Month: June 2019

The US Supreme Court today declined to review a lower court ruling that had invalidated Alabama’s ban on dismemberment abortions. Justice Thomas concurred in the ruling but noted– “This case serves as a stark reminder that our abortion jurisprudence has spiraled out of control. Earlier this Term, we were confronted with lower court decisions requiring States […]

In Knick v. Township of Scott, the Supreme Court today overruled a 1985 decision dealing with the Takings Clause. The vote was 5-4 ; Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion and was joined by Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh. The dissent (by Justice Kagan), perhaps with eye to the fate of Roe v. Wade and […]

Here and here are two stories from the National Right to Life News and Lifenews on the June 20, 2019 decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Here is a comment from Dave Andrusko’s article: “the rule change made by HHS restored–emphasis on restored–Title X family planning regulations to prohibit grantees […]

Here is a link to today’s Supreme Court decision in Gamble v. United States. In Gamble, the Court decided not to overturn the dual sovereignty doctrine. Pursuant to that doctrine, it does not violate the double jeopardy clause if a state prosecutes a defendant under state law even if the federal government has already prosecuted the defendant […]

Here is a link to a LifeNews story about the June 14, 2019 decision from a divided panel of the United State Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The court found that the policy of the Office of Refugee Resettlement to prevent shelters from facilitating abortions for “unaccompanied alien children” was likely unconstitutional. […]

Here is a LifeNews.com reporting on Maine’s governor signing a law legalizing physician-assisted suicide. Maine is the 8th state to allow assisted suicide. The others are California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington; assisted suicide is also legal in DC and in Montana due to a court decision.

Here is a link to a very good essay by Adam MacLeod critiquing the recent decision of the Kansas Supreme Court that found a natural right to abortion. Here is a paragraph from the essay– “This essay considers the humorous incompetence of the opinion, not for amusement but to learn an important lesson. American constitutions contain terms of […]

Here is a story in the National Right to Life News on the vote by the AMA to retain its opposition to assisted suicide. This is a significant decision because the views of major medical associations often have an important impact when states consider legalizing assisted suicide.  The AMA’s position is that physician-assisted suicide is […]

Here is a link to a good essay in Public Discourse by Justin Dyer. The essay discusses the history of the eugenics movement and comments on Justice Thomas’s recent opinion in Box v. Planned Parenthood arguing that the state has a compelling interest in preventing abortion from becoming a tool of modern-day eugenics.