ANTHONY KENNEDY

The archives of the late Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne have been acquired by the New York Public Library.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — Editor's Note: On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to marry. The dissenters accused their colleagues of usurping power that belongs to the states and to voters, and short-circuiting a national debate about same-sex marriage. Whether same-sex marriage is a good idea should be of no concern to us,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in dissent. “If you are among the many Americans - of whatever sexual orientation - who favor expanding same-sex marriage, by all means celebrate today’s decision,” Roberts said. Just two years ago, the Supreme Court struck down part of the federal anti-gay marriage law that denied a range of government benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to marry.

The conservative movement’s decades-long pursuit of the judiciary is now paying off.

The Supreme Court began its new term Monday with a new justice on the bench, the public back in the courtroom and a spirited debate in a case that pits environmental protections against property rights.

Joan Didion, a master of rhythm and of the meaning of the unsaid, was remembered Wednesday as an inspiring and fearless writer and valued, exacting and sometimes eccentric friend.

About 2 in 3 Americans say they favor term limits or a mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court justices.

The Supreme Court's conservative majority exerted its power across a term marked by major decisions on abortion, the Second Amendment and religious rights.

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at a time when it has an unprecedented Catholic supermajority.

Sweeping Supreme Court rulings on guns and abortion this past week have sent an unmistakable message.

Curbing abortion rights and expanding the right to be armed in public have long been prizes of the conservative legal movement that the Supreme Court seems poised to award within the next month.

The Supreme Court’s nine justices met in private for the first time since the leak of a draft opinion that would overrule Roe v.

The Court’s job is not to determine which rights we should possess but rather which rights we do possess.

It's unlikely that women’s status will ever go back to where it was before 1973. But Roe v. Wade played a role advancing the lives of women.

A leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court decision suggests the country’s highest court could be poised overturn Roe v.

Tearfully embracing a history-making moment, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said Friday her confirmation as the first Black woman to the Supreme Court shows the progress of America.

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson may not get any Republican votes.

President Joe Biden knows better than anyone the unexpected turns a Supreme Court nomination can take after it lands on Capitol Hill.

Supreme Court O'Connor Kennedy FILE - Justice Anthony Kennedy, the newest member of the Supreme Court, and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, are shown on April 15, 1988, in Washington, at the Supreme Court during a picture taking session. For years, the Supreme Court moved to the left or right only as far as Justices O'Connor and Kennedy allowed. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File) (Bob Daugherty)WASHINGTON — (AP) — For years, the Supreme Court moved to the left or right only as far as Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy allowed. Now, though, a more conservative court that includes two men who once worked for Kennedy at the high court is taking direct aim at major opinions written by the two justices, now retired. Kennedy or O'Connor, or both, wrote the opinions that have been called into question on all three topics.

For years the Supreme Court moved to the left or right only as far as Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy allowed.

Biden President Joe Biden listens as Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer announces his retirement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON — (AP) — In the nearly 30 years that Justice Stephen Breyer has spent on the Supreme Court, it has been conservative, then more conservative and now much more conservative. In recent years, as his more moderate colleagues were replaced by more conservative ones, Breyer seemed in public to maintain his good-humored nature. Replacing a conservative justice during Obama's presidency might have been expected to make the court less conservative. In September, a Gallup poll found 54% said they had "a great deal" or "fair amount" of confidence in the Supreme Court, down from 67% in 2020.

In the nearly 30 years that Justice Stephen Breyer has spent on the Supreme Court, it's been conservative, then more conservative and now much more conservative.

The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider reining in federal regulation of private property under the nation's main anti-water pollution law, the Clean Water Act. The new court case, to be argued in the fall, tests the reach of the Clean Water Act beyond rivers, lakes and streams. Kennedy said the wetlands must ``significantly affect the chemical, physical, and biological integrity″ of nearby navigable waters to come under the Clean Water Act. There is no such connection on the Sackett's property. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Homebuilders are supporting the Sacketts at the Supreme Court.

In a story published January 24, 2022, about the Supreme Court deciding to take up an important Clean Water Act case, The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Nearly 30 years ago, the court came within a vote of throwing out the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion throughout the United States and returning the ability to restrict if not ban abortion to the states. It might happen this time, after arguments Wednesday during which conservative justices suggested support for overruling Roe. Under Chief Justice John Roberts the court has issued several rulings over the years that resolved important cases in surprising ways. Until 2018, there were five justices who voted consistently to protect abortion rights — four liberals and Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court's swing vote. Indeed, he wrote the controlling opinion last year that struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics.

