BREAKING: Supreme Court takes a Second Amendment case challenging New York's restrictions on concealed public carry. https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/042621zor_e18f.pdf

This case is likely to pave the way to the Supreme Court declaring a constitutional right to concealed public carry, overriding many state and local restrictions on the ability to bear concealed arms in public. https://twitter.com/mjs_DC/status/1386674422606618627?s=20

The Supreme Court sends a signal that it may let states intervene to defend Trump's "public charge" rule—which seeks to limit immigrants' access to public benefits—potentially throwing a wrench in the Biden administration's attempt to kill it through a court settlement.

The Supreme Court takes interest in a case involving Trump's Title X "gag rule" on abortion providers, asking the Biden administration—which is trying to rescind the rule—if it intends to keep enforcing it in the meantime. A bit of an ominous sign. https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/042621zor_e18f.pdf

The Supreme Court grants two new cases in addition to the gun case: Houston Community College v. Wilson, which asks whether a governmental body can censure a member for protected speech, and U.S. v. Zubaydah, which may expand the scope of the state secrets privilege.

Alito, joined by Thomas, revives his quest to make SCOTUS take up original jurisdiction cases (specifically, legal disputes between states). This passage, highlighting both states' former status as independent nations, is certainly interesting!
https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/042621zor_e18f.pdf

In this specific case, Texas has challenged California's restrictions on state-sponsored travel to states with anti-LGBTQ laws—including, as Alito puts it, states with "laws or practices designed to protect religious liberty." https://twitter.com/mjs_DC/status/1386678948805976064

Going back to the Second Amendment case the Supreme Court granted today, Democrats now have a clear choice between two concrete options: Allow SCOTUS to knock down state and local restrictions on concealed public carry in the midst of endless mass shootings, or expand the court.

Just last month, the conservative Judge Jay Bybee penned an extraordinary 127-page opinion canvassing the history of firearm laws and concluding that there is plainly no constitutional rights to public carry. Do not expect his view to prevail at SCOTUS. https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2021/03/24/12-17808.pdf

There has been more than one mass shooting per day in the U.S. in 2021 so far. Yet the Supreme Court seems to think this is a good time to expand concealed carry—which is associated with higher handgun homicide rates—and it's not hard to guess why! https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/04/supreme-court-second-amendment-concealed-carry.html @Slate