Latest news with #14thAmendment
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Top cases to be heard during US Supreme Court's 2025-2026 term
July 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court has taken up a series of cases to be decided during its next term, which begins in October, involving issues such as transgender rights, campaign finance law, gay "conversion therapy," crisis pregnancy centers, religious rights and capital punishment. Here is a look at some of the cases due to be argued during the court's upcoming term. The court also separately has acted on an emergency basis in a number of cases involving challenges to President Donald Trump's policies. The court on July 3 decided to hear a bid by Idaho and West Virginia to enforce their state laws banning transgender athletes from female sports teams at public schools, taking up another civil rights challenge to Republican-backed restrictions on transgender people. Idaho and West Virginia appealed decisions by lower courts siding with transgender students who sued. The plaintiffs argued that the laws discriminate based on sex and transgender status in violation of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection as well as the Title IX civil rights statute that bars sex-based discrimination in education. No date has been set for the arguments. The court agreed on June 30 to hear a Republican-led challenge on free speech grounds to a provision of federal campaign finance law that limits spending by political parties in coordination with candidates running for office in a case involving Vice President JD Vance. Two Republican committees and Vance, who was running for the U.S. Senate in Ohio when the litigation began, appealed a lower court's ruling that upheld restrictions on the amount of money parties can spend on campaigns with input from candidates they support. At issue is whether federal limits on coordinated campaign spending violate the Constitution's First Amendment protection against government abridgment of freedom of speech. No date has been set for the arguments. The justices on March 10 agreed to hear a Christian therapist's challenge on free speech grounds to a Democratic-backed Colorado law banning "conversion therapy" intended to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity. Licensed counselor Kaley Chiles appealed a lower court's decision rejecting her claim that the 2019 statute unlawfully censors her communications with clients in violation of the First Amendment protections. The state has said it is regulating professional conduct, not speech. Chiles is a Colorado-based therapist and practicing Christian who "believes that people flourish when they live consistently with God's design, including their biological sex," according to court papers. No date has been set for the arguments. The court on June 16 agreed to consider reviving a New Jersey crisis pregnancy center operator's bid to block the Democratic-led state's attorney general from investigating whether the Christian faith-based organization deceived women into believing it offered abortions. First Choice Women's Resource Centers appealed a lower court's ruling that the organization must first contest the attorney general's subpoena in state court before bringing a federal lawsuit challenging it. Crisis pregnancy centers provide services to pregnant women with the goal of preventing them from having abortions. They do not advertise their anti-abortion stance, and abortion rights advocates have called them deceptive. First Choice has argued it has a right to bring its case in federal court because it was alleging a violation of its First Amendment rights to free speech and free association. No date has been set for the arguments. The justices on June 23 took up a Rastafarian man's bid to sue state prison officials in Louisiana after guards held him down and shaved him bald in violation of his religious beliefs. Damon Landor, whose religion requires him to let his hair grow, appealed a lower court's decision to throw out his lawsuit brought under a U.S. law that protects against religious infringement by state and local governments. The lower court found that this law did not permit Landor to sue individual officials for monetary damages. The law at issue protects the religious rights of people confined to institutions such as prisons and jails. No date has been set for the arguments. The court on June 6 decided to hear an appeal by Alabama officials of a judicial decision that a man convicted of a 1997 murder is intellectually disabled - a finding that spared him from the death penalty - as they press ahead with the Republican-governed state's bid to execute him. A lower court ruled that Joseph Clifton Smith is intellectually disabled based on its analysis of his IQ test scores and expert testimony. Under a 2002 Supreme Court precedent, executing an intellectually disabled person violates the Constitution's Eighth Amendment bar on cruel and unusual punishment. No date has been set for the arguments. The court is expected to hear arguments for a second time in a dispute involving a Louisiana electoral map that raised the number of Black-majority U.S. congressional districts in the state. The justices heard arguments in the case on March 24 but on June 27 ordered that the matter be argued again. State officials and civil rights groups have appealed a lower court's ruling that found that the map laying out Louisiana's six U.S. House of Representatives districts - with two Black-majority districts, up from one previously - violated the Constitution's promise of equal protection. No