The practicalities of birthright citizenship being restricted in some states but not others appeared to be a concern of key justices on the US Supreme Court.

President Donald Trump has asked the justices to narrow lower court rulings that blocked his executive order limiting automatic citizenship to babies born with at least one parent who’s a citizen or permanent resident.

Cases and Controversies hosts Greg Stohr and Lydia Wheeler discuss Thursday's arguments and highlight the exchanges that seemed to show the justices are wary of letting Trump start enforcing his restrictions.

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The Supreme Court will sit for a special session May 15 to hear a challenge to President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship order.

The merits, however, are not before justices at this time. Instead, the court will consider the scope of relief temporarily available to the parties, and in particular whether federal district courts can enjoin a policy nationwide as to all persons affected.

Joining Cases and Controversies hosts Kimberly Robinson and Greg Stohr is University of Virginia law professor Amanda Frost, a leading expert on both birthright citizenship and so-called nationwide injunctions.

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The Supreme Court heard the last in a trio of cases over religious rights with the justices appearing to split long largely ideological lines.

During arguments April 30 in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, the justices considered a virtual school's bid to become the nation's first religious charter school.

Cases and Controversies hosts Lydia Wheeler and Kimberly Robinson say the case seems to turn on Chief Justice John Roberts.

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US Supreme Court justices spent a lot of time last week discussing the meaning of LGBTQ-themed books that parents in a Maryland public school district say interfere with the religious rearing of their children.

One book, “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” was a focal point of the April 22 arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor. The justices questioned whether mere exposure to things a parent disagrees with burdens their religious rights.

Cases and Controversies hosts Kimberly Robinson and Lydia Wheeler take listeners through the proceedings and why they signal the parents are likely to win this case against books Montgomery County Public Schools say are meant to foster mutual respect for others in a pluralistic educational community.

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Obamacare is back before the Supreme Court in a challenge to its no-cost coverage requirements for certain preventive health services.

The justices will weigh the constitutionality of the US Preventive Services Task Force, which recommends the tests and treatments insurers should cover, when they return to the bench on Monday for the April sitting.

If the lower court's decision is upheld, "it is possible, given the posture of the case, that over 150 million Americans lose free coverage of hundreds of benefits," said Sara Rosenbaum, an emerita professor of health law and policy at George Washington University.

Rosenbaum joins Cases and Controversies hosts Greg Stohr and Lydia Wheeler to talk about why the case is more about power than it is public health and what's at stake if the court does away with the insurance coverage that’s caught in its crosshairs.

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The US Supreme Court's attempt to avoid a confrontation with President Donald Trump has real world costs, said Georgetown Law professor Stephen Vladeck.

Vladeck spoke with Cases and Controversies hosts Kimberly Robinson and Greg Stohr about the flurry of recent rulings from the justices in emergency requests involving the administration's policies.

The majority of the justices have been careful not to be overly critical of the president and have at times granted him "modest procedural wins," Vladeck said. But those efforts have real world costs, he added.

Vladeck pointed to the court's recent action, lifting a temporary pause on the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members.

"The question is, how long can the justices get away with walking this tightrope before they're actually sacrificing too much in the name of not unduly provoking the confrontation with Trump," Vladeck said.

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Supreme Court justices from across the ideological spectrum appeared ready to side with a religious group seeking an unemployment tax exemption, in the first of three church-state disputes on tap in coming weeks.

"I thought it was pretty fundamental that we don't treat some religions better than other religions," Justice Elena Kagan said. "And we certainly don't do it based on the content of the religious doctrine that those religions preach."

Cases and Controversies hosts Kimberly Robinson and Lydia Wheeler break down arguments in Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Indus., and take a look of some of the court's recent opinions.

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The federal government appeared likely to win a high-stakes appeal over a multibillion-dollar telecommunications fund while securing a win on Biden-era regulations on build-at-home "ghost guns."

Several justices during arguments March 26 in FCC v. Consumers' Research, appeared hesitant to reinvigorate the so-called nondelegation doctrine to strike down the Universal Service Fund. The fund is intended to increase broadband access to rural and low income areas.

Hosts Greg Stohr and Kimberly Robinson also discuss the court's 7-2 'ghost gun' ruling where liberal justices were joined in the majority by Chief Justice John Roberts and conservatives Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

The hosts also highlight the upcoming argument in Medina v. Planned Parenthood, a case about South Carolina's decision to remove Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program.

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Produced by David Schultz

The Supreme Court will consider a case at the end of March that could limit Congress’ ability to let federal regulators determine what public health and safety standards are necessary.

Depending on what the court decides, any statute that grants discretion to an agency could be open for re-review, said Jessica Ellsworth, a partner at Hogan Lovells.

"There's probably hundreds of thousands of places in the US code that there are terms used like 'in the public interest,' whether something is 'necessary' and 'appropriate,' whether something is 'reasonable,' whether something is 'fair' or 'unfair,' whether it's 'essential,'" she said.

Ellsworth joins Cases and Controversies hosts Greg Stohr and Lydia Wheeler to discuss the nondelegation doctrine and how this legal principle, which the court has been asked to revive, could impact the federal telecom subsidy program at issue and other regulations more broadly.

The hosts also chat about a social media post from President Donald Trump that garnered a rare response from Chief Justice John Roberts.

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After a slow start, Supreme Court justices will hear consequential disputes as they head into second half of the term.

"This might be the eye in the storm that this was kind of a bit of a slower term," said Goodwin partner Brian Burgess. "There's some big, big cases ahead."

Burgess highlights cases involving religious rights, Obamacare, and forum shopping with Cases and Controversies hosts Lydia Wheeler and Kimberly Robinson.

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