SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " supreme " 100 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Sign in to save shuffle history.
What is attribution science? The critical climate research that Big Oil would rather you didn't believe in
How an emerging field of research is fueling a major Supreme Court case that may hold fossil fuel companies liable for climate change.
Tribal Nations Urge Supreme Court to Halt Prediction Market Sports Betting
A broad coalition of Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case involving prediction market company Kalshi and determine whether its sports-event contracts constitute sports betting subject to federal, state and Tribal gaming laws. In an amicus brief filed in Flaherty v. KalshiEX, the Tribal coalition argues […]
Supreme Court rejects Michigan woman's appeal over school's ban on 'Let's Go Brandon' sweatshirts
The mother of two boys says their First Amendment rights were violated when they were told to take off the sweatshirts she bought them for Christmas in 2022.
Lawmakers withdraw request to delay skill game crackdown
Harrisburg, Pa. — Four state lawmakers, including Sen. Gene Yaw, have withdrawn their request asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to delay enforcement against skill game machines until February.
Supreme Court Again Sides With Republicans in Political TV Ad Fight
The Trump administration had filed an emergency application asking the justices to intervene in a long-running dispute over political ad rates.
Davids Urges Federal Action as Kansas Small Businesses Squeezed Out of Tariff Refunds While Large Corporations Cash In
Today, Representative Sharice Davids demanded immediate action to ensure Kansas small businesses receive the tariff refunds they are owed. Following this year’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the president’s reckless tariffs, the federal government began processing billions of dollars in refunds.
What role should the Supreme Court play in American politics?
A wide-ranging new book by Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan examines how America’s highest court often gets in the way of democratic politics.
Supreme Court sounds wary of state-based climate change suits against oil producers
Oil and gas producers hope the Supreme Court will shut down scores of lawsuits over the impact of climate change.
Nebraska Supreme Court Keeps Trans Sports Ban on Ballot
Supporters call it “fairness for girls.” A legal challenge argued that the wording conceals the measure’s targeting of transgender athletes.
Supreme Court weighs local governments' climate lawsuits against oil, gas firms
Key justices appeared wary about the potential sweep of litigation, but torn over the complex legal interplay of federal and state laws raised by the case
Trump, the Supreme Court & Texas’ Midterm Power Struggle
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
Supreme Court backs Pentagon decision to throw out plea deals for 9/11 alleged conspirators
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to review former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to cancel plea agreements with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants accused of plotting the 9/11 terror attack.
U.S. Supreme Court declines request to consider Bellingham COVID-19 vaccine case
The denial means the lower court’s ruling will remain in effect, thereby signaling the end of the case.
This WA Supreme Court race could be one of the most expensive in history
In the race for Position 4 on the Washington Supreme Court, judges Sean O'Donnell and Ian Birk have raised more than $1 million thus far.
Lawmakers withdraw request to delay skill game crackdown
Harrisburg, Pa. — Four state lawmakers, including Sen. Gene Yaw, have withdrawn their request asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to delay enforcement against skill game machines until February.
Supreme Court Denies Trump Administration Request to Withhold Health Care from Incarcerated Transgender People
The Supreme Court of the United States has rejected a request from the Trump Administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to allow prison officials to withhold gender-affirming health care from transgender people in federal prisons.
Supreme Court rejects effort to revive Khalid Sheikh Mohammed plea deal
Mohammed is the alleged mastermind of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001
Rock Song Copyright Dispute Rocks The Entertainment Industry
Copyright Termination Suit Rocks Entertainment Industry - Supreme Court Asked to Weigh In
Top Iranian official admits dire state of the economy: Report
A top Iranian official reportedly admitted that Iran’s economy is in dire straits due to the war and the U.S. blockade of the country. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and former commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, made the admission Saturday at a high-level government meeting focused on […]
Supreme Court backs Republicans on New Hampshire voter IDs
(Bloomberg) — The U.S. Supreme Court lifted a ruling that would have allowed use of student-ID cards to help show eligibility to vote in New Hampshire, siding with Republicans in a state where Democrats are defending a Senate seat next...
