{"id":2616406,"date":"2026-06-19T17:32:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T21:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clarence-thomas-and-two-fellow-conservatives-form-unexpected-majority-with-two-liberals-in-scotus-decision\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T17:34:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T21:34:25","slug":"clarence-thomas-and-two-fellow-conservatives-form-unexpected-majority-with-two-liberals-in-scotus-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clarence-thomas-and-two-fellow-conservatives-form-unexpected-majority-with-two-liberals-in-scotus-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"Clarence Thomas and Two Fellow Conservatives Form Unexpected Majority with Two Liberals in SCOTUS Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fclarence-thomas-and-two-fellow-conservatives-form-unexpected-majority-with-two-liberals-in-scotus-decision%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2616406&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The provided content discusses a 5-4 Supreme Court decision concerning the jurisdiction of state courts when plaintiffs seek review from federal courts. Justices Clarence Thomas, samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson formed the majority, while Chief Justice John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, neil Gorsuch, and Elena Kagan dissented.<\/p>\n<p>The case involved a woman, T.M., who alleged her due process rights were violated after she was involuntarily detained and medicated at a hospital following a gluten allergy incident. Her subsequent legal actions targeted the state court\u2019s consent order dismissing her suits,leading to a dispute over whether federal courts could hear her challenge under the Rooker-Feldman doctrine. Justice Sotomayor clarified that this doctrine barred federal review when a case is under appellate review in state courts, aligning with established precedents. Justice Thomas emphasized that federal district courts lack appellate jurisdiction over state judgments, and his dissent argued that federal courts should have broader authority to hear collateral attacks on state decisions.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-wont-help-peter-navarro-shield-emails-from-nara-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... won\u2019t help Peter Navarro shield emails from NARA - Washington Examiner\">case underscores ongoing debates<\/a> regarding jurisdictional limits between federal and state courts, with the majority affirming the narrow scope of the Rooker-Feldman doctrine and the dissent advocating for more expansive federal oversight of certain state court rulings.The University of Maryland Medical System expressed satisfaction with the ruling, viewing it as clarifying existing legal principles.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Supreme Court justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh joined with liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson in a 5-4 decision upholding the jurisdiction of state courts when plaintiffs also seek review by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/army-vet-plans-to-appeal-ninth-circuit-ruling-against-gun-carry\/\" title=\"Army Vet Plans to Appeal Ninth Circuit Ruling Against Gun Carry\">federal court system<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Chief Justice John Roberts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/police-rush-amy-coney-barretts-house-receiving-troubling-911-call\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amy Coney Barrett<\/a>, Neil Gorsuch, and Elena Kagan dissented in the ruling in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/25-197_bp7c.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">T.M. v. University of Maryland Medical System Corp<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe case was brought by a person identified only as T.M., who said she has a medical condition that can cause psychosis when she ingests gluten. In March 2023, she accidentally did so and was taken to the emergency room at Baltimore Washington Medical Center, according to court filings,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/alito-kavanaugh-and-thomas-join-2-liberals-in-unusual-supreme-court-split-12091918\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Newsweek<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>She was then allegedly held at the hospital involuntarily for three months and forcibly injected with antipsychotic medication. Her parents filed lawsuits in state and federal courts against the hospital, seeking her release and to end the medication.<\/p>\n<p>The parties reached a settlement agreement allowing T.M.\u2019s release, but the state judge presiding over the habeas corpus case (wrongful detainment) set several conditions, including that the plaintiff agree to dismiss with prejudice all the pending cases against the University of Maryland Medical System Corp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, 10 days later, she and her parents obtained new counsel and sued them in federal district court, seeking a declaration that the [state judge\u2019s] order violated her due process rights [under the U.S. Constitution]. At the same time, she appealed the consent order to the Appellate Court of Maryland,\u201d Newsweek said.