date has been set for the arguments. The justices on June 30 took up a copyright dispute between Cox Communications and a group of music labels following a judicial decision that threw out a $1 billion jury verdict against the internet service provider over alleged piracy of music by Cox customers. Cox appealed a lower court's decision that it was still liable for copyright infringement by users of its internet service despite the ruling to overturn the verdict. The labels include Sony Music (6758.T), opens new tab, Universal Music Group ( opens new tab and Warner Music Group (WMG.O), opens new tab. No date has been set for the arguments. The court on June 16 agreed to hear a bid by Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab, Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), opens new tab and other oil and gas companies to have lawsuits brought by two Louisiana localities accusing them of harming the state's coast over a period of decades moved out of state court and into federal court. The companies appealed a lower court's ruling rejecting their claims that the lawsuits belong in federal court because the parishes of Plaquemines and Cameron were suing over oil production activities undertaken to fulfill U.S. government refinery contracts during World War Two. Federal court is considered a friendlier venue for businesses in such litigation. No date has been set for the arguments. The justices on June 30 decided to hear Enbridge's ( opens new tab bid to change the venue of Michigan's lawsuit seeking to force the Canadian pipeline operator to stop operating a pipeline underneath the Straits of Mackinac, waterways linking two of the Great Lakes, over environmental concerns. Enbridge has appealed a lower court's ruling rejecting the company's request to move the case from state court into federal court, a venue considered more friendly to defendants in such cases. No date has been set for the arguments.
Express Tribune
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Trump vs O'Donnell
"Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her citizenship," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. "She is a threat to humanity, and should remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her." Is revoking the citizenship of the actor, who was born in the US, something President Trump could legally do? As reported by DW, following the post over the weekend, experts were quick to point out that the threat is unconstitutional and cited the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1868, which established that "all persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside." "The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen," University of Virginia School of Law professor Amanda Frost told the US news agency, the Associated Press. "In short, we are a nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people." US citizens can voluntarily renounce their citizenship, but the process is strictly regulated. It involves two separate interviews and requires taking an "oath of renunciation of US nationality," as outlined by the State Department. 'New levels' of denaturalisation The US president has similarly threatened to strip away citizenship from naturalised citizens, notably that of his former ally, billionaire Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa. He also questioned the citizenship status of New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The Democratic politician was born in Uganda, and moved to New York City at age 7, becoming a US citizen in 2018. A Supreme Court ruling from 1967 determined that the US government can't usually strip citizenship without a person's consent, but this can still happen in cases where fraud was involved in the citizenship process. "Denaturalisation is no longer so rare," Cassandra Burke Robertson, a professor at Case Western Reserve University's law school, told news site Axios. The increase began during former President Barack Obama's administration, she noted, as new digital tools allowed authorities to track down potential naturalisation fraud cases. "But the Trump administration, with its overall immigration crackdown, is taking denaturalisation to new levels," Robertson added. The Trump administration is also seeking to end birthright citizenship. On July 10, a US federal judge issued a new nationwide ruling blocking Trump's executive order, but the constitutionality of the order is still unresolved. Why Trump hates O'Donnell The feud between Trump and O'Donnell spans nearly two decades. The talk show host first publicly commented on Trump's lack of moral standards in 2006 amid a Miss USA Pageant controversy. That prompted a vicious reaction from the then-host of reality TV show The Apprentice. The grudge only deepened when Trump became president in 2016, as the comedian kept criticising his policies. At the beginning of 2025, O'Donnell left the US in reaction to Trump's reelection: "It's been heartbreaking to see what's happening politically and hard for me personally as well," she said on TikTok in March, as she revealed having moved to Ireland with her child. She is reported to be in the process of securing Irish citizenship through descent. She has since pursued her criticism of Trump's policies from abroad. Most recently, in a TikTok that some observers believe could have prompted Trump to react with his threat on Truth Social, she criticised his administration's response to the Texas floods, claiming the president gutted "all of the early warning systems and the weathering?forecast abilities of the government." Following Trump's headline-grabbing Truth Social post, O'Donnell fired back on Sunday with an Instagram post featuring a photo of Trump with his arm over the shoulder of child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In the post, O'Donnell dares Trump: "You want to revoke my citizenship? Go ahead and try, King Joffrey with a tangerine spray," she wrote, referring to a much loathed, sadistic, authoritarian character from Game of Thrones.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Understanding the Legal Fight Over Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order
