May 21 Supreme Court dismisses Alabama's bid to execute inmate with borderline intellectual disability By Mark Sherman, Associated Press The court's action leaves in place lower court rulings in favor of Joseph Clifton Smith, 55, who has been on death row roughly half his life after his conviction for beating a man to death in 1997. Continue reading
May 19 NAACP calls for boycott of Southern college sports programs over voting rights By Matt Brown, Associated Press The NAACP is calling on Black athletes, alumni, fans and the general public to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that aim to redistrict longtime Black lawmakers. Continue reading
May 19 Ketanji Brown Jackson says Supreme Court risks being seen as political after voting rights decision By Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press At a time when public confidence in the court is low, Jackson said the court must be careful to avoid being seen as political. Continue reading
May 18 Supreme Court sends closely watched Native American voting rights decision back to lower court By Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press The Supreme Court has acted in a Voting Rights Act case brought by Native American tribes, saying a closely watched ruling needs to be reconsidered after the high court weakened the Civil Rights-era law. Continue reading
May 18 Supreme Court rejects appeals from drug manufacturers over Medicare price negotiations with government By Mark Sherman, Ali Swenson, Associated Press The negotiation program was created as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which capped years of debate over whether the federal government should be allowed to haggle directly with manufacturers over the prices of drugs in Medicare. Continue reading
May 18 Redistricting debate shifts to South Carolina as Republicans target Rep. Clyburn's seat By Jeffrey Collins, David A. Lieb, Associated Press The Southern redistricting efforts come after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minority districts. Continue reading
May 16 Thousands rally in birthplace of Civil Rights Movement to defend Black political representation By Kim Chandler, Associated Press A crowd of thousands gathered in front of the city’s historic Alabama Capitol, the place where the Confederacy was formed in 1861 and where the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke in 1965 at the end of the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting… Continue reading
May 15 Supreme Court rejects bid to restore Virginia congressional map favoring Democrats By Mark Sherman, Associated Press In recent days, the justices have sided with Republicans in Alabama and Louisiana who hope to redo their congressional maps to produce more GOP-leaning seats following the court’s voting rights decision. Continue reading
May 14 Watch 3:54 Supreme Court extends access to mifepristone, for now By Amna Nawaz, Courtney Norris The Supreme Court again extended access to mifepristone, for now. Thursday, justices extended a pause on a lower court ruling that would have blocked telehealth prescriptions and mail distribution of the abortion pill. Amna Nawaz discussed what this means for… Continue watching
May 14 Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion pill, while lawsuit plays out By Mark Sherman, Geoff Mulvihill, Matthew Perrone, Associated Press The court’s order allows women seeking abortions to continue obtaining the drug, mifepristone, at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor. Access is likely to remain uninterrupted at least until into next year as the… Continue reading