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ny-court-dismisses-case-of-wedding-photographer-who-wont-shoot-same-sex-ceremonies\/\" title=\"NY Court Dismisses ... Of Wedding Photographer Who Won\u2019t Shoot Same-Sex Ceremonies\">federal district court dismissed<\/a> her complaint, saying it lacked jurisdiction under what\u2019s known as the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, which provides that federal district courts are not allowed to act on a matter while it is under appeal in the state court system. Only the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/2a-orgs-pop-champagne-corks-unanimous-supreme-court-ruling-paring-back-gun-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Supreme Court<\/a> has jurisdiction to take up such cases.<\/p>\n<p>In her majority opinion, Sotomayor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/25-197_bp7c.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote<\/a>, \u201cThis case asks whether this rule bars suit when the state court judgment at issue is subject to further review in state appellate proceedings. A straightforward application of the logic and reasoning underlying Rooker-Feldman leads to one conclusion: It does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added the plaintiff\u2019s theory \u201ccannot be squared with this Court\u2019s precedents, which plainly adopted a different, more functional view of original and appellate jurisdiction than what T. M. advances here.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Interesting 5-4 case with more-common-than-you-might-think crossing of ideological lines<\/p>\n<p>The Majority:<br \/> Sotomayor (wrote the opinion)<br \/> Thomas<br \/> Alito<br \/> Kavanaugh<br \/> Jackson<\/p>\n<p>Minority:<br \/> Barrett<br \/> Roberts<br \/> Kagan<br \/> Gorsuch <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/C2txF0j9mP\">https:\/\/t.co\/C2txF0j9mP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Deseret Stone (@DeseretStone) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DeseretStone\/status\/2067644671032176870?\">June 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/25-197_bp7c.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">concurring opinion<\/a>, Thomas wrote, \u201cThe power to revise or modify another court\u2019s judgment or decree has been recognized as an exercise of appellate jurisdiction from before the ratification of the Constitution,\u201d explaining that federal district courts are not authorized to exercise appellate jurisdiction over state court decisions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongress has long given only this Court [U.S. Supreme Court], and not inferior courts, appellate jurisdiction to revise state-court judgments,\u201d he further contended. \u201cCongress has never purported to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >give inferior federal courts general revising power<\/a> over state-court judgments for errors of federal law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/25-197_bp7c.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dissenting opinion<\/a>, joined by Roberts, Kagan, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/conservatives-worried-justice-gorsuch-just-set-stage-absurd-birthright-citizenship-ruling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gorsuch<\/a>, Barrett wrote, \u201cBecause Rooker-Feldman stands on shaky ground, we have consciously kept its footprint small. Its rationale has gotten no firmer, so we should make the doctrine no larger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barrett argued that federal district courts do have jurisdiction over \u201ccollateral attacks on state-court judgments,\u201d arguing that a \u201ccollateral attack is not the functional<br \/> equivalent of an appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/collateral_attack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cornell Law School<\/a> defines a collateral attack as \u201ca challenge on the validity of a prior judgment through a new case rather than by a direct appeal,\u201d adding, \u201cCommon grounds for a collateral attack include a lack of personal jurisdiction, a lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and a failure of due process in the first case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>T.M. had made the argument in federal court that her due process rights were violated by the consent order the Maryland state judge issued.<\/p>\n<p>Barrett concluded her dissent, writing, \u201cStill, the news is not all bad. Although the Court expands Rooker-Feldman beyond <a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/544\/280\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Exxon\u2019s line<\/a>, it repeatedly emphasizes that the doctrine is \u2018narrow\u2019 \u2026 Courts should not lose sight of that message. In the end, Rooker-Feldman has been given an inch \u2014 it should not be allowed to take a mile.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The University of Maryland Medical System wrote in a statement to Newsweek that the ruling \u201cprovides important clarity regarding the legal framework governing state court proceedings. \u201cWe appreciate the Supreme Court\u2019s careful consideration of this matter and its decision today and are pleased that the Supreme Court justices agreed with our position, which affirms the legal principles and longstanding precedent in this case.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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