June 29, 2006
Court Rules Against Military Tribunals for Detainees
In a blow to the Bush administration, the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 Thursday that the president overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detainees. In the ruling, written by Justice John Paul Stevens, the court said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and the Geneva Convention.

Report: Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal explains the decision.

Supreme Court Opinion (PDF): Stevens wrote for the five-justice majority in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. This document includes dissenting opinions.

March 28, 2006
High Court Weighs War Powers
The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan who is charged with conspiring to commit acts of terror with al-Qaida. The case raises question about the jurisdiction of the federal courts, and the powers of the president in war time.

Feb. 21, 2006
High Court Agrees to Hear Late-term Abortion Case
The U.S. Supreme Court heard challenges Tuesday to federal environmental laws and scheduled arguments on state abortion restrictions. Ray Suarez discusses the arguments as well as Justice Samuel Alito's first day on the bench with Marcia Coyle.

Feb. 21, 2006
Alito Appearance Marks Shift in Court
Two constitutional law professors discuss how Justice Alito's presence on the bench may sway the balance of the Supreme Court.

Jan. 31, 2006
Senate Confirms Alito to U.S. Supreme Court
The Senate voted 58-42 to confirm Samuel Alito as the 110th Supreme Court justice.

Jan. 18, 2006
Supreme Court Sends Abortion Case Back to New Hampshire
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that a lower court was wrong to declare a New Hampshire abortion law unconstitutional and sent the case back to the lower court to find less drastic ways to repair the statute.

Jan. 17, 2006
Supreme Court Upholds Oregon Assisted Suicide Law
The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday upheld an Oregon law that allows doctor-assisted suicide. By a 6-3 vote, the court said the U.S. Justice Department may not use a federal drug law to override the state law.

October 3, 2005
Roberts Era Opens at High Court
Assuming the job once held by his mentor, John Roberts was invested as the 17th chief justice of the United States Monday, opening the latest term of the Supreme Court with a deferential tone toward his colleagues and sharp questions for lawyers appearing before the court. The Chicago Tribune's Jan Crawford Greenburg, who was in the court when Roberts assumed the bench, reports on the first day of the new term.

October 3, 2005
President Bush Taps Long-time Adviser to Top Court
President Bush on Monday nominated Harriet Miers, a White House counsel who has never served as a judge, to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. Several legal scholars discuss Miers' career.

September 29, 2005
John Roberts Becomes Chief Justice of the United States
John Roberts, a conservative jurist who faced three straight days of questioning from skeptical Democratic senators, was sworn in as the nation's 17th chief justice Thursday only hours after winning Senate approval. All of the Senate Republicans joined half of the body's Democrats in voting 78-22 to approve the 50 year old, in a move hailed by President Bush.

September 22, 2005
Committee Sends Roberts Nomination to Full Senate
In a 13-5 vote Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended that Judge John Roberts' nomination to serve as chief justice of the United States be approved by the full Senate.

September 15, 2005
Judge Roberts Tries to Address Concerns of Skeptical Democrats
For the third consecutive day, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled chief justice nominee John Roberts on his views of affirmative action, civil rights and big business, trying to get at his personal, rather than legal, view of the law.

September 4, 2005
Chief Justice William Rehnquist Dies at 80
Special Report: Chief Justice William Rehnquist, whose conservative judicial philosophy guided the high court for nearly 20 years, succumbed to thyroid cancer Saturday evening. He was 80 years old.

Rehnquist, who died in his Arlington home surrounded by his family, served more than 33 years on the high court and had been chief justice since 1987.