Political ad rates case frozen through midterms
The Supreme Court in an unsigned decision Wednesday sided with Republicans in a dispute over expanding discounted television advertising rates beyond political candidates ahead of the midterms. The unsigned order from a majority of the court paused a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals from the 4th Circuit that could have allowed the courts […]
Supreme Court weighs local governments' climate lawsuits against oil, gas firms
Key justices appeared wary about the potential sweep of litigation, but torn over the complex legal interplay of federal and state laws raised by the case
Supreme Court asked to weigh political ad rates
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to step into a lower court dispute over television advertising rates paid by political candidates and joint fundraising committees weeks before the midterm elections. The application asked the justices to set aside a 2-1 ruling issued Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th […]
Nonpartisan state Supreme Court elections are being put to the test in Montana
Montana’s voters are set to decide a ballot proposal that would enshrine nonpartisan judicial elections in the state constitution.
Supreme Court Will Review Dispute Over Records From Elon Musk’s DOGE
A nonprofit watchdog group sued the Department of Government Efficiency, asserting that it should be subject to federal Freedom of Information Act discovery requests.
Justice Kagan warns Supreme Court rulings are fueling polarization and undermining democracy
WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday said voting and elections decisions from her conservative Supreme Court colleagues have helped make the country more politically polarized and less democratic.
Supreme Court rebuffs Trump administration restrictions on medical care for transgender inmates
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow the Trump administration to immediately enforce new medical restrictions for transgender people in prison. The decision leaves in place a lower-court block on the policy.
Supreme Court sides with Trump administration in lawsuit seeking records on Elon Musk’s DOGE
The Trump administration argues that DOGE is exempt from FOIA’s requirements as a presidential advisory body.
Supreme Court rejects appeal over Michigan school ban on ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sweatshirts
The Supreme Court is rejecting an appeal from a Michigan woman challenging a school district’s ban on shirts with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon.” | KNSS Radio
Factbox-Top cases on the US Supreme Court's docket
Oct 19 (Reuters) - The US Supreme Court is hearing a series of important cases during its current nine-month term involving issues such as President Donald Trump's immigration policies, asylum,
New landmark study shows Illinois lawyers are in mental health crisis
There is an eye opening look at what can only be described as a mental health crisis among attorneys in the state, according to a first of its kind analysis commissioned by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Trump could face a new threat in January: A Democratic Senate
Republicans predict that Democrats will not confirm Supreme Court and Cabinet nominees if they retake the Senate in the midterm elections.
Tributes to Justice Melissa Hart
It was an extremely busy few weeks in court-related news, but the biggest and most unexpected development was the death of former state Supreme Court Justice Melissa Hart.
School politics class: How the Supreme Court greenlit America’s gerrymandering battle
US Supreme Court
Supreme Court may strike down school policies that limit Asian students
The court agreed to hear an appeal from parents in Montgomery County, Md., who were upset by a sharp drop in Asian students at its four magnet schools for gifted students.
A new Supreme Court term begins with cases on climate change, immigration and gun rights
The Supreme Court begins a new term Monday with significant cases on climate change, religious rights, and immigration | Newsradio 1140 WRVA
Justice Kagan says Supreme Court has damaged democracy with recent rulings
The liberal justice took aim at the conservative majority’s rulings on the Voting Rights Act, campaign finance and partisan gerrymandering.
Justice Elena Kagan accuses Supreme Court’s conservative majority of undermining democracy
The liberal justice took aim at various recent rulings, including one that paved the way for rampant partisan gerrymandering of legislative districts.
Supreme Court kicks off new term with major climate case
The Supreme Court returns for its new term on Monday, and oral arguments in a major case over the fate of a costly climate change lawsuit brought by Boulder County, Colorado, will kick off a term set to feature several blockbuster legal battles. Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County will decide whether a […]
Supreme Court recusals in spotlight as Alito drops from oil case
Justice Samuel Alito’s decision not to take part in a major climate change case because of his wife’s stock holdings is putting renewed focus on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recusal
Supreme Court to decide legality of federal ban on distilling liquor at home
Some Democrats don’t expect to fill a Supreme Court vacancy under Trump
Democrats need a net gain of four seats to capture the Senate. If so, they’d control what happens in a vacancy, as Justice Samuel Alito admits he’s thought about retirement.
Voters to decide if Montana judiciary needs to be more political
Initiative would preserve Montana’s nonpartisan judiciary in the state constitution following 2025 legislative attempts to change them.
Supreme Court says New Hampshire can limit use of student IDs for voting
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed New Hampshire officials to limit when voters may use a student ID to receive a ballot, agreeing that a lower court ruling that blocked enforcement of the policy was too close to Election Day.
