Supreme Court update: Justices avoid major cases, liberals secure two rulings.

The Supreme Court Delays Major Decisions, Saving Them for June

The Supreme Court made a strategic move on Friday, choosing not to decide on any of the major cases pending this term. Instead, it signaled that it will save these crucial decisions for the final weeks of June. This means that matters such as the fate of affirmative action and student loan challenges will be left hanging until then.

Opinions Authored by Liberal Justices

On Friday, two opinions were delivered by liberal Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan. Jackson’s unanimous decision in Lora v. United States favored a criminal defendant on a federal sentencing statute challenge. The court ruled that sentences imposed under Section 924(j) can run concurrently or consecutively with another sentence. This decision specifically impacted Efrain Lora, a Bronx drug dealer, who should have served concurrent sentences instead of consecutive ones.

Kagan’s opinion in United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, on the other hand, preserved the Justice Department’s ability to dismiss a lawsuit against a UnitedHealth Group unit. Jesse Polansky, a former employee, accused the company of wrongdoing. Kagan’s majority holding was supported by all justices except for Clarence Thomas, who dissented.

Remaining Cases and Key Issues

The Supreme Court still has 18 cases left to decide before the end of its term in June. Some of the major decisions that are yet to be made include:

• The fate of affirmative action in a challenge to race-based admission policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• President Joe Biden’s plan to provide up to $20,000 in student loan relief under his debt forgiveness program.
• A First Amendment case involving LGBT rights and religious freedom, specifically a challenge to a public accommodations law in Colorado.
• A religious rights challenge in a dispute surrounding a Christian mail carrier who claims he was denied religious accommodations.

The next opportunity for the Supreme Court to address these major topics will be on Thursday, June 22.