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Newsweek
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Amy Coney Barrett's Biggest Supreme Court Allies Revealed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Justice Amy Coney Barrett has remained a consistent member of the Court's conservative bloc during the 2024–25 term but her voting patterns showed nuance in key areas, new analysis shows. Despite MAGA backlash at some of her moves, Barrett voted most frequently with conservative-leaning justices, according to empirical figures from SCOTUSblog. Barrett agreed most with Justice Brett Kavanaugh (91 percent) and Chief Justice John Roberts, reflecting a continued center-right alignment, it said. Barrett voted least often with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (68 percent), Justice Neil Gorsuch (72 percent) and Justice Sonia Sotomayor (74 percent), the analysis found. While her overall rate of agreement with the majority was in the lower-mid range among justices, she occasionally sided with liberals in procedural or technical rulings. Why It Matters American public confidence in the judiciary has been increasing divided and perception of partisnaship at an all time high, Barrett's votes—though largely conservative—may come under heightened attention for any deviation from ideological orthodoxy. The ideological balance of the Court has fundamentally shifted in recent years, with six of its nine justices appointed by Republican presidents—Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—and three nominated by Democratic presidents justices, and typically represent the Court's liberal minority—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. U.S. Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett talk before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the U.S.... U.S. Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett talk before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on February 7, 2023 in Washington, D.C. MoreWhat To Know In the 2024-25 term, Justice Barrett sided with the Court's majority in 81 percent of opinions, which from a total of 61 cases, places her in the minority in 12 decisions—typical for a reliably conservative justice who occasionally breaks from the bloc. Her minority votes do however, reflect a notable level of judicial independence, often stemming from her textualist and proceduralist approach. Some prominent examples include: Environmental Regulation Case : Barrett joined the three liberal justices to dissent in a closely watched pollution case, arguing that the majority misinterpreted statutory text—highlighting her willingness to break from conservative norms in favor of legal clarity : Barrett joined the three liberal justices to dissent in a closely watched pollution case, arguing that the majority misinterpreted statutory text—highlighting her willingness to break from conservative norms in favor of legal clarity Emergency Aid Freeze Case : She again aligned with liberals and Chief Justice Roberts to reject an emergency order freezing foreign aid, showing sensitivity to executive overreach : She again aligned with liberals and Chief Justice Roberts to reject an emergency order freezing foreign aid, showing sensitivity to executive overreach Jan. 6 Obstruction Ruling: Barrett shared a dissent with Sotomayor and Kagan, criticizing the majority's narrow interpretation of obstruction statutes related to the Capitol riot In early March, Justice Barrett joined Chief Justice Roberts and the court's three liberal justices in rejecting the Trump administration's request to freeze nearly $2 billion in USAID payments. For many MAGA figures, this wasn't just judicial restraint—it was a betrayal. Shortly after, Barrett voted against the Trump administration's position again, this time in a 5–4 decision concerning use of the Alien Enemies Act for deporting alleged gang members. She sided with the court's liberal justices in dissenting from the majority, which angered right‑wing activists who saw her as undermining Trump's authority For MAGA supporters, Barrett's judgments during these high‑profile disputes—arguably the most emblematic of Trump's agenda—crossed a line. Despite his increasingly vocal criticism of perceived disloyalty from within the conservative legal sphere, President Donald Trump has notably refrained from publicly turning on Barrett. His early investment in Barrett remains evident. At her 2020 swearing-in, Trump lauded the Notre Dame law professor as "one of our nation's most brilliant legal scholars," and insisted she would "faithfully interpret the Constitution, not legislate from the bench." The Supreme Court of the United States continues to draw national attention as a powerful arbiter of American law, increasingly perceived as driving jurisprudence in a conservative direction. A Gallup poll, conducted September 3 to 15, 2024 among 1,007 adults, suggested 58 percent of Americans view the court as conservative. Trust in the judicial branch, especially among independents, has declined sharply—reaching just 48 percent, among the lowest levels in decades. While 69 percent of Republicans say the Court's ideological stance is "about right," 82 percent of Democrats believe the Court is "too conservative." The pollster reported a margin of error of ±4 percentage. The Context Justice Barrett's jurisprudence reflects a commitment to originalism and textualism—interpretative methods closely associated with the conservative legal movement. In key rulings on abortion, executive authority, and agency deference, she has reinforced rather than moderated the court's conservative trajectory. Barrett's scholarly background sometimes leads to more technical legal reasoning, and while she occasionally diverges from her conservative peers in limited circumstances, these instances are rare and generally do not shift the outcome of major cases. The court's conservative majority has left a profound mark on landmark decisions involving abortion, gun rights, affirmative action, presidential immunity, and the power of federal agencies. In Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion after nearly 50 years. It expanded gun rights in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association vs. Bruen (2022) and most recently, in Trump vs. United States (2024), it recognized broad presidential immunity for official acts—ruling in Trump's favor. In Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard and its companion case against the University of North Carolina (2023), the Court dismantled race-conscious college admissions policies. And in Loper Bright Enterprises vs. Raimondo (2024), the Court effectively overturned the Chevron doctrine, a 40-year precedent that had granted deference to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous laws. This decision, along with a companion ruling limiting agencies' authority to enforce regulations