual campaign contributions over two-year election cycles. The court is being asked to overturn a law first enacted during the Watergate era and upheld in 1976. Jess Bravin is Supreme Court correspondent for the Wall Street Journal .
Which Way, L.A.?
Affirmative Action in College Admissions and the US Supreme Court In the Grutter case almost 10 years ago, a divided US Supreme Court rejected racial quotas in college admissions. But it said race could be one factor in the effort to diversify student bodies and make up for the history of racial discrimination. It was a divided decision, and the court said it would take up the issue again. Today, in the case of Abigail Fisher , a white student rejected by the University of Texas, it made good on its promise. We hear what the Court heard about race-based and race-neutral strategies.
To the Point
Affirmative Action in College Admissions and the US Supreme Court In the Grutter case almost ten years ago, a divided US Supreme Court rejected racial quotas in college admissions. But it said race could be one factor in the effort to diversify student bodies and make up for the history of racial discrimination. It was a divided decision, and the court said it would take up the issue again. Today, in the case of Abigail Fisher , a white student rejected by the University of Texas, it made good on its promise. If not affirmative action based on race, then what? What about economic class? Or should academic merit be the only standard for deciding who gets in, especially to more selective institutions? We hear arguments with far-reaching implications about guaranteeing equal opportunity in an increasingly diverse society.
Which Way, L.A.?
Conservatives Justices Take Hard Line on Individual Mandate One major question raised by President Obama's Affordable Care Act is, just how much power does the so-called Commerce Clause give the federal government? Today, the US Supreme Court heard arguments about the so-called "mandate," which requires that Americans buy health insurance or pay a penalty. We hear what the justices wanted to know and what answers they got from the Obama Administration and its challengers. (Special thanks to Gideon Brower for production assistance.)
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Conservatives Justices Take Hard Line on Healthcare Law One major question raised by the Affordable Care Act is, just how much power does the so-called Commerce Clause give the government? The "mandate" to buy health insurance or pay a penalty if you don't came under harsh attack today in the US Supreme Court. Would it mean the federal government could require Americans to eat broccoli, exercise or buy funeral insurance? Does the Affordable Care Act regulate commerce or create it? Is there any limit to government power? Justices were demanding answers today. How well did the Obama Administration's lawyer respond? What's next for the President's "signature legislative achievement?" (Special thanks to Gideon Brower for production assistance.)
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Supreme Court Voids Law Banning Depictions of Animal Cruelty In 1999, Congress passed a law to limit the sales of so-called "crush" videos, showing women killing small animals with their bare feet or high-heeled shoes. The videos almost vanished. But today, the US Supreme Court said the law went too far . Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the 8-to-1 decision that threw out law prohibiting graphic videos. Jess Bravin is Supreme Court correspondent for the Wall Street Journal .
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Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
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The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
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The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
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Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.