Summary

  • The US Supreme Court has announced new opinions on cases it has been considering this term

  • Justices are due to rule in the coming weeks on matters including whether the former president, Donald Trump, should be immune from criminal prosecution

  • However, we do not know in advance when such decisions will be published

  • America's highest court has also been scrutinising charges for Jan 6 rioters

  • The court goes on recess over the summer, meaning that it is running out of time to issue opinions on some of its most closely-watch cases

  • In one of its most recent high-profile decisions, a divided court lifted a Trump-era ban on a rapid-fire gun accessory known as bump stocks

  1. We're pausing our live coverage for the daypublished at 15:38 British Summer Time 21 June

    We're pausing our Supreme Court live coverage for the day.

    The court announced five decisions today.

    They involved a water dispute, immigration, prison terms, expert testimonies in court and gun rights for domestic violence offenders. You can read the justices' decisions for all of these cases here, external.

    We're still waiting to learn about some of the court's biggest decisions for this term, including whether Donald Trump could have immunity in the host of criminal charges he faces, or the fate of those charged in the 6 January riots at the US Capitol.

    We could hear about those decisions next week, so join us then for more live coverage. The next decision day is Wednesday, 26 June.

    This page was edited by Brandon Livesay and Caitlin Wilson. Christal Hayes was our writer.

  2. Domestic abusers cannot own guns, US Supreme Court rulespublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 21 June

    Lisa Lambert
    US reporter

    People placed under restraining orders for domestic violence do not have a right to own guns, the Supreme Court has ruled.

    The 8-1 decision upholds a 30-year-old federal law that bars those with restraining orders for domestic abuse from owning firearms.

    At the centre of the case was Zackey Rahimi, a Texas man who was indicted under the 1994 law but filed an appeal after the court significantly expanded gun rights in a 2022 ruling.

    During a November hearing, Rahimi's lawyer, James Matthew Wright, said he could find no historical precedent for people being disarmed, save those convicted of a felony - which does not include the subjects of restraining orders.

    The US government, wanting to keep the law in place, argued that "dangerous" individuals, such as loyalists to Britain in the American Revolutionary War era, had been disarmed in the past.

    The government's lawyer also argued women living in a home with an armed domestic abuser were five times more likely to be murdered.

    You can read more about this decision here.

  3. Who are the justices on the Supreme Court?published at 15:31 British Summer Time 21 June

    A file photo of the US Supreme Court justicesImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    A file photo of the US Supreme Court justices

    Top row, left to right:

    Amy Coney Barrett - On the court since 2020. The conservative justice is popular with the religious right.

    Neil Gorsuch - On the court since 2017, his appointment cemented a conservative advantage.

    Brett Kavanaugh - On the court since 2018, his views on abortion, environment and gun laws have been criticised by some Democrats.

    Ketanji Brown Jackson - The first black woman to sit on the court when she was confirmed in 2022. The liberal justice has been criticised by some conservatives for being "soft" on criminals.

    Bottom row, left to right:

    Sonia Sotomayor - The court's first Hispanic justice has been on the court since 2009. The liberal justice is known for her best-selling memoir.

    Clarence Thomas - On the court since 1991. The conservative once went a decade without asking a question in oral arguments - he broke his silence in 2016 during a hearing about gun ownership.

    John Roberts - The Chief Justice has been on the court since 2005. He's a conservative justice who notably sided with his more liberal peers to vote in favour of Obamacare - President Barack Obama's healthcare law.

    Samuel Alito - The conservative justice has been on the court since 2006. He is not overly talkative in oral arguments but his questions are sharp.

    Elena Kagan - On the court since 2010, she is part of the court's minority left-leaning wing. Her writing is often easy for a layperson to understand.

    You can read more about the justices here, external.

  4. Last opinion on guns and domestic violence offenderspublished at 15:26 British Summer Time 21 June

    The last opinion of the day concerns whether those found guilty of domestic violence injunctions should have access to firearms.

    The court upheld a law that allows guns to be temporarily removed from domestic offenders.

    Read the full opinion here, external.

  5. Third and fourth opinions issuedpublished at 15:18 British Summer Time 21 June

    The third decision has to do with mandatory prison terms. The fourth revolves around expert testimony in courts.

    We're still waiting on a number of high-profile opinions, including one that could determine whether Donald Trump has legal immunity.

    Here's a link to the third opinion, external, and here's one for the fourth, external.

  6. Second opinion concerns immigrationpublished at 15:14 British Summer Time 21 June

    The second decision announced by the court concerns the constitutionality of denying visas to non-citizen spouses of a US citizen.

    The justices decided a US citizen does not have a "fundamental liberty interest" in their noncitizen spouse being allowed into the country.

    President Joe Biden recently unveiled a number of new immigration policies, including giving legal status to 500,000 undocumented spouses.

    Here's the full opinion, external.

  7. First opinion issuedpublished at 15:05 British Summer Time 21 June

    Christal Hayes
    Reporting from Washington DC

    The first opinion issued by the Supreme Court is about water from the Rio Grande River.

    We're still waiting on a number of high-profile decisions concerning Donald Trump's potential immunity to criminal charges and an opinion that could affect the fate of those charged in the 6 January riot at the US Capitol.

    If you want to learn more on the water dispute, here's the full opinion, external.

  8. Decisions to arrive shortlypublished at 15:00 British Summer Time 21 June

    Brandon Livesay
    US reporter

    The way this works is the Supreme Court publishes opinions one at a time on its website, external.

    The first opinion is expected at 10:00 EDT (15:00 BST), and then we could get potentially three or more opinions to follow.

    Our North America Correspondent Anthony Zurcher is here with us to unpack any major decisions, so stay tuned.

  9. Welcome to our Supreme Court coveragepublished at 14:56 British Summer Time 21 June

    Caitlin Wilson
    Reporting from Washington, DC

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage the US Supreme Court, which will announce some of its new decisions shortly.

    There are only days left in the court's session for this term and we're still waiting for several important rulings - including whether former US President Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for alleged acts taken while he was in the White House.

    Trump, who is facing multiple cases over his alleged conduct in office, has argued that he cannot be criminally charged over allegations of efforts to subvert the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election.

    The court is also expected to rule in the coming days on whether defendants charged in the 6 January, 2021 riot at the US Capitol can be charged with obstructing an official proceeding.

    Stay with us as we bring you all the news and analysis.