S6, Ep. 18: End of term roundup
Amanda and Holly review court decisions on curriculum opt-outs, executive power, the Ten Commandments, and medical care for transgender youth
On our season 6 finale, Amanda and Holly explore some of the consequential decisions from the final days of the Supreme Court term, including Mahmoud v. Taylor – which involves parents who want to opt their children out of curriculum they find in conflict with their religious beliefs – and U.S. v. Skrmetti, which focuses on access to medical care for transgender youth. They discuss the real world implications of these and other recent rulings. Amanda and Holly also celebrate a decision from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals striking down Louisiana’s law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom and share why this case might find its way up to the Supreme Court before too long.
SHOW NOTES
Segment 1 (starting at 00:38): Recent activities and news
For the latest on the budget reconciliation bill and ways to make your voice known, visit BJConline.org/budgetbill2025
Segment 2 (starting at 07:01): A federal court decision and a Supreme Court case with far-reaching implications
Roake v. Brumley is the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case that struck down the Louisiana law mandating the posting of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Read more about the decision and BJC’s brief on our website: Federal appeals court finds Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law unconstitutional as Texas enacts a similar measure
Trump v. CASA is the case often called the “birthright citizenship” case that is about national injunctions. Amanda and Holly recommended listening to the oral arguments and reading the decision and the dissent. All are available on the Supreme Court’s website.
Segment 3 (starting at 19:07): The decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor and its potential impact
Amanda and Holly discussed oral arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor in episode 15 of season 6. You can read the decision and the dissent on the Supreme Court’s website.
Holly mentioned this piece on the case from Religion News Service: ‘We were called book burners’: Families react to SCOTUS LGBTQ+ books decision
Segment 4 (starting 46:13): U.S. v. Skrmetti and what’s ahead for the Court
Amanda and Holly discussed U.S. v. Skrmetti in episode 6 of season 6. You can read the decision and the dissent on the Supreme Court’s website.
For more on the case involving the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act that the Supreme Court will hear this fall, read this piece by Adam Liptak for The New York Times: Supreme Court to Hear Rastafarian Prisoner’s Suit Over Shaved Dreadlocks
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A transcript of this episode will be available in the future — return to this page for the latest.