Nearly 30 years ago, the court came within a vote of throwing out the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion throughout the United States and returning the ability to restrict if not ban abortion to the states. It might happen this time, after arguments Wednesday during which conservative justices suggested support for overruling Roe. Under Chief Justice John Roberts the court has issued several rulings over the years that resolved important cases in surprising ways. Until 2018, there were five justices who voted consistently to protect abortion rights — four liberals and Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court's swing vote. Indeed, he wrote the controlling opinion last year that struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics.

We’ve been here before, with the fate of abortion rights throughout the United States in doubt and awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court.

The justice who replaced the late Supreme Court giant aspires to inherit the mantle of conservative intellectual thought leadership.

When people say they are motivated by conscience, even implausibly, employers and government have no morally defensible choice but to take their word for it.

Abortion providers are urging the Supreme Court to reject Mississippi’s 15-week prohibition on most abortions, saying a decision to uphold it would “invite states to ban abortion entirely.”.

The end of the current Supreme Court term is coming up, and Stephen Breyer is the justice to watch.

After writing two of the Supreme Court’s biggest decisions this year, Stephen Breyer could say he’s come to a fitting end of nearly 27 years as a justice and announce his retirement. Breyer has given no indication he plans to retire at the end of the court’s term, set for Thursday. Breyer and O'Connor were close on the court, employing similar approaches to their work, though she was generally more conservative.

With abortion and guns already on the agenda, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court is considering adding a third blockbuster issue.

With abortion and guns already on the agenda, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court is considering adding a third blockbuster issue: whether to ban consideration of race in college admissions.

The Supreme Court will release a decision that could provide the first glimpses of how its 6-3 conservative majority will shape the future of LGBT rights.

Abortion.

An unusual coalition of Supreme Court justices has joined to rule in favor of an immigrant fighting deportation.

The Supreme Court has made it easier to sentence minors convicted of murder to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2018, file photo, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer sits with fellow Supreme Court justices for a group portrait at the Supreme Court Building in Washington. Scott Applewhite, File)WASHINGTON – Forgive progressives who aren't looking forward to the sequel of their personal “Nightmare on First Street," a Supreme Court succession story. Other liberal voices have said Breyer should retire when the court finishes its work for the term, usually by early summer. Among the names being circulated are California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, U.S. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and U.S. District Court Judge Michelle Childs. Breyer's departure wouldn't do anything to change the conservatives' 6-3 edge on the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court tried Monday to inject some mystery into its second consideration of a long-running dispute between Georgia and Florida over water that flows from the Atlanta suburbs to the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court tried Monday to inject some mystery into its second consideration of a long-running dispute between Georgia and Florida over water that flows from the Atlanta suburbs to the Gulf of Mexico. Florida's lawsuit against Georgia was filed directly in the Supreme Court, which is mainly an appellate court but hears disputes between states. The court appointed a special master to evaluate the case, and he initially recommended that Georgia should prevail. The court appointed a new special master, who also recommended the court side with Georgia.

President Donald Trumps deep imprint on the federal courts is a rare point of agreement about the president across the political spectrum. The three Supreme Court picks could still be on the court at the 21st century’s midpoint, 30 years from now. In Trump’s first two years, they pushed through 30 appellate court judges and 53 district court nominees. “You know, when I got in, we had over 100 federal judges that weren’t appointed," he said. That nominee was Stephen Breyer, now a Supreme Court justice.

FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, file photo the Supreme Court is seen at sundown on the eve of Election Day, in Washington. The Supreme Court is to hear arguments in a case that could put the brakes on what has been a gradual move toward more leniency for children who are convicted of murder. Scott Applewhite, File)WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Tuesday suggested it could halt what has been a gradual move toward more leniency for children who are convicted of murder. Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Neil Gorsuch also indicated they take issue with the court's most recent case about juvenile life sentences. The case the court was hearing Tuesday is the latest in a series of cases going back to 2005, when the court eliminated the death penalty for juveniles.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett applauds as President Donald Trump announces Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court, in the Rose Garden at the White House, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington. Trump hailed Barrett as “a woman of remarkable intellect and character,” saying he had studied her record closely before making the pick. Trump, meanwhile, is hoping the nomination will galvanize his supporters as he looks to fend off Democrat Joe Biden. “We don’t have to do it before, but I think this will be done before the election," Trump told reporters Saturday. “I think this will end up in the Supreme Court,” Trump said Wednesday of the election.

