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In our newsletters AFJ will cover the Supreme Court, the lower federal courts, some related administrative appointments, court reforms and ethics updates, and right-wing attempts to hijack our courts for partisan or political purposes. Thanks for following and for taking action when it is called for.
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SUPREME COURT Oral Arguments This Week This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Barnes v. Felix, a case stemming from the fatal shooting of Ashtian Barnes by a police officer. The Court is examining how to evaluate Fourth Amendment claims of unreasonable seizure. Prior precedent calls for a broad interpretation of Fourth Amendment protections, highlighting the importance of a context-driven analysis of reasonableness as it relates to an officer’s conduct. The court should be clear and firm in upholding this approach. A narrow ruling, even if it favors the petitioners, risks weakening constitutional protections and may ultimately favor law enforcement over individual rights. Filling Out the Docket The Supreme Court has granted cert in several big cases as it finished filling out its docket (except, perhaps, for emergency or shadow-docket cases). Recently, the justices granted certiorari in Becerra v. Braidwood Management, Inc., a case involving Christian-owned businesses and individuals in Texas who argue that the requirement to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention infringes on their religious freedoms. The Court also added A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, where a student with severe epilepsy has sued the Osseo Area Schools District for disability discrimination after the district denied her request for evening instruction. Additionally, in Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, the Court will decide whether a state violates the First