in their own administrative courts, signals a broader effort to curtail the power of the executive branch. What People Are Saying Professor Harold Krent of Chicago-Kent College of Law said in a July 2025 interview with Bloomberg Law's June Grasso, Barrett has largely sided with the Court's conservative majority. "No, it doesn't surprise me at all," Krent said when asked about Barrett's high rate of voting with the majority. "Obviously, those three justices—Roberts, Kavanaugh, and Barrett—wield a lot of the power on this current court, and they will do so for the foreseeable future." Krent noted that the Court "continues to lean conservative" and that its ideological center has shifted further to the right, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh, often considered a pivotal vote, has effectively become the Court's "median justice." President Doanld Trump, responding to a question in June about recent backlash that Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has received from some of his MAGA supporters critical of her recent remarks from the bench on the Trump administration's bid to end birthright citizenship, said: "I just have great respect for her. I always have. And her decision was brilliantly written today, from all accounts." White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told CNN in statement in June: "President Trump will always stand with the U.S. Supreme Court, unlike the Democrat Party, which, if given the opportunity, would pack the court, ultimately undermining its integrity. The President may disagree with the Court and some of its rulings, but he will always respect its foundational role."
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Hakeem Jeffries talks down Trump's mega bill
A few lawmakers began nodding off in the House chamber during a marathon overnight session while pushing back against President Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' While Republicans worked to gather the votes necessary for final passage of the massive Trump-backed bill Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, Democrats , led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, deployed delay tactics. The New York Democrat took to the floor just before 5:00 am ET to begin an arduous, hours-long speech about the dangers presented by the GOP legislation. 'I feel the obligation Mr. Speaker to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time,' the Democrat leader proclaimed well into his remarks. His speech began with stories of Americans who could be impacted by the Trump bill's cuts to Medicaid and social programs. As of 9:45 am ET, the New Yorker was still droning on while several of his fellow Democrats could be seen behind him with eyes closed and heads folded down. Despite his enthusiasm for hampering the GOP's plans, his colleagues seemed less excited. In fact, many appeared to be asleep. 'Bedtime stories by Hakeem: The one time we voted against the largest tax cut for hardworking Americans in history.' Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, was seen with her head down and eyes closed as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke in opposition to Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' Several dozen Democrats rotated in and out of the chamber while the leader was speaking. It appears that Jeffries may be taking a run at former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's record-setting speech in 2021 that lasted just over 8.5 hours. While serving as House Minority Leader at the time, McCarthy lambasted former President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan. The former Republican spoke from 8:38 pm until 5:10 am in opposition to the Democrats' policy agenda. Before McCarthy, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., held the record for the longest House speech. She delivered an 8-hour and 7-minute address about the importance of protecting the children of illegal immigrants, known as DREAMers.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Moment multiple Democrats fall asleep as Hakeem Jeffries drones on during 'marathon' anti-Trump speech
A few lawmakers began nodding off in the House chamber during a marathon overnight session while pushing back against President Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' While Republicans worked to gather the votes necessary for final passage of the massive Trump-backed bill Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, deployed delay tactics. The New York Democrat took to the floor just before 5:00 am ET to begin an arduous, hours-long speech about the dangers presented by the GOP legislation. 'I feel the obligation Mr. Speaker to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time,' the Democrat leader proclaimed well into his remarks. His speech began with stories of Americans who could be impacted by the Trump bill's cuts to Medicaid and social programs. As of 9:45 am ET, the New Yorker was still droning on while several of his fellow Democrats could be seen behind him with eyes closed and heads folded down. Despite his enthusiasm for hampering the GOP's plans, his colleagues seemed less excited. In fact, many appeared to be asleep. 'While Hakeem Jeffries continues putting people to sleep with his lies about the One Big Beautiful Bill, we remain focused on delivering historic tax cuts for families and small businesses, secure borders, and energy dominance,' Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, wrote on X. White House Congressional Communications Director Charyssa Parent noted on X: 'Rep. Jeffries has put his own members to sleep.' 'Bedtime stories by Hakeem: The one time we voted against the largest tax cut for hardworking Americans in history.' Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, was seen with her head down and eyes closed as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke in opposition to Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' Several dozen Democrats rotated in and out of the chamber while the leader was speaking. It appears that Jeffries may be taking a run at former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's record-setting speech in 2021 that lasted just over 8.5 hours. While serving as House Minority Leader at the time, McCarthy lambasted former President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan. The former Republican spoke from 8:38 pm until 5:10 am in opposition to the Democrats' policy agenda. Before McCarthy, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., held the record for the longest House speech. She delivered an 8-hour and 7-minute address about the importance of protecting the children of illegal immigrants, known as DREAMers. Unlike the Senate, the House has no filibuster, but party leaders are afforded special speaking privileges that don't have a time limit, commonly referred to as the 'magic minute.'
