How Appealing



Friday, September 11, 2026

“Brett Kavanaugh was at the White House on 9/11. It changed his life. In an exclusive interview, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said 9/11 was the most ‘important day in my life for the country and for me.’” Maureen Groppe of USA Today has this report.

Posted at 12:14 AM by Howard Bashman



Thursday, September 10, 2026

“Indiana Supreme Court weighs limits of religious exemptions to abortion ban; In question is an injunction protecting a class of Hoosiers who say thier religious beliefs conflict with the state’s near-total ban”: Casey Smith of Indiana Capital Chronicle has this report.

Andrew Lapin of Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports that “A case pitting Indiana Jews against an abortion ban heads back to court; Indiana was one of several states to pass severe abortion restrictions following the 2022 US Supreme Court ruling overturning its 1972 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing the right to an abortion.”

And David Wells of Courthouse News Service reports that “Religious freedoms tested in Indiana abortion ban case; The state’s abortion ban provides exceptions in cases of rape, incest and lethal fetal anomalies where the mother might be permanently impaired; But what about individuals with religious objections?

The Supreme Court of Indiana has posted online the video of today’s oral argument at this link.

Posted at 11:46 PM by Howard Bashman



“Joe diGenova, loyalist tapped by Trump to oversee controversial DOJ probe targeting his foes, resigns: Sources; DiGenova had been probing officials involved in past investigations of Trump.” Katherine Faulders, Alexander Mallin, and Luke Barr of ABC News have this report.

Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer of The Associated Press report that “Prosecutor brought in to lead investigation of Trump foes tells AP that he has resigned his position.”

Evan Perez of CNN reports that “Trump admin pick to oversee a conspiracy investigation into president’s foes resigns after DOJ clashes.”

Ryan J. Reilly, Michael Kosnar, and Raquel Coronell Uribe of NBC News report that “Prosecutor who led ‘grand conspiracy’ probe of Trump targets resigns without charging anyone; Joe diGenova, 81, was part of a group that tried to overturn the 2020 election.”

Josh Gerstein of Politico reports that “DOJ prosecutor resigns from probe into alleged anti-Trump conspiracy; Joseph diGenova declined to explain his abrupt departure.”

Chris Strohm and Jimmy Jenkins of Bloomberg News report that “Trump Loyalist Tapped to Lead Controversial DOJ Probe Quits.”

And Kaelan Deese of Washington Examiner has a report headlined “Reagan-era prosecutor hired for Trump’s ‘grand conspiracy’ resigns: ‘Differences of opinion.’

Posted at 11:33 PM by Howard Bashman



“Ballots differ from cremains: The Postal Service’s rule is illegal.” Adam Unikowsky has this post at his Substack site, “Adam’s Legal Newsletter.”

Posted at 11:16 PM by Howard Bashman



“Defying Precedent in Ten Commandments Case; A much-reversed appeals court upheld a Texas law requiring schools to post the sacred text”: Adam Liptak has this new installment of his “The Docket” newsletter online at The New York Times.

Posted at 1:56 PM by Howard Bashman



“The Final Battle for America’s Democracy: Forget November 3; It’s January 3 when Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans might bury our democracy once and for all; Here’s how.” Michael Luttig has this essay online at The New Republic.

Posted at 1:06 PM by Howard Bashman



“Sorry, Justices — the Constitution Doesn’t Belong to You; A new book argues that Americans need to reclaim ownership of their founding charter from nine robed lawyers”: Jesse Wegman has this post at his “Major Questions” Substack site.

Posted at 1:04 PM by Howard Bashman



“SCOTUSblog” now offers a $199 annual subscription to access certain posts that used to appear for free, plus additional content: Details here, including how to obtain a lifetime membership for a mere $3,000.

Posted at 12:40 PM by Howard Bashman



“Did John Marshall Continue as Secretary of State? No, as a curious scheme perpetrated by Thomas Jefferson helps show.” Ed Whelan has this post at his “Confirmation Tales” Substack site.

Posted at 12:36 PM by Howard Bashman



“The Most Hated Justice Of All Time? How Clarence Thomas went from civil rights activist to the Court’s most uncompromising originalist . . . and why his influence is only growing.” Noah Feldman has this essay online at his Substack site.

Posted at 12:26 PM by Howard Bashman



“The Emergency Supreme Court Order of Sept. 12, 2001; Chief Justice Rehnquist was adamant about not letting terrorists disrupt the judicial routine”: Gregg Costa has this op-ed in today’s edition of The Wall Street Journal.

Posted at 12:24 PM by Howard Bashman



“Supreme Court Again Blocks Republican-Backed Missouri Voting Map; The map had been drawn to give Republicans an advantage in the midterm elections; It was not immediately clear how Missouri would proceed”: Ann E. Marimow of The New York Times has this report.

Justin Jouvenal of The Washington Post reports that “Supreme Court again blocks new Missouri congressional map favoring GOP; The ruling is the latest twist in an intense legal drama that has plunged the state into electoral confusion.”

And Lydia Wheeler and James Romoser of The Wall Street Journal report that “Supreme Court Again Blocks Missouri From Using GOP-Friendly Voting Map; Justices act quickly after previously rejecting state officials who wanted to use redrawn districts for the midterms.”

You can access today’s order of the U.S. Supreme Court at this link.