Within weeks, she is likely to be the newest associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. First among them was the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Scalia, but they also dug deeper. Months later, in the fall of 2017, Trump set about updating his list of potential nominees to the Supreme Court. Trump and McGahn set about elevating Barrett's profile for the next opening on the high court –- with Trump telling some aides he was “saving” her for Ginsburg's seat. “I am truly humbled by the prospect of serving on the Supreme Court,” she said.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett listens as President Donald Trump announces Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court, in the Rose Garden at the White House, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)CHICAGO – Although Amy Coney Barrett is the president's choice to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she is more aptly described as heir to another departed Supreme Court justice: conservative hero Antonin Scalia. Circuit Court of Appeals. Ara Lovitt, who clerked with her at the time, recalls that at her investiture ceremony for the 7th Circuit, Scalia had high praise for her. Barrett has twice joined dissenting opinions asking for abortion-related decisions to be thrown out and reheard by the full appeals court.

That central thesis of the Democratic presidential nominee's campaign is being severely tested by the battle over the future of the Supreme Court. Now some want Biden to add the warning that a Democratic majority and President Biden would expand the Supreme Court at their first opportunity. He was Senate Judiciary Chairman in 1987 when Democrats jettisoned a controversial Supreme Court nominee from President Ronald Reagan. Now, even as Senate Republicans seemed poised to fast-track a court confirmation, Congress remains unable to agree on another economic stabilization bill amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m going to be America’s president,” Biden insisted, “not a Democratic president.”

___4:20 p.m.President Donald Trump is expressing increasing confidence that a Republican-controlled Senate will approve whichever Supreme Court nominee he chooses to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. ___11:30 a.m.Joe Biden won't say if he is vetting a list of potential Supreme Court picks. ___10 a.m.Chief Justice John Roberts is remembering his colleague Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as tough and brave, a fighter and a winner. The White House says President Donald Trump will pay his respects to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Thursday at the Supreme Court. The casket of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has arrived at the Supreme Court for the start of two days of public viewing.

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama spent hours reading legal briefs as he mulled candidates for the Supreme Court. President Donald Trump has a style all his own for selecting a nominee for the high court. He's flying by the seat of his pants with his frequent public deliberations on replacing Ginsburg, a process that’s moving at warp speed. Trump is holding little back, readily airing his thinking on the state of the deliberations. He settled on someone he knew well: Harriet Miers, a Texan who worked for Bush when he was governor and then as White House counsel.

And, the passing of my dear colleague, Ruth, is profoundly difficult and so very sad,” he wrote. Justice Ginsburg will go down as a leading figure in the history of the Court. We will miss Ruth and our hearts go out to her family. Justice Ginsburg paved the way for women to become lawyers and judges.”___Retired Justice David SouterSouter wrote that “Ruth Ginsburg was one of the members of the Court who achieved greatness before she became a great justice. I loved her to pieces.”___Retired Justice Anthony Kennedy:“The members of the Court always will cherish all that Justice Ginsburg meant to us as a distinguished jurist and an inspiring, wonderful person,” he wrote.

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell of Ky., takes the elevator as he leaves a Senate Republican policy meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – It’s legacy time for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. For better or worse, this will be how McConnell’s tenure as a Senate leader will be measured. Absent a robust legislative agenda aligned with Trump, McConnell set out on the Senate’s other main role — confirmations. Along with the two Supreme Court justices, he has installed more than 200 federal appellate and trial court judges in the Trump era.

Any time the justices divide 4-4 in a case, the lower court ruling remains in place. If say, the court were to split that way in a case involving the election, the tie would ratify whatever the lower court decided. In 2016, “the court actually did a pretty good job when the court had eight justices for a while. Any case that divides the court 4-4 after arguments could be held and set for a new round of arguments when the court is back at full strength. The Supreme Court has managed at less than its full nine-member strength at three points in the past 50 years, in 1970, 1987-88 and 2016.

FILE - In this July 31, 2014, file photo, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in her chambers in at the Supreme Court in Washington. The Supreme Court says Ginsburg has died of metastatic pancreatic cancer at age 87. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died Friday at her home in Washington. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg does not need a seat on the Supreme Court to earn her place in the American history books,” Clinton said at the time of her appointment. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer tweeted: “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice.

