According to a statement released on May 21, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, has introduced six articles of impeachment against U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Local Memphis reports that Cohen claims Roberts has committed high crimes and misdemeanors by "violating the Constitution, disregarding his statutory obligations as Chief Justice, and breaching his oaths of office." Specifically, the articles assert that Roberts has allowed the court to become a partisan force and has "systematically preferred the powerful over the people" and delivered "arbitrary, unexplained, and inconsistent decisions that violate the Constitutional protection of the parties." No co-sponsors have come forward so far but Newsweek reports that the effort reflects widespread Democratic frustration with recent rulings. In previous remarks Roberts has pushed back against characterizations of the court as politically motivated.

The U.S. Supreme Court paused a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that would have reinstated an in-person requirement for obtaining mifepristone, keeping mail-order access available while the underlying lawsuit continues. The case stems from Louisiana's challenge to 2023 FDA regulations allowing mifepristone to be prescribed via telehealth and mailed to patients, with the state arguing these rules undermine its abortion ban and lack sufficient safety data. The Hill reports that opponents of the ruling, including Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito in dissent, contend that mailing the drug may violate federal law and that the court is enabling what they view as an improperly regulated distribution scheme. The dispute remains unresolved — the case returns to the 5th Circuit and could reach the high court again — while the FDA conducts its own ongoing safety review of mifepristone's protocols. Read the order.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch expressed concern Sunday about ongoing leaks of the court’s internal deliberations, saying the justices need space for “candid conversations” as they consider cases, Reuters reports. Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Gorsuch said transparency is important but argued the court also must preserve private discussions that allow justices to work toward agreement. His comments follow a recent New York Times report detailing leaked memos related to the court’s 2016 action blocking former President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan. On the issue of public access to the court, Gorsuch pointed to the court’s live audio of oral arguments as an example of transparency and said the public can evaluate justices' views through the court’s written opinions.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision yesterday that a 2024 Louisiana congressional map was unconstitutionally racially gerrymandered, Tennessee Republicans are calling for redistricting in the Volunteer State, arguing that the Memphis congressional district also was racially drawn. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and U.S. Rep. John Rose, R-Cookeville, who both are running for governor, called on the state legislature to act quickly, according to the Daily Memphian. President Donald Trump posted on social media that he had discussed a special legislative session with Gov. Bill Lee, saying Lee “would work hard to correct the unconstitutional flaw” in the state’s map. The state’s nine-seat U.S. House delegation consists of eight Republicans and one Democrat, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who represents most of Memphis and Shelby County. Cohen issued a statement criticizing the decision and held a press conference yesterday to address state redistricting. SCOTUSblog looks at the high court’s decision.

Nicholas Moore of Springfield was sentenced to one year of probation after prosecutors said he illegally accessed the U.S. Supreme Court’s online filing system and posted screenshots on a social media account titled, “I hacked the government.” Senior Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia announced the sentence today, Bloomberg Law reports. Moore pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor computer fraud charge. He admitted that he accessed the high court’s system on 25 different days in 2023 using an authorized user’s stolen credentials.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that Cox Communications cannot be held liable for piracy committed by its internet service subscribers involving songs owned by Sony Music, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and other labels, ending a copyright lawsuit seeking more than $1 billion. According to Reuters, the unanimous 9-0 decision overturned a lower court ruling that had ordered a new trial to determine potential damages related to contributory copyright infringement. Cox had argued a retrial could have resulted in a judgment of up to $1.5 billion against the Atlanta-based internet service provider. The record labels alleged Cox failed to act on thousands of infringement notices, including by not terminating service for repeat offenders or taking other steps to deter piracy. Writing for the court, Justice Clarence Thomas said "Cox provided internet service to its subscribers, but it did not intend for that service to be used to commit copyright infringement.”

U.S. Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments in a challenge to President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship. According to SCOTUSblog, the justices appeared skeptical of the government’s argument that the 14th Amendment was adopted to give newly freed enslaved people and their children citizenship. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer also argued that the founders could not have imagined the rise of “birth tourism,” where women come to the United States to give birth so their children have U.S. citizenship. The ACLU’s Cecillia Wang represented the challengers. She argued that the constitution establishes a “fixed bright-line” rule for citizenship that is “workable” and “prevents manipulation.” Trump, in a first for a sitting U.S. president, attended the proceedings and remained for Sauer’s presentation.

The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled 8-1 in favor of a Christian counselor challenging Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority that lower courts applied too lenient a standard and that the law improperly targets speech based on viewpoint. The Hill reports that the decision could affect similar laws in more than 20 states, though Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor suggested more carefully written state laws might survive future challenges. According to SCOTUSblog, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole dissenter, arguing that established precedent gives states broad authority to regulate medical treatments provided by licensed healthcare professionals, and that the majority's ruling dangerously limits states' ability to protect minors in a clinical setting.

The federal judiciary has approved a new office focused on improving the quality of representation of indigent criminal defendants at the U.S. Supreme Court, with the goal of creating a counterweight to the U.S. Solicitor General's Office, Reuters reports. The U.S. Judicial Conference recently approved the Supreme Court Advocacy Project and the creation of four full-time positions to support it. Its first director will be Ashley Robertson, a lawyer in the Solicitor General's Office. She is a former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. The project initially will be housed in the office of the federal public defender for the Eastern District of Virginia. The long-term plan is for the office to become an independent, standalone entity. The judiciary plans to consider funding for that in its 2028 budget, according to reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court signaled a divide over whether mail-in ballots must be received by Election Day, focusing on a Mississippi law that allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted up to five business days later. According to Bloomberg Law, during more than two hours of arguments, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned both sides about how a ruling overturning the law could affect early voting, while Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh raised concerns about late-arriving ballots fueling claims of stolen elections. Justice Sonia Sotomayor emphasized that election rules are generally the domain of states and Congress.