Will NH Supreme Court scandal move voters? Democrats bet yes...
The resignation of New Hampshire’s chief justice is becoming a campaign issue, as Democrats press for action and experts question whether voters will make it a ...
Trump asks Supreme Court to revive his 2016 election lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
President Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court on Friday to wade into his years long legal battle with former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and ex-Justice Department officials over the 2016 election, appealing a case that a lower court concluded was “frivolous.”
Gwyneth Paltrow sets first lead TV role in The Apology
Gwyneth Paltrow's last major onscreen role was in the 2025 film, Marty Supreme.
Nonpartisan state Supreme Court elections are being put to the test in Montana
Montana’s voters are set to decide a ballot proposal that would enshrine nonpartisan judicial elections in the state constitution.
Gen Z politicians who want to make a change grapple with parties that aren’t always ready for them
Editor’s Note: This story is part of Gen Z at the Ballot Box, a collaboration between States Newsroom and The 19th. TOPEKA, Kan. — After state Rep. Angel Roeser defied her fellow Republicans and voted against their plan to ask voters to change the way Kansas Supreme Court justices are selected, members of her own […]
The Supreme Court sides with GOP again in political ad rates dispute
The ruling gives the FCC more time to review a policy that would extend discounted campaign ad rates to political committees.
After Callais ruling, plaintiffs now raise questions over Louisiana's 2nd District
The winners of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that led Louisiana to eliminate one of its two majority-Black congressional districts now have their eyes on the state’s remaining seat held by a Black lawmaker.
Supreme Court heads into new term with one eye on President Trump
When the Supreme Court kicks off a new term on Monday, it’ll be without a docket full of Trump-driven, separation-of-powers blockbusters that defined the last term — for now.
Supreme Court to Hear New Case on Race and School Admissions
The court’s decision to review an admissions policy for selective middle school programs in Maryland follows its rejection of affirmative action in higher education.
Can States Still Protect Public Health? The Risk of a Climate Regulatory Vacuum - Petrie-Flom Center
On Oct. 5, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that has the potential to greatly impact state and local municipalities’ ability to fight widespread threats to public and environmental health.
Climate Science Under Political Attack Reaches US Supreme Court
In 2018, local officials in Colorado sued oil companies in state court, charging that pollution from fossil fuels contributed to global warming and harmed
Supreme Court declines First Amendment case of students forced to remove ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sweatshirts
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a First Amendment appeal from two middle school students who were ordered to remove sweatshirts emblazoned with the words “Let’s Go Brandon,” steering clear of a case that could have clarified the power schools have to police potentially offense speech in the classroom.
Supreme Court passes on 'Let's Go Brandon' student speech case
A middle school said brothers couldn't wear "Let's Go Brandon" sweatshirts to class. They asked the Supreme Court to get involved.
Supreme Court’s conservatives have let down democracy, Justice Kagan says
Two weeks before the midterm elections, liberal Justice Elena Kagan bluntly sized up the Supreme Court handling of election and voting-related cases, saying, “The court has kind of blinded itself to the very deleterious effects of their rulings on how the political system works.”
Up the greasy pole of politics to the Supreme Court
The most expensive election for Supreme Court positions has also become the most partisan
Samuel Alito says that political attacks aimed at Supreme Court can be "quite damaging"
US Supreme Court orders another look at how Washington state political maps are drawn
Monday’s action will not affect next month’s election. But it could lead to the state’s legislative district boundaries changing before they’re next scheduled to be redrawn in 2031.
Alito says Supreme Court can’t stem rise of emergency appeals, 'not pleased' with Trump's rhetoric
The justice told The Associated Press in a rare interview that the rhetoric about the court from Trump and his administration doesn't sit well with him.
How to ban gerrymandering when the Supreme Court is stacked against you
What kind of redistricting reforms could actually survive contact with the Roberts Court?
Ahead of Midterms, Justice Kagan Says Rulings Have Intensified Polarization
The justice said during a discussion that recent Supreme Court decisions on voting rights, gerrymandering and campaign finance have deepened America’s divides.
An 8-justice Supreme Court to decide whether cities can sue oil companies for climate change impacts
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday in one of the most important climate change cases to reach its docket in years, a multibillion-dollar effort to hold major oil companies like ExxonMobil liable for the damages caused by planet-warming pollution.