Like other places in America, Kenosha's Black residents saw inequality in the way police treated them. But there had been nothing like the shooting that left Blake, who is Black, paralyzed. An officer shot Blake in the back Sunday as the 29-year-old leaned into his SUV, three of his children seated inside. Ray Roberts, a data scientist who has lived in the city about a decade, said he and other Black residents face very different rules when dealing with police than white residents do. The police here are terrible and they treat Black people awful, said Jacob Conway, a 22-year-old white Kenosha resident who said he has joined protests every night since the shooting.

Ginsburg is perhaps the most forthcoming member of the Supreme Court when it comes to telling the public about her many health issues. But she waited more than four months to reveal that her cancer had returned and that she was undergoing chemotherapy. But she waited more than four months to reveal that her cancer had returned and that she was undergoing chemotherapy. The lesions are the fifth time Ginsburg has dealt with cancer since 1999, when she first underwent surgery for colorectal cancer. Like other Americans, Supreme Court justices live and work with a range of ailments.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump won the White House on the promise of bringing a conservative shift to the Supreme Court. But this year and last, even with two justices Trump hand-picked, the court has shown it is no rubber stamp for him or his administrations policies. Thats drawn the presidents ire and teed up a renewed battle over the court as Trump seeks political advantage ahead of Novembers election. Supreme Court judges, he said at a July 2016 rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Biden months ago made something of a promise related to the Supreme Court, saying hed be honored to appoint the first African American woman to the court.

Four years ago the court's four liberal members and Justice Kennedy struck down a Texas law nearly identical to Louisiana's. Roberts wrote the court's opinion, joined by the four liberal justices. Six of the justices Roberts, the court's four liberals and Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch ruled against the Trump administration and in favor of the LGBT plaintiffs in the cases. But, on the same day, he served the Trump administration a defeat, writing an opinion that kept a citizenship question off the 2020 census. If those cases divide the court, Roberts' vote will again be key.

Four years ago the court's four liberal members and Justice Kennedy struck down a Texas law nearly identical to Louisiana's. Roberts wrote the court's opinion, joined by the four liberal justices. Six of the justices Roberts, the court's four liberals and Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch ruled against the Trump administration and in favor of the LGBT plaintiffs in the cases. But, on the same day, he served the Trump administration a defeat, writing an opinion that kept a citizenship question off the 2020 census. If those cases divide the court, Roberts' vote will again be key.

In this March 26, 2009 file photo, Connecticut state Supreme Court Justice Richard Palmer, center, questions attorneys at the Connecticut Supreme Court in Hartford, Conn. Palmer, who authored the landmark Connecticut Supreme Court rulings that legalized same-sex marriage and abolished the state's death penalty, is stepping down after 27 years on the high court. (AP Photo/Bob Child, Pool)WASHINGTON The last time a Supreme Court justice announced his retirement in a presidential election year, most of the current justices were too young to vote. The nomination to replace Chief Justice Earl Warren failed in that turbulent year, and no justice has retired in an election year since. Charles Cooper, who argued the S&Ls' case at the Supreme Court, recalled that a resolution was urgently needed because scores of copy-cat cases had been clogging" court dockets for years. When Burger was chief justice, from 1969 to 1986, the court routinely kept working into July, even past Independence Day.

(Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP)WASHINGTON A divided Senate has approved the nomination of a 38-year-old judge and ally of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to serve on a top federal appeals court, despite Democrats objections that hes inexperienced and biased against the Obama-era health care law. Walker, a protege of both McConnell and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, will join the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in September. In the middle of a national public health crisis, the Republican Senate majority is poised to confirm a judge who opposes our countrys health care law.'' Walker, who was confirmed as a federal judge last fall, declined a request by Senate Democrats to recuse himself on matters related to the health care law if confirmed to the appeals court. McConnell, a longtime family friend who employed Walker as an intern in his Senate office, said that in his short time as a federal judge, Walker has shown his intelligence and legal acumen.

Each of the nine Supreme Court justices usually writes at least one opinion for each month the court hears arguments. He wrote opinions in both cases that attracted a majority of the court. Majority opinions often have fairly lengthy recitations of the facts of the case. Gorsuch's opinion basically devoted one paragraph each to the three fired employees whose cases the court decided Monday. Though he started out on the other side, Kennedy wound up writing or co-writing the majority opinion in both cases.