Newsweek
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Update: Watch Live as House Votes
House Republican leaders appear to have made a breakthrough in securing enough votes to pass President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act before the self-imposed July 4 deadline. Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he had secured the necessary votes to advance the legislation, signaling that final passage would likely follow later in the morning. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) is surrounded by security and staff as he heads to the House Chamber for a procedural vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in the U.S. Capitol... Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) is surrounded by security and staff as he heads to the House Chamber for a procedural vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in the U.S. Capitol on July 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. More Getty The breakthrough comes after House Republicans were locked in stalemate for hours after nearly a dozen holdouts refused to support what would be Trump's first major legislative victory of his second term. A rule vote on the megabill is due to take place at 3:30 a.m ET. With an hour of debate on the bill itself, the final vote on the bill will likely take place two or three hours after that between 5:30-6:30 a.m. Follow Newsweek's live blog for updates.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislature tweaks paid family leave and sick time in minor concessions to businesses
Supporters of paid family and medical leave rally in front of the House Chamber on May 2, 2023. Photo by Andrew VonBank/Minnesota House Info. The narrowly divided Minnesota Legislature passed the smallest of changes to the state's paid family leave program and paid sick leave mandate, rejecting more significant reversals sought by Republicans and some moderate Democrats. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said failing to make larger changes to the two laws was one of her party's most significant disappointments of the session. 'Those are things that we really wanted to get done … We couldn't find bipartisan agreement,' Demuth said following a marathon one-day special session on Monday. Democrats were largely able to protect their progressive agenda from 2023 even while passing a smaller budget in the face of a gloomy economic forecast. The notable exception is repealing MinnesotaCare for undocumented adults at the end of the year, a key priority for Republicans. Employers and workers may never even notice the change passed to the paid family leave program, which reduces the maximum payroll tax from 1.2% to 1.1%. The program is slated to start next year with a payroll tax of .88%, with employers paying at least half of the cost, and may never rise to meet the cap, depending on demand. The program is slated to start on Jan. 1 with workers eligible to take up to 12 weeks of family leave and 12 weeks of medical leave — or 20 weeks total in a single year. To qualify, workers must have earned at least $3,700 in the past year, with benefits based on a workers' wages up to about $1,400 a week. The changes to the earned sick and safe time law may similarly go unnoticed by the vast majority of workers. The law, which took effect in 2024, will continue to require employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked up to 48 hours a year — i.e., six paid sick days a year for full-time employees. Under the bill, an employer may require an employee to provide documentation — such as a doctor's note — that their earned sick or safe leave is covered after two days, down from three days in current law. The bill adds that a worker may voluntarily find a replacement for a missed shift, but the law will continue to bar employers from requiring workers to find a replacement. The bill also explicitly authorizes a practice that was already permitted but caused some confusion, allowing employers to advance earned sick and safe time to an employee based on the number of hours an employee is expected to work, providing additional time if that estimate falls short. The laws made it through the legislative session mostly unchanged despite a push by moderate Democrats in the Senate to reduce the total number of paid family leave weeks to 14 in a year and carve-out small employers. Moderate Senate Democrats also supported carving out small businesses and farms from the sick time mandate. House Democrats were unified in their opposition to those changes. Rep. Dave Pinto, DFL-St. Paul, said the small changes go further than most Democrats wanted but still maintain the integrity of paid family leave and sick time. 'These are programs that make Minnesotans stronger,' Pinto, co-chair of the House labor committee, said on the floor before passage of the omnibus jobs and workforce bill, which the governor is expected to sign.