Income tax looms as Ferguson appointee faces tax foe for WA Supreme Court
Justice Colleen Melody is a civil rights lawyer and former aide to Gov. Bob Ferguson. Her opponent, Scott Edwards, has tried to block progressive taxes.
US Supreme Court orders another look at how WA political maps are drawn
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday took action that could set the stage for another redrawing of Washington’s political maps.
Nonpartisan state Supreme Court elections are being put to the test in Montana
Montana’s voters are set to decide a ballot proposal that would enshrine nonpartisan judicial elections in the state constitution
Iran Warns of More Devastating Response to Any US-Israeli Aggression
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei warned that Iran’s Armed Forces have prepared a more devastating plan for any new military adventure than their response during the previous 12-day and 40-day US-Israeli wars of aggression.
US Supreme Court rejects music labels' challenge to copyright termination ruling
By Blake Brittain WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The US Supreme Court rejected on Monday a challenge by a group of music labels to a judicial decision that said a
Supreme Court says New Hampshire student IDs can’t be used to vote in November
The high court said a federal judge should not have changed the rules so close to the Nov. 3 election by blocking guidance issued by New Hampshire’ secretary of state.
Trump takes suit against Hillary Clinton over 2016 election to Supreme Court
Oct 9 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court on Friday to revive his dismissed lawsuit against his 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton accusing her of conspiring along with fo...
How the Midterms Could Complicate the Supreme Court’s New Term
Even before the justices start their new term on Monday, the court has spent the summer resolving fast-moving requests on election-related disputes.
Supreme Court rejects Roy Moore's push to restore $8.2M defamation verdict awarded to him
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Roy Moore’s push to restore an $8.2 million defamation verdict awarded to him over a 2017 Senate ad | KNSS Radio
Fifteenth Court of Appeals Holds the Texas Business Court’s “Qualified Transaction” Jurisdiction Extends to Any Claim With a But-For Connection to the Transaction
In re Joseph Beard, No. 15-26-00136-CV – Decided October 15, 2026 In a unanimous opinion, the Fifteenth Court of Appeals held that an action “aris out of t
Justice Kagan warns Supreme Court rulings are fueling polarization and undermining democracy
WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday said voting and elections decisions from her conservative Supreme Court colleagues have helped make the country
Amy Coney Barrett calls oil companies’ arguments ‘slippery’
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett criticized fossil fuel companies as “a little slippery” in oral arguments over a lawsuit in which oil majors claim that federal law blocks states from suing them for climate change-related damages. Her comment came in arguments Monday in the case Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, which […]
A new Supreme Court term begins with cases on climate change, immigration and gun rights
The Supreme Court begins a new term Monday with significant cases on climate change, religious rights, and immigration | News-Talk 1380 WAOK
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Los Angeles Business Owner’s Case Seeking Compensation After SWAT Team Destroyed Shop
WASHINGTON—Today, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear a Los Angeles small business owner’s lawsuit seeking compensation after a SWAT team destroyed his print […]
Letters: Retain Muñiz | Nixon will protect abuse survivors
Justice Muñiz keeps an open mind, listens to every party, and treats people with professionalism and kindness.
How the Midterms Could Complicate the Supreme Court’s New Term
Even before the justices start their new term on Monday, the court has spent the summer resolving fast-moving requests on election-related disputes.
Supreme Court rejects appeal over Michigan school's ban on ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sweatshirts
The Supreme Court is rejecting an appeal from a Michigan woman challenging a school district’s ban on shirts with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon.” | 830 WCCO
US Supreme Court again backs Republicans in clash over political ad rates
By John Kruzel WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The US Supreme Court again sided with Republicans on Wednesday in the latest clash over a new Federal Communications Commission policy that gives party
Supreme Court rejects Trump's order to end hormone treatments for transgender prisoners
The decision is a rare win for trans rights at the Supreme Court.
