“Under Trump, conservatives reignite a battle over race and the Constitution; Trump’s anti-DEI push is part of a war over the meaning of the Constitution’s ‘equal protection’ guarantee, which dates to the post-Civil War Reconstruction era”: Lawrence Hurley of NBC News has this report.

“U.S. Trustee, Insurers, Object to J&J’s $10B Talc Bankruptcy Plan; Objections to Johnson & Johnson’s talc bankruptcy plan cite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year invalidating nonconsensual releases in Purdue Pharma’s $6 billion opioid settlement”: Amanda Bronstad has this report online at Texas Lawyer.

“The Case Against Birthright Citizenship; Trump’s executive order stands on a firmer footing than its vocal critics acknowledge”: Law professor Richard Epstein has this post at Civitas Outlook.

“Trans Surgery Case Will Test Scope of Workplace Anti-Bias Law; Bostock limited to hiring, firing decisions, defendants say; Courts have long recognized law’s application to benefits”: Mary Anne Pazanowski of Bloomberg Law has this report.

“Prosecutors push for a jury trial as state Supreme Court justice asks judge to dismiss criminal case”: Todd Bookman of New Hampshire Public Radio has this report.

“Maryland Supreme Court finds Child Victims Act of 2023 constitutional”: Tim Prudente and Dylan Segelbaum of The Baltimore Banner have this report. You can access today’s 4-to-3 ruling of the Supreme Court of Maryland at this link.

And Virginia Bridges and Cathy Clabby of The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina report that “NC Supreme Court upholds child sexual abuse survivors’ right to sue years later.” You can access last Friday’s rulings of the Supreme Court of North Carolina via this link.

“Cade Cole becomes Louisiana’s newest Supreme Court justice without opposition”: Julie O’Donoghue of Louisiana Illuminator has this report.

“Supreme Court case shakes Idaho ski areas by overturning decades of liability precedent; Idaho Supreme Court is set to hear arguments this month on possibly reconsidering its unanimous ruling”: Betsy Z. Russell of Idaho Capital Sun has this report.

“The Roberts court and the imperial presidency: The Supreme Court isn’t done arguing over whether President Donald Trump is a king above the law.” Kelsey Reichmann of Courthouse News Service has this report.

“How Donald Trump Is Transforming Executive Power: A flurry of seemingly illegal orders and firings could tee up the Supreme Court to cement a vast expansion of Presidential authority.” Isaac Chotiner has this “Q. & A.” with law professor Jack Goldsmith online at The New Yorker.

“Maria Elena Cruz sworn in, becomes newest Arizona Supreme Court justice”: Stacey Barchenger of The Arizona Republic has this report.

“Wyoming tells state supreme court to restrict abortion access”: Hanna Merzbach of Wyoming Public Radio has this report.

“University of California Schools Illegally Used Racial Preferences in Admissions, Lawsuit Alleges; The suit comes on the heels of Trump’s bid to dismantle diversity efforts in the federal government”: Douglas Belkin of The Wall Street Journal has this report.

Anemona Hartocollis of The New York Times reports that “The University of California Increased Diversity; Now It’s Being Sued; The state’s elite campuses, prohibited from using race-based admissions for decades, are now admitting more Black and Hispanic students; A new group is suing, arguing the university system is cheating.”

And Susan Svrluga of The Washington Post reports that “University of California sued for discrimination against Whites, Asians; Lawsuit alleges that UC schools show preference to Hispanic and Black applicants, and seeks to stop the schools from asking about race during admissions process.”

“Will the Supreme Court Force Taxpayers to Pay for Catholic Schooling?” Charles McCrary and Leslie Ribovich have this Jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“Trump Can Ban Transgender Birth Certificates; Most states allow natives to alter their recorded sex, an affront against science and a danger to women”: Colin Wright and Ilya Shapiro will have this op-ed in Tuesday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal.

“Donald Trump’s Executive Orders Aim to Create Jim Crow for Trans People”: Law professor Scott Skinner-Thompson has this Jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“The Lawlessness, Chaos, & Cruelty of Trump 2.0”: You can access today’s new episode of the “Strict Scrutiny” podcast via this link and on YouTube.

“121. Spending, Coercion, and Commandeering: How far can the federal government go to force local and state governments to help enforce federal law? Sooner rather than later, the Supreme Court will almost certainly have to answer that question.” Steve Vladeck has this post at his “One First” Substack site.

“Circuit Scoop: January 2025; January 2025 brought pivotal federal appeals court rulings that challenge agency power, shape business regulations, and influence constitutional law, with long-lasting effects on future legal battles.” Adam Feldman has this post at his “Legalytics” Substack site.

“N.Y. Moves to Shield Doctors Who Send Abortion Pills to States With Bans; Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill meant to protect medical practitioners in New York who prescribe and send abortion pills out of state”: Benjamin Oreskes of The New York Times has this report.