Featured Stories

‘Please Drop the Circular Firing Squad, Democrats’
The New York Times, August 7, 2026

Readers assess the Democrats’ prospects after the recent primary victories by progressives. Also: President Trump’s “end run” around the birthright ruling.

Appeals Court Upholds Block on Trump Ballroom Construction
The New York Times, August 7, 2026

A federal appeals court panel backed a lower court’s ruling, and made it likely that the Supreme Court will decide the case. But the decision does not mean construction will halt immediately.

Court announces cases it will hear in October, which include significant disputes on climate change and immigration detention
SCOTUSblog, August 4, 2026

The Board of Immigration Appeals Poses an Arresting Question: Is it Bound by Supreme Court Constitutional Precedent?
Justia's Verdict, July 17, 2026

Cornell Law professor Michael C. Dorf discusses the Board of Immigration Appeals’ request for amicus briefs on whether it must follow U.S. Supreme Court and circuit precedent on constitutional questions even when doing so would require finding a statute or regulation unconstitutional, a power agencies otherwise lack. Professor Dorf argues that while the two obligations can often be reconciled through careful distinctions (such as those between facial and as-applied challenges), he warns that a BIA now dominated by Trump appointees may exploit this tension in bad faith to consistently rule against immigrants, leaving the courts to correct any opportunistic or inconsistent application of these principles.

Summer Order Lists
Supreme Court of the United States, July 1, 2026

A 1987 Proposal Could Help Hold ICE to Account for Constitutional Violations
The New York Times, February 2, 2026

A proposal in a 1987 law review article could address a gap that makes it all but impossible to sue federal officials for violating the Constitution.