Even as understood today, the concept of discrimination because of sex is different from discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity.'" But Monday's decision is not likely to be the court's last word on a host of issues revolving around LGBT rights, Gorsuch noted. The cases were the courts first on LGBT rights since Justice Anthony Kennedys retirement and replacement by Kavanaugh. During the Obama years, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had changed its longstanding interpretation of civil rights law to include discrimination against LGBT people. In recent years, some lower courts have held that discrimination against LGBT people is a subset of sex discrimination, and thus prohibited by the federal law.

The court is widely considered the second-most powerful in the nation and frequently serves as a launching pad for a seat on the Supreme Court. 2 Senate Democrat, called Walker's nomination a travesty and an affront to other, more qualified conservative judges. Democrats also complained that the committee was advancing Walkers nomination during the coronavirus crisis and nationwide upheaval over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Walker clerked for Kavanaugh when he was on the D.C. appeals court. The group changed its rating just before the May 6 hearing, calling Walker "Well Qualified to serve on the appeals court.

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court appeared divided in its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote. The federal appeals court in New Orleans, though, upheld the law, setting up the Supreme Court case. Even with those two additions to the court, Roberts almost certainly holds the deciding vote. In more than 14 years as chief justice, Roberts has generally voted to uphold abortion restrictions, including in the Texas case four years ago. The Trump administration also argued in court papers that the high court could overrule the Texas case if necessary.

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court appeared divided in its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote. The federal appeals court in New Orleans, though, upheld the law, setting up the Supreme Court case. Even with those two additions to the court, Roberts almost certainly holds the deciding vote. In more than 14 years as chief justice, Roberts has generally voted to uphold abortion restrictions, including in the Texas case four years ago. The Trump administration also argued in court papers that the high court could overrule the Texas case if necessary.

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court appeared divided in its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote. The federal appeals court in New Orleans, though, upheld the law, setting up the Supreme Court case. Even with those two additions to the court, Roberts almost certainly holds the deciding vote. In more than 14 years as chief justice, Roberts has generally voted to uphold abortion restrictions, including in the Texas case four years ago. The Trump administration also argued in court papers that the high court could overrule the Texas case if necessary.

That decision came in a case called Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission. Four years later, following the Citizens United decision, such groups spent seven times that total. To make real change come January 2021, we need to attack corruption head-on, and that starts with a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United." Dark money creeps inThe dark-money organizations also saw an uptick in spending in the 2012 presidential election cycle following Citizens United. In 2012, social welfare groups spent over $143 million, including $88 million against Democrats and $9 million against Republicans, records show.

The justices in the second hour of the arguments will focus on whether transgender workers are protected under the same law. [nL2N26S0N4]The Supreme Court delivered an important gay rights decision in 2015 legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Kavanaugh, whose approach to gay rights is unclear, could provide a pivotal vote. A ruling in favor of the plaintiffs would give gay and transgender workers greater protections, especially in the 28 U.S. states that do not already have comprehensive measures against employment discrimination. Trump, a Republican with vigorous support among evangelical Christian voters, has pursued policies taking aim at gay and transgender rights.

The Supreme Court delivered an important gay rights decision in 2015 legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. A couple of hundred demonstrators advocating for LGBT rights gathered a short distance from the white marble courthouse on an overcast day in the U.S. capital. Kavanaugh, whose approach to gay rights is unclear, could provide a pivotal vote. Trump, a Republican with vigorous support among evangelical Christian voters, has pursued policies taking aim at gay and transgender rights. Big business, typically eager to avoid liability in employment disputes, is backing the LGBT plaintiffs.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday wades into a major LGBT rights dispute over whether a landmark decades-old federal anti-discrimination law that prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex covers gay and transgender workers. LGBT rights activists held a demonstration near the courthouse ahead of the scheduled start of the arguments at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT). The Supreme Court delivered an important gay rights decision in 2015 legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. The arguments present the court with its first major test on gay and transgender rights since Trump appointed conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh to replace Kennedy, with the four liberal justices sympathetic to LGBT rights. Trump, a Republican with vigorous support among evangelical Christian voters, has pursued policies taking aim at gay and transgender rights.

