Senior writer at Slate covering courts and the law. Co-host of the Amicus podcast. Dad.https://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.socialhttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mjp4e5z2kk2gI am so annoyed by @mattyglesias.bsky.social's head-in-the-sand takes on the DC mayoral race that I made this stupid meme17 Apr 2026 14:15 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjp4e5z2kk2ghttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mjp3ouy3kk2gNo major decisions from the Supreme Court today! The one opinion is Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish—the court unanimously removes a Louisiana environmental case to federal court. (Alito recused because of his stock holdings.) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-813_3e04.pdf17 Apr 2026 14:03 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjp3ouy3kk2ghttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mjn4hpc2cc2eI really appreciate everybody who reached out after the unfortunate and bizarre pile-on I experienced on here a few weeks ago. Thanks especially to those of you who taught me how to limit engagement to dissuade trolls from fomenting a rage-fest in the future. I wish I knew about these tools earlier!16 Apr 2026 19:11 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjn4hpc2cc2ehttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mjkzds2r422gTo echo Chris, I really hope this is strategic because her criticism of Kavanaugh was spot-on. [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Apr 2026 23:10 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkzds2r422ghttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mjknfbjim22lBetween this and Sotomayor's recent dig at Kavanaugh, I'm getting the sense that Callais (the Voting Rights Act case) will be an absolute disaster and the liberals have given up trying to mitigate the damage. [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Apr 2026 19:36 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjknfbjim22lhttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mjkmv3wotk2l"Scratch-paper musings” is SUCH a good burn of the shadow docket, nobody is doing it like KBJ https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/15/ketanji-brown-jackson-supreme-court-emergency-docket-00873317?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky15 Apr 2026 19:27 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkmv3wotk2lhttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mjjylxxey22oSteve understood the assignment. Fantastic testimony, very much worth your time. [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Apr 2026 13:24 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjylxxey22ohttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mitezwqoac2iThe Supreme Court takes up just one new case today, Johnson v. Congress, involving veterans' benefits. https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/040626zor_5iek.pdf FYI: I don't expect the court to issue more opinions until, at the earliest, April 17, when the justices are next scheduled to convene!06 Apr 2026 13:36 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mitezwqoac2ihttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mijpcdopak2rBy a 4–3 vote, the North Carolina Supreme Court's Republicans toss out a long-running lawsuit seeking to enforce the state constitution's guarantee of a quality public education for all children. The one reasonable Republican dissents, as do the two Democrats. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27989035-425a21-3/02 Apr 2026 17:13 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mijpcdopak2rhttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mijinttq6k2rReally good piece about something quite bad that shouldn't get lost in this week's crazy news cycle [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Apr 2026 15:14 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mijinttq6k2rhttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mij6fzrtuk2vThe vast majority of Americans are birthright citizens. Unless you naturalized or were born abroad to an American parent, you are a citizen because of the 14th Amendment. There is nothing constitutionally distinct about Americans born here to non-Americans. We are all literally equal citizens.02 Apr 2026 12:11 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mij6fzrtuk2vhttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mihdlgmtok23I think the lawsuit against Trump's White House "ballroom" will ultimately fail because a higher court will hold that the plaintiffs don't have standing to challenge the construction simply because they're upset and offended by its illegality. Not saying that's good—just the likely outcome. BUT ...01 Apr 2026 18:38 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mihdlgmtok23https://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3mihb4hajos23I stand by my earlier prediction: 7–2, with Kavanaugh possibly concurring on narrower statutory grounds that would let Congress restrict birthright citizenship in the future. Should be 9–0! https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/04/trump-shows-up-supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-fail.html01 Apr 2026 17:54 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3mihb4hajos23https://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3migykocflk26Agree. Although Roberts' first question about "domicile" to the ACLU lawyer, Cecillia Wang, was really a softball that lets her rebut the government's "domicile" theory about Wong Kim Ark. He doesn't actually sound undecided. [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Apr 2026 15:20 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3migykocflk26https://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3migxu3mtz226Endorse [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Apr 2026 15:08 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3migxu3mtz226https://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3migx4cvwes26I think the Supreme Court is going to rule against Trump's attack on birthright citizenship 7-2. [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Apr 2026 14:54 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3migx4cvwes26https://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3migvfqpkxe2hBoth Roberts and Gorsuch sound intensely skeptical of the Trump administration's arguments against birthright citizenship. The three liberals have already opposed Trump's executive order. So if this holds, there's five votes against Trump right there.01 Apr 2026 14:24 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3migvfqpkxe2hhttps://blacksky.community/profile/mjsdc.bsky.social/post/3migv7xbt342hYep. Alito embraces the deranged argument that the extremely narrow exceptions to birthright citizenship approved by its ratifiers ACTUALLY laid down a broad principle that should be applied to exclude visa-holders and undocumented people from birthright citizenship today. Awful! [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Apr 2026 14:21 +0000at://did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/app.bsky.feed.post/3migv7xbt342h