Justices grant Trump administration’s request to pause lower court ruling in political ad rate dispute
The Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for political parties and joint fundraising committees to continue to receive favorable advertising rates in the run-up to the 2026 election. In a five-…
Brazil: Lessons from a Disaster
By Antonio Martins (Outras Palavras) Defeats become deeper and more prolonged when we misunderstand what caused them, avoid correcting course, and embrace “solutions” that only compound our mistakes. Lula’s government and the Brazilian left suffered a disaster in Sunday’s election. Contrary to every poll, the president finished the first round 2.2 million votes behind Flávio Bolsonaro—and, more significantly, 3.4 million votes below his total four years ago, when the machinery of the state was working against him and in favor of his opponent. His vote share declined in 98 percent of Brazil’s municipalities. The PL, the main party of the far right, elected 121 deputies and 28 senators, becoming the largest caucus in both houses of Congress. The parties aligned with the Centrão—Brazil’s bloc of transactional center-right parties—were somewhat diminished, but will still hold roughly 250 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 in the Senate. That will make it easier to assemble the majorities needed to amend the Constitution or impeach Supreme Federal Court justices. If elected, Flávio Bolsonaro could appoint four members of the Court, substantially altering its internal balance of power. What produced these results? How can the far right be prevented from consolidating them into a prolonged political hegemony? And what is the essential change of direction the left now needs? Explaining the Disaster Across the commercial media and the exuberant chaos of digital platforms, interpretations are multiplying. Some focus on specific episodes: Lula’s absence from the Globo debate, his very close relationship with Alexandre de Moraes, or his emphasis on issues supposedly remote from most people’s everyday concerns, such as rare earth minerals. Among the more systemic interpretations, three seem especially questionable. One argues that the principal defeat was not the left’s, since its congressional representation declined only slightly. The decisive movement captured at the ballot box, according to this view, was a shift within the right itself—from the more moderate and transactional forces of the Centrão toward the more ideological and radicalized forces of the PL and Novo. A second interpretation holds that the nature of electoral and political processes has changed. The material interests and aspirations of society, it argues, no longer play the central role they once did; they have given way to forms of subjective self-identification that the left has yet to understand. And a third concludes that, because of these two developments, we should expect a political winter: a prolonged period in which the far right and the broader right dominate Brazilian political life. There are important elements in all three interpretations. The problem lies in what they deny or leave out: Lula’s third government was a small-bore government. It offered the majorities that elected it neither a clearly better life nor reasons to believe again in politics and its power to transform society. These failures flowed from two fatal accommodations, which I will examine below. As a result, the government suffered a slow but steady erosion of support. And, as has happened in so many Western countries, it gave the far right the opportunity to present itself as anti-system and to benefit from popular frustration and distress. The interpretation that emphasizes the migration of votes from the center-right and traditional right toward the far right has been advanced, among others, by the courageous journalist Leonardo Sakamoto. In his UOL column on Monday, October 5, he highlights the miserable behavior of the traditional conservative parties. Over the past four years, they repeatedly joined forces with the “neo”-fascists, helping to “normalize” them—a criticism that could equally be directed at almost the entire corporate media. Believing they could use the far right as a stepping stone, they instead ended up partly devoured by it. This was especially true in the Senate, where the PL’s gain of 13 senators and Novo’s gain of two came at the expense of the PSD, which lost nine; the MDB, which lost two; the PSDB, which lost two; and the PP, which lost one. Sakamoto’s observation is accurate and necessary, but it leaves uncomfortable questions unanswered. Why did the erosion of the Centrão benefit the far right rather than, for example, producing growth for the left—as has happened so many times before, both in Brazil and elsewhere? The answer is not difficult. Throughout its four years in office, Lula’s third government was almost invariably associated with the Centrão. Here lies its first accommodation: accepting the limits imposed by conservative institutions; avoiding, as much as possible, any attempt to strain those limits through popular pressure; and believing only in the modest changes that could be squeezed through openings in Congress. The failure of the campaign to end the six-day workweek is emblematic. Lula could have electrified the presidential race by pairing it with a popular campaign for passage of the measure. Instead, he chose to place his hopes in the hands of Senate president Rodrigo Alcolumbre. He generated no mass mobilization, did not force his opponents onto an uncomfortable defensive, and won no victory. In September 2025, the government squandered the greatest of its many opportunities to shake up conservative power in Congress. Popular opposition to the so-called Shielding Amendment—which, if approved, would have restricted criminal proceedings against members of Congress—brought crowds into the streets, mobilized primarily by