President Donald Trump is fighting to end automatic citizenship for children born to parents who are in the country unlawfully or on temporary visas, part of his broader crackdown on undocumented immigrants and a change that could overturn more than a century of legal precedent. Trump took aim at birthright citizenship with an executive order hours after his January swearing-in, triggering lawsuits by civil rights groups and Democrat-led states. They argued Trump couldn't unilaterally alter birthright citizenship because it's enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Ellen DeGeneres praises Rosie O'Donnell after President Donald Trump's threats
Former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres threw her support behind Rosie O'Donnell after she was slammed by President Donald Trump Ellen DeGeneres threw her support behind comedian Rosie O'Donnell after US President and convicted felon Donald Trump threatened to illegally revoke her US citizenship for moving her family to Ireland until "it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America". Rosie, who was born in the United States, moved her family to Ireland earlier this year after Trump was re-elected - saying: "When it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that's when we will consider coming back." Rosie has been open about her dislike for Trump, with her trading insults online while she was a host on TV's The View in 2015. After the comedian said she would only consider returning to the US when it is "safe", Trump lashed out on his Truth Social platform, saying he's giving "serious consideration" to revoking her citizenship - something he is not legally able to do. POTUS wrote: "Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship. "She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" Removing the citizenship of a natural born citizen of the US would put the President in breach of the 14th Amendment of the constitution. It guarantees: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States." Amid the feud, former talk show host Ellen took to her Instagram to share a screenshot of Trump's tweet. She added: "Good for you @rosie." She also shared a screenshot of Rosie's response, which said: "Hey donald - you're rattled agan? 18 years later and I still live rent-free in that collapsing brain of yours. "You call me a threat to humanity - but I'm everything you fear: a loud woman, a queer woman, a mother who tells the truth, an American who got out of the country b4 u set it ablaze. You build walls - I build a life for my autistic kid in a country where decency still exists. "You crave loyalty - I teach my childre to question power. You sell fear on golf courses - I make art about surviving trauma. You like, you steal, you degrade - I nurture, I create, I persist." Rosie concluded: "You are everything that is wrong with America - and I'm everything you hate about what's still right with it. You want to revoke my citizenship? Go ahead and try, King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan. I'm not yours to silence. I never was."
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
As masked officers snatch migrants off the streets, Democratic inaction is sickening
Odious machine As we see the creation of a secret, unaccountable and masked police force snatching people off our streets and taking them to newly-constructed concentration camps in South Florida and elsewhere, I ask the leadership of the Democratic Party: What are you doing to stop this? As former American activist Mario Savio said in a 1964 speech, 'You've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus — and you've got to make it stop!' Unless U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries 'put their bodies' on the gears and levers of this new evil machine, it will not stop. Simon Evnine, Miami Grave matter Re: the Miami Herald's July 11 editorial, 'The dangers of targeting naturalized U.S. citizens.' Stripping legally naturalized citizens of their citizenship for minor infractions, without due process, is no minor matter. To incarcerate human beings scheduled for deportation, especially without due process, is a major deprivation of human rights and in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The Fifth Amendment states that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, uses the same language, extending the requirement to the states. Trump is a self-described germaphobe who is known to glare at aides who sneeze in his vicinity or try to shake hands with him after coughing. He has repeatedly used the phrase 'poisoning the blood of our country' in reference to immigrants entering the United States without authorization. Prejudiced beyond reason, allowing the president to incarcerate human beings in what are basically internment camps to 'cleanse' America of non-white color just to serve Trump's prejudicial and political agenda should be met with nationwide objections. American citizens who oppose such action en masse must not be besmirched because of one man's dastardly