LGBT rights activists held a demonstration near the courthouse ahead of the scheduled start of the arguments at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT). The Supreme Court delivered an important gay rights decision in 2015 legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. The arguments present the court with its first major test on gay and transgender rights since Trump appointed conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh to replace Kennedy, with the four liberal justices sympathetic to LGBT rights. Kavanaugh, whose approach to gay rights is unclear, could provide a pivotal vote. Trump, a Republican with vigorous support among evangelical Christian voters, has pursued policies taking aim at gay and transgender rights.

A seemingly divided Supreme Court on Tuesday heard highly anticipated cases on whether federal civil rights law should apply to LGBTQ people, with Chief Justice John Roberts questioning how doing so would affect employers. The cases Tuesday are the court's first on LGBTQ rights since Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement and replacement by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Supreme Court weighs first LGBTQ cases since Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirementThe other case involves fired transgender funeral home director Aimee Stephens. During the Obama years, the commission had changed its longstanding interpretation of civil rights law to include discrimination against LGBTQ people. They also argue that they were fired for not conforming to sex stereotypes, a form of sex discrimination that the Supreme Court recognized 30 years ago.

Lawyers standing before the Supreme Court now will have at least two minutes to talk before justices rip their arguments apart. A year ago Sunday, protestors stormed the steps of the Supreme Court building protesting Brett Kavanaugh's controversial confirmation. The transgender case is especially noteworthy because it represents the first civil rights case concerning transgender individuals that the Supreme Court has ever heard. The Trump administration appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, and at the time, the President predicted success: "We want to be in the Supreme Court on DACA," he said. Theodore Olson, a Supreme Court veteran who served as the solicitor general under the Bush administration, is representing the DACA participants.

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court agreed Friday to plunge into the abortion debate in the midst of the 2020 presidential campaign, taking on a Louisiana case that could reveal how willing the more conservative court is to chip away at abortion rights. The justices will examine a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The court's new term begins Monday, but arguments in the Louisiana case won't take place until the winter. In January, the full appeals court voted 9-6 not to get involved in the case, setting up the Supreme Court appeal. The Supreme Court upheld a similar Colorado law in 2000, but in 2014 struck down a Massachusetts provision that set a fixed 35-foot buffer zone outside abortion clinics.

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court agreed Friday to plunge into the abortion debate in the midst of the 2020 presidential campaign, taking on a Louisiana case that could reveal how willing the more conservative court is to chip away at abortion rights. The justices will examine a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The court's new term begins Monday, but arguments in the Louisiana case won't take place until the winter. In January, the full appeals court voted 9-6 not to get involved in the case, setting up the Supreme Court appeal. The Supreme Court upheld a similar Colorado law in 2000, but in 2014 struck down a Massachusetts provision that set a fixed 35-foot buffer zone outside abortion clinics.

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court agreed Friday to plunge into the abortion debate in the midst of the 2020 presidential campaign, taking on a Louisiana case that could reveal how willing the more conservative court is to chip away at abortion rights. The justices will examine a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The court's new term begins Monday, but arguments in the Louisiana case won't take place until the winter. In January, the full appeals court voted 9-6 not to get involved in the case, setting up the Supreme Court appeal. The Supreme Court upheld a similar Colorado law in 2000, but in 2014 struck down a Massachusetts provision that set a fixed 35-foot buffer zone outside abortion clinics.

FILE PHOTO: A man stands outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., June 27, 2019. The Alabama law was one of a growing number passed by Republican legislators at the state level imposing a variety of restrictions on abortion. A ruling by the conservative-majority Supreme Court upholding the Alabama measure could have chipped away at the Roe decision, which legalized abortion nationwide. The Supreme Court has a 5-4 conservative majority but has sent mixed messages on abortion in recent months. The Supreme Court in 2016 on buttressed constitutional protections for abortion rights in a ruling in which Kennedy joined the four liberal justices, throwing out a Texas law imposing difficult-to-meet requirements on abortion clinics and abortion doctors.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy called it a matter of dignity when he wrote his majority opinion upholding the right to same-sex marriage. With Friday's Supreme Court Ruling, same-sex marriage has become a right in all 50 states - change that even gay activists believed unthinkable a decade ago

The Supreme Court appears sharply divided over its role in deciding the legality of same-sex marriage. The justices heard 2.5 hours of historic arguments Tuesday. The likely swing vote is Justice Anthony Kennedy who sent conflicting signals. Jan Crawford reports.