Posted at 12:04 PM by Howard Bashman



Wednesday, September 9, 2026

“Religious Freedom for All on Trial as Abortion Ban Case Begins”: Mary Anne Pazanowski of Bloomberg Law has a report that begins, “Indiana’s top court is about to become the first in the nation to decide whether there’s a religious right to abortion.”

Posted at 7:33 PM by Howard Bashman



“Fifth Circuit questions Louisiana’s renewed attempt to block abortion pill mailing; Louisiana’s effort to reverse the FDA’s decision to allow remote dispensing of abortion pills could have significant implications for abortion access nationwide”: Christina van Waasbergen of Courthouse News Service has this report.

And Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law reports that “Abortion Drug Access Weighed in Louisiana Suit Versus FDA.”

You can access the audio of today’s oral argument before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit at this link.

Posted at 7:28 PM by Howard Bashman



“DC Circuit rules IRS data sharing plan with ICE unlawful; A federal judge previously determined the tax agency broke the law over 40,000 times by turning over immigrants’ addresses even when ICE submitted requests with random numbers as the ZIP code”: Ryan Knappenberger of Courthouse News Service has this report.

You can access yesterday’s decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit at this link.

Posted at 11:32 AM by Howard Bashman



“It’s up to Chief Justice Roberts to preserve the Smithsonian’s independence; The chief justice heads the institution’s Board of Regents, which will choose retiring secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III’s successor”: Columnist Philip Kennicott has this essay online at The Washington Post.

Posted at 11:27 AM by Howard Bashman



“Eleventh-Hour Executive Branch Interventions in the Midterms; There will likely be more, and the Supreme Court faces critical choices”: Bob Bauer has this post at the “Executive Functions” Substack site.

Posted at 11:25 AM by Howard Bashman



“SCOTUS Rewrites the Rules for One Special Boy; The Supreme Court’s hoping you won’t clock its newest way of giving Trump what he wants”: You can access the new episode of Slate’s “Amicus” podcast via this link.

Posted at 11:23 AM by Howard Bashman



“248. The Justices’ Papers: Leaving to the whims of individual justices the fate of their internal papers is a recipe for inconsistency and obscurity for records with significant historical value.” Steve Vladeck has this post at his “One First” Substack site.

Posted at 11:21 AM by Howard Bashman



“State prosecutors say DA Larry Krasner’s office should be kicked off a contentious federal court case. Krasner disagrees. State prosecutors said Philly’s district attorney had acted to protect his own interest. The DA disagreed.” Chris Palmer of The Philadelphia Inquirer has this report.

Posted at 11:15 AM by Howard Bashman



Tuesday, September 8, 2026

“Court Halts New York Harbor Gas Pipeline Backed by Trump; The ruling centered on the granting of a water permit by New Jersey regulators, a decision the court described as ‘arbitrary and capricious’”: Hilary Howard of The New York Times has this report.

And Jackson Healy of Courthouse News Service reports that “Third Circuit pauses interstate gas pipeline over shoddy environmental review; New Jersey regulators fast-tracked the pipeline project without sufficient proof of compliance, a federal appeals panel found.”

You can access today’s decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit at this link.

Posted at 11:58 PM by Howard Bashman



“Dueling Court Rulings Leave Missouri’s Congressional Races in Chaos; After losing in two courts and winning in another, Missouri officials said they planned to forge ahead with using a congressional map that was redrawn to benefit Republicans”: Ann E. Marimow and Mitch Smith of The New York Times have this report.

Justin Jouvenal of The Washington Post reports that “Conflicting court rulings leave Missouri congressional map in chaos; Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and a federal judge took opposite actions on the fate of a congressional map that favored the GOP, leaving races in limbo.”

And Lydia Wheeler and Louise Radnofsky of The Wall Street Journal report that “Supreme Court Denies Missouri Bid to Use Voting Map That Benefits Republicans; Justices decline to intervene after state’s highest court invalidated redrawn map and set off a political upheaval weeks before the election.”

Posted at 11:48 PM by Howard Bashman



Monday, September 7, 2026

“Is Court Packing Constitutional? Don’t Be So Sure. The precedents don’t support what the Democrats want to do, which would be an assault on the separation of powers.” James Piereson will have this op-ed in Tuesday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal.

Posted at 7:55 PM by Howard Bashman



“Judicial Notice (09.07.26): Split Decisions; The Lindsay Clancy trial concludes, SCOTUS rules on Trump’s ballroom, a judge benchslaps Kirkland and Skadden, and another Wachtell partner departs.” David Lat has this post at his “Original Jurisdiction” Substack site.

Posted at 7:45 PM by Howard Bashman



“Donald Trump’s Capital Makeover: A coterie of advisers, planners, and architects is enabling the President’s passion project — renovating D.C. in his own image.” Antonia Hitchens has this Letter from Washington article in the September 14, 2026 issue of The New Yorker.

Posted at 1:09 PM by Howard Bashman



“Who is the federal judge overseeing the case roiling Philly DA Larry Krasner’s office? And what will he do next? U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond has a reputation as a stern, no-nonsense jurist. He is weighing what to do in a controversial post-conviction case marked by accusations of lawyer misconduct.” Chris Palmer of The Philadelphia Inquirer has this report.

Posted at 1:06 PM by Howard Bashman