More SCOTUS action today

By rahmat hidayat

Friday, June 20, 2025

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The Daily Docket

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Shruthi Krishnamurthy

Good morning! The U.S. Supreme Court is set to release additional opinions today, part of a busy week at the high court. Meanwhile, Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial resumes in Manhattan federal court, as the sixth week of the case against the rapper winds down. Plus, this week's Billable Hours dives into a courtroom clash over outside funders and their power to influence lawsuits. And don't miss our Friday rewind, a look back at the latest developments in the legal industry. Let's get started!

Big Oil, Income Disclosures and Abortion Clashes

REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

The U.S. Supreme Court will announce more opinions at 10 a.m. ET today. Here's a recap of what happened at the top court this week:

On Thursday:

The court delivered a blow to transgender rights by upholding a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for adolescents.

On Wednesday:

SCOTUS upheld a Republican-backed Tennessee law that prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender youth, deciding that the ban does not violate the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment promise of equal protection, which challengers to the law had argued.

The court clarified when lawsuits over EPA actions on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions should be heard by regional appeals courts or the D.C.-based appeals court specializing in regulatory cases. Read the ruling.
The court threw out a legal challenge by the state of Texas and oil industry interests to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's licensing of certain nuclear waste storage facilities.

On Tuesday:

A small business asked the court to decide the legality of President Trump's tariffs, saying the court should take the rare step of hearing the case before appeals fully play out in lower courts.

On Monday:

The U.S. Supreme Court bolstered a challenge by the Catholic Diocese of Albany to a 2017 New York regulation requiring employer-sponsored health insurance to cover abortions, overturning a 2024 ruling by the New York Court of Appeals that upheld the mandate against claims it violated religious freedoms.
The court said it will hear a dispute involving an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center operator in New Jersey and also an appeal by oil and gas companies over allegations of coastal damage in Louisiana.
It declined to revive a copyright lawsuit concerning Ed Sheeran's hit song "Thinking Out Loud."

In other SCOTUS news, eight of the nine justices disclosed their 2024 outside income and gifts, including Ketanji Brown Jackson, who received a book advance of more than $2 million for her bestselling memoir. Justice Samuel Alito was granted a 90-day extension.

Coming up today

Oral arguments are scheduled over Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil's bail motion, after a U.S. judge last week denied his request to be released from detention.
The U.S. International Trade Commission will decide whether to ban Taiwan's Asus from importing its Zenbook laptops as part of a patent dispute with Lenovo, which has separately sued Asus for patent infringement in California federal court.
Former Haitian mayor Jean Morose Viliena will be sentenced after a Boston federal jury convicted him of lying about having led a campaign to kill and torture his political opponents to secure a U.S. green card.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial continues in New York. Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed a Black juror, saying his inconsistent answers to questions about where he lived could taint a verdict.

Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.

More top news

Industry insight

A fight over the power of outside funders to influence lawsuits is unfolding in Chicago federal court, where leading litigation financier Burford Capital fired back this week against allegations that it illegally interfered with efforts to settle chicken price-fixing claims against Tyson Foods. Read this week's Billable Hours.

In the courts

Relatives of Boeing 737 MAX victims asked a federal judge to reject a deal between the DOJ and the planemaker to allow the company to avoid prosecution in a fraud case.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman in Texas upheld the FDA's decision to remove Novo Nordisk's blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy from the shortage list, rejecting a challenge brought by compounding pharmacies who sought to continue making copies of the drugs.
Hygiene products maker Xlear sued the FTC, accusing the agency of overstepping its authority to regulate false and deceptive advertising by requiring advertisers to "substantiate" claims about their products. Read the complaint.

Friday rewind

Legal Industry: American Bar Association sued to block Trump's attacks on law firms. The lawyer organization defended its diversity scholarships, citing them as protected under free speech rights. Plus, former Trump DOJ official Rod Rosenstein joined law firm Baker McKenzie. And a different former Trump attorney, John Eastman, lost a round in his legal battle to retain his California law license. In moves news, Cadwalader partner Ellen Holloman joined Roberta Kaplan's law firm Kaplan Martin. Three former FTC lawyers and a U.S. attorney launched plaintiffs' law firm Simonsen Sussman.

Attorney Analysis

Kyle Ferguson of FBFK examines how midsize firms across the country are redefining law firm culture and why it's working. Read today's Attorney Analysis.

Contact

Caitlin Tremblay

caitlin.tremblay@thomsonreuters.com

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