“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.

“Judicial Notice (02.02.25): You’re (All) Fired; The latest Trumpworld legal drama, Kellogg Hansen’s $630 million settlement, Doug Emhoff and Adeel Mangi’s new firms, and a big Fifth Circuit gun ruling.” David Lat has this post at his “Original Jurisdiction” Substack site.

“Justice Brian Hagedorn recuses himself from the Act 10 case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court”: Lawrence Andrea of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has this report.

“Republicans are going after marriage. LGBTQ+ people like me tried to warn you. I want to be able to get married and buy a home with someone. I want to be able to hold their hand in the hospital. I want the choice Idaho Republicans are trying to take from me and my community.” Sara Pequeño has this essay online at USA Today.

“Trump’s American Takeover: Autocracy doesn’t always start with tanks in the streets.” You can access the new episode of Slate’s “Amicus” podcast via this link.

“Arkansas Supreme Court justice accuses chief justice of spreading untruths”: Josie Lenora of KUAR has this report.

“The 5th Circuit’s Ruling Striking Down Youth Handgun Ban Is Utter Madness”: Austin Sarat has this Jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

“This anti-abortion leader is building on ‘the ultimate victory from the supreme court’; Erik Baptist, with Alliance Defending Freedom, has his sights set on mifepristone after the fall of Roe v Wade”: Carter Sherman of The Guardian has this report.

“Pride puppies and a charter school: a look at the blockbuster religion cases at the Supreme Court; The Supreme Court cases include a blockbuster about religious charter schools; Are advocates for religious rights aggressively trying to get more cases to the justices to build on their momentum?” Maureen Groppe of USA Today has this report.

“Brett Kavanaugh has very bad news for Donald Trump; A federal judge just blocked Trump’s domestic spending freeze; His opinion relies heavily on another one by Justice Kavanaugh”: Ian Millhiser has this essay online at Vox.

“Spouses of NC Supreme Court justices gave maximum contributions to the GOP judicial candidate”: Lynn Bonner of NC Newsline has this report.

“Goldstein Case Raises The Stakes For A DOJ Office In Tumult”: Phillip Bantz of Law360 has this report (subscription required for full access).

“New York Doctor Indicted in Louisiana for Sending Abortion Pills There; The case opens a new front in the battle between states that ban abortion and states that support providing abortion anywhere in the country”: Pam Belluck and Emily Cochrane of The New York Times have this report.

Ellyn Couvillion and Matt Bruce of The Times-Picayune of New Orleans report that “New York doctor charged for sending abortion pill to Louisiana minor; mom allegedly coerced her to end pregnancy.”

Matt Bruce of The Times-Picayune reports that “NY governor vows to block extradition of doctor charged in Louisiana abortion pill case.”

And Lorena O’Neil of Louisiana Illuminator reports that “Louisiana mother, New York doctor indicted for allegedly giving minor abortion pills.”

“William Pryor Takes Tortuous Path to Eleventh Circuit; His shocking testimony guarantees Democratic filibuster”: Ed Whelan has this post at his “Confirmation Tales” Substack site.

“White House eyes fight to expand Trump’s power to control spending; Trump’s early, extraordinary steps pose a direct challenge to Congress’s constitutional power of the purse”: Tony Romm and Jeff Stein of The Washington Post have this report.

“Arkansas Supreme Court chief justice says dispute over her authority could lead to litigation; Baker again says she hopes to pick new Administrative Office of the Courts director”: Tess Vrbin of Arkansas Advocate has this report.