actions. H. Allen Benowitz, Miami Florida storms The recent deadly flooding in Texas is another reminder of how climate change is making weather events more intense and unpredictable. Scientists say that warmer air and oceans are causing heavier rainfall, to which Florida, a state surrounded by water and increasingly vulnerable to flooding, is not impervious. The 2023 'rain bomb' in Fort Lauderdale overwhelmed infrastructure. Flooding damaged fuel terminals and caused gas outages, as tankers were unable to deliver fuel to gas stations. As Florida's population grows, so will the strain on systems that weren't built for flooding and heavy rainfall. Florida still relies heavily on fossil fuels. Emissions from such fuels contribute to the extreme weather we're experiencing. We need to shift toward renewable energy, modernize our infrastructure and make climate-smart decisions that reduce flood risk and build resilience. Leaders at every level have a responsibility to guide the transition to renewable energy. Hopefully, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez will prioritize storm resilience planning in the next legislative session. We can't control the weather, but we can control how we prepare for extreme weather events like hurricanes and flooding. Sandra Remilien, North Miami Warming climate The July 9 Miami Herald article, 'In Texas, Florida and across globe, warmer climate makes flooding more unprecedented,' stated that, 'the climate is now 1.3 degrees Celsius warmer than before humans started burning fossil fuels.' The impact of this increase is not a future threat: already we are experiencing heavier rainfalls, from the 'disastrous rain bomb' in Fort Lauderdale in 2023, to the recent flooding that brought unspeakable tragedy and loss to Texas. Ironically — and sadly — the day President Trump's 'big beautiful bill,' dismantling many climate initiatives, was signed in Washington, D.C., the waters were rising on the Guadalupe River. Scientists are clear: climate change is a threat multiplier, meaning that natural events are made more dangerous when the climate warms. Hurricanes, rain bombs and floods are not partisan events — they impact people of all political persuasions. I urge U.S. Rep. Maria Salazar and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott to take a stand and call for legislation that seeks to halt the relentless rise in temperatures. Our lives depend upon it. Kathryn Carroll, Miami Higgins for mayor Re: Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins' July 9 op-ed, 'Election decision is example of broken city hall.' Higgins made a most cogent argument against the brazen effort of our entrenched political dynasts to deny the citizens of Miami our legally granted right to vote for candidates in our mandated local elections and her plans for Miami if she is elected. Based on her arguments, I can assure her of my vote in the upcoming election, whenever it is held. What she proposes is serving her fellow citizens. Wouldn't that be a very welcome change from what we have now. Joel H. Beyer, Miami Changed GOP In a Jan. 1989 speech, then-President Ronald Reagan said, 'A man wrote me and said: 'You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or a Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American.'' The Republican Party has certainly changed its attitude toward immigrants since Reagan was president. The change was not for the better. Immigrants make us stronger. Parks Masterson, Miami Florida's blight I am grateful to the Miami Herald for its coverage of Alligator Alcatraz. Details reported by the Herald and other reliable sources make clear that the immigrant detention facility is a concentration camp in the most heinous sense of the term, short of being — so far — a place of mass death. Conditions there are so inhumane as to likely meet the criteria of crimes against humanity. I have visited the beautiful state of Florida many times, but will not return while Alligator Alcatraz remains in operation. I have urged my friends and family to join my boycott of Florida. I hope Floridians will do all they can to protest this cruel, environment-damaging blot on their state. I hope also that Florida voters will remove from office all elected officials who are complicit in this atrocity. Melinda Mueller, Seattle, WA Wake up call I love this land, I love America. God has blessed America so many times, but we have not used our blessing to deal with meaningful things that really matter. We are lost in selfishness. Former President Jimmy Carter said, 'We are a nation of difference. Those differences don't make us weak. They're the source of our strength.' He also said, 'In our democracy, the only title higher and more powerful than that of president is the title of citizen. It is every citizen's right and duty to help shape the future legacy of our nation.' He also said, 'we have seen that silence is as deadly as violence.' America, wake up and speak up before it is too late. Leonor Sanchez, Kendall Shared impact If ever we wondered how small our world actually is, look at the catastrophic flooding in Texas and how our own community has been so impacted. When I awakened to the news of Children's Movement of Florida founder David Lawrence's twin granddaughters Hanna and Rebecca having died at Camp Mystic, I was truly devastated. Later, with the news of FIU's Dean William Hardin's family being swept away by the flood waters, I choked again. We are each and all related, no matter the distance. While no real consolation, I pray that their memories will be gifts of love. Norma A. Orovitz, Bay Harbor Islands
