In a sweeping set of opinions, the Supreme Court released major decisions on homelessness, January 6th prosecutions, and federal oversight.
Each of the landmark rulings were decided with a 6-3 majority. The decisions come as support in the Supreme Court continues to erode amid ongoing controversies. Polling from last year shows nearly 60% of Americans disapprove of the job the Court is doing, and 54% support expanding the Court.
Black Wall Street Times breaks down today’s three main critical decisions below.
The Supreme Court rules that cities can enforce anti-homeless laws
In a 6-3 decision, conservative justices decided to uphold an Oregon city’s law to ban sleeping in public places. Grants Pass passed an ordinance outlawing camping on public property, issuing fines and jail time for offenders.
Opponents of the law argued it was unconstitutional, violating eighth amendment.
However, conservatives on the nation’s highest court disagreed with the argument. Justice Neil Gorsuch said the issue of homelessness is “complex” and that “policymakers need access to the full panoply of tools in the policy toolbox.”
Justice Sonya Sotomayor was joined by the two other liberal justices in writing a scathing dissent.
“Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime,” Sotomayor wrote. “For people with no access to shelter, that punishes them for being homeless,” she wrote. “That is unconscionable and unconstitutional.”
Court overturns longstanding Chevron decision, upending federal regulatory powers
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority also aligned in a 6-3 decision overturning the Chevron decision. That 40-year-old decision enhanced the federal government’s regulatory power.
According to CBS news, Chevron deference set up a framework that “required courts to refer to an agency’s interpretation of laws passed by Congress, if reasonable.
For instance, if a lower court was deciding a case about airline safety, that court would have to defer to the Department of Transportation’s interpretation of current laws.
The ruling reversing Chevron now means that individual courts can make decisions based upon their independent interpretation of the law. Many liberals, especially environmental activists, fear what this could mean for the future strength of federal regulations.
Justice Elena Kagan wrote a sharp dissent on behalf of the liberal side of the bench.
“In one fell swoop, the majority today gives itself exclusive power over every open issue,” Kagan wrote. “As if it did not have enough on its plate, the [conservative] majority turns itself into the country’s administrative czar.”
Justices rule on some of the charges against January 6th defendants
In addition to the critical Chevron and homeless law rulings, the Court also ruled on a key case in the prosecution of January 6th defendants.
In another 6-3 decision, the Court ruled that the US Justice Department incorrectly charged some January 6th defendants with violating a specific law.
Roughly 350 defendants were charged with obstructing an official proceeding under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Six justices, including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, argued that the department’s application of the law was too broad.
While the department charged many Jan 6 rioters for entering the Capitol, the Court ruled the law only applies to acts that include directly tampering with official documents.
Conservative justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the two other liberals in writing the dissenting opinion.
“The Court… does textual backflips to find some way—any way—to narrow the reach of [this law],” Coney Barrett wrote.
The last Supreme Court rulings from the cycle to come on Monday
Today’s rulings come after a litany of other significant rulings from the Court over the past week. One of the most significant rulings was the unanimous decision to uphold the ability to access the abortion pill.
The Supreme Court’s final rulings from this cycle are expected to come on Monday, July 1st. Among them will be the highly anticipated ruling on Trump’s claims that he has immunity for any of his actions as president.
