This year, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued several significant decisions that address a range of constitutional and statutory issues. These decisions cover topics such as First Amendment rights, presidential immunity, agency deference, Second Amendment rights, homelessness, SEC actions, bankruptcy law, bribery statutes, interstate water disputes, immigration, and taxation.
- In Moody v. NetChoice, LLC, 603 U.S. 707, the Court held that lower courts must determine whether Texas and Florida laws regulating social-media platforms have substantial unconstitutional applications compared to constitutional ones. The cases were remanded for further analysis Moody v. NetChoice, LLC, 603 U.S. 707.
- In Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593, the Court ruled that a former President is absolutely immune from prosecution for discussions with Justice Department officials regarding election results and is presumptively immune for pressuring the Vice President during election certification proceedings. The case was remanded to determine the immunity of other alleged actions Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593.
- In Loper Bright Enters. v. Raimondo, 144 S. Ct. 2244, the Court overruled Chevron deference, requiring courts to exercise independent judgment in deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority, as mandated by the APA Loper Bright Enters. v. Raimondo, 144 S. Ct. 2244.
- In United States v. Rahimi, 602 U.S. 680, the Court upheld that individuals subject to restraining orders posing a credible threat to intimate partners can be banned from possessing firearms under the Second Amendment United States v. Rahimi, 602 U.S. 680.
- In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, 144 S. Ct. 2202, the Court found that an Oregon city's ordinances restricting camping in public spaces did not violate the Eighth Amendment's Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause, as the ordinances targeted actions rather than the status of homelessness City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, 144 S. Ct. 2202.
- In SEC v. Jarkesy, 144 S. Ct. 2117, the Court held that SEC actions imposing civil penalties implicate the Seventh Amendment, requiring a jury trial for common law claims, and that the public rights exception to Article III jurisdiction did not apply SEC v. Jarkesy, 144 S. Ct. 2117.
- In Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P., 144 S. Ct. 2071, the Court ruled that 11 U.S.C.S. § 1123(b)(6) does not authorize the discharge of claims against a nondebtor without the consent of affected claimants, invalidating the bankruptcy court's release of opioid-related claims against the pharmaceutical company's owners Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P., 144 S. Ct. 2071.
- In Snyder v. United States, 603 U.S. 1, the Court determined that 18 U.S.C.S. § 666 is a bribery statute, not a gratuities statute, and does not criminalize state and local officials accepting gratuities for past official acts Snyder v. United States, 603 U.S. 1.
- In Texas v. New Mexico, the Court held that Texas and New Mexico could not enter into a consent decree resolving their water allocation dispute under the Rio Grande Compact without addressing the Federal Government's claims as an intervenor Texas v. New Mexico, 602 U.S. 943.
- In Dep't of State v. Munoz, the Court ruled that a U.S. citizen does not have a fundamental liberty interest in having a noncitizen spouse admitted to the country, as the right is not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and tradition Dep't of State v. Munoz, 602 U.S. 899.
- In Moore v. United States, the Court upheld the Mandatory Repatriation Tax, ruling that it does not violate the Constitution by taxing shareholders on the undistributed income of American-controlled foreign corporations Moore v. United States, 602 U.S. 572.
- In Moyle v. United States, the Court dismissed the writ of certiorari as improvidently granted and vacated the stay, allowing proceedings to continue in the lower courts Moyle v. United States, 144 S. Ct. 2015.
In addition to the primary laws, the supplementary materials provide further insights into the Supreme Court's decisions this year, highlighting the ideological divisions and voting patterns among the Justices.
This year saw a significant increase in decisions split along ideological lines, with 14 cases decided by a 6-3 vote, reflecting a growing polarization within the Court. The number of unanimous decisions dropped to a two-decade low, with only 29 percent of the Court's merits decisions being unanimous ¶ 48.01 Note: The 2021–2022 Term..
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh were frequently in the majority, each dissenting only three times, while Justice Sonia Sotomayor was in the majority in just 58 percent of the decisions and dissented in 27 cases. This indicates a clear divide in the Court's decisions, with certain Justices consistently aligning with the majority or minority ¶ 48.01 Note: The 2021–2022 Term..
Justice Kavanaugh, who was the swing justice last term, continued to play a pivotal role, being in the majority in 95 percent of the Court's decisions. This trend underscores the influence of specific Justices in shaping the outcomes of closely contested cases ¶ 48.01 Note: The 2021–2022 Term..