artists and social movements. This opened the possibility for a broader political education: a campaign that could begin exposing the limits and dysfunctions of Brazil’s political system while putting Bolsonaro’s movement on the defensive for its predictable support of political privilege. The amendment was defeated. But the executive branch then backed away from the fight. It remained associated with an institutional world widely seen as corrupt, elitist, and indifferent to ordinary people’s struggles. In doing so, it forfeited its credibility as a vehicle for the protest vote. On Sunday, it reaped the bitter fruits. Are We Doomed? Taking a different approach from Sakamoto, the philosopher Moysés Pinto Neto and other writers have drawn attention, in their first analyses of October 4, to the fragmentation of the public sphere produced by Big Tech platforms. Through their algorithms, these platforms present each person with a different view of social reality. As a consequence, it becomes much harder to identify common material problems and demands—for example, the fight for labor rights or for a properly funded public health system. Voters no longer embrace such demands, these authors argue, because they no longer see themselves as part of a collective. Instead, they tend to value the identities assigned to them by neoliberal subjectivity—the role of the entrepreneur, for example. On this interpretation, the left’s possible error lies in clinging to outdated illusions. Moysés’s warning is highly relevant and resonates with arguments such as Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor’s “Apocalyptic Fascism and the Billionaires’ Bet.” Unlike a century ago, the far right no longer promises a radiant future. It concentrates instead on resentment—especially that of young men. “They belong to a generation that fears it may never own a home, but compensates with the pleasure it gets from constantly provoking progressives online. Convinced their future has been stolen, they share memes romanticizing historical authoritarian regimes,” the authors write. But Moysés seems to confuse this danger with inevitability. He fails to see that the left’s answer cannot be adaptation. On the contrary, it must strengthen the possibility of politics as collective action. Nor does he recognize that precisely such a reversal is already becoming possible in some of the most promising mobilizations of the twenty-first century: the election, at the end of 2025, of the young Muslim Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York, on a platform centered on the intensely material fight for an affordable city; the Left Party’s victory in Berlin two weeks ago, built around the demand to expropriate private real-estate corporations; and the very recent wave of demonstrations in Spain—including an occupation of Madrid’s Puerta del Sol—in which tens of thousands of young people mobilized by the Tenants’ Union have demanded limits on rents. By putting itself in the straitjacket of the “fiscal framework” in the first months of 2022, Lula’s third government adopted the second fatal accommodation of its term. Faced with conservative institutions and a country devastated by four years of Bolsonaro, increased public investment was the government’s remaining weapon for offering a more dignified life to the majority and forging an anti-conservative pact with them. The same state that disburses 1 trillion reais a year to enrich a small class of rentiers could instead spend money to extend the Family Health Strategy to every Brazilian, at a cost of 30 billion reais; provide full-day public schooling and childcare to all adolescents and children—and, especially, relief to their mothers; achieve universal sanitation while cleaning up polluted urban rivers; multiply metro systems; begin transforming the urban peripheries; and undertake many other urgently needed projects. In April 2023, an article in Outras Palavras warned that the fiscal framework could “shrink the Lula government and preserve the forces that condemn the country to inequality and regression.” A year later, another article showed that restraints on public spending were strangling policies vital to ordinary people and undermining the president’s popularity. In November 2024 came a reality check, in the form of the government’s humiliating defeat in the municipal elections. Even then, the fiscal lock was neither removed nor loosened. On the contrary: throughout the government’s four years, fiscal restraint remained central to its political narrative. The administration proudly proclaimed that it had “put the state’s accounts in order,” without grasping either how misleading that phrase was—given the payment of 1 trillion reais in interest—or how badly the message was hurting it politically. Lula finally woke up in September 2026. The increase in Bolsa Família benefits, after four years of being frozen; the announcement that anti-obesity drugs would be offered through Brazil’s public health system; and the ban on online betting showed that the state has the power to act decisively on behalf of the majority when those in government are willing to confront obstacles. The huge marches that closed the campaign in Fortaleza, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo on the eve of October 4 showed how such initiatives can mobilize activists and the broader public. But it was too late—and too little to change the outcome of the first round. History has not ended The possibility of a turnaround in the three weeks leading up to November 25 cannot be ruled out. It will not be simple or easy. Lula must not only make up a deficit of 2.2 million votes; he must also offset the movement of voters who backed other right-wing candidates in the first round, most of whom are likely to move toward Flávio Bolsonaro. Pulling that off will require a broad, grassroots effort to win over voters, potentially reinforced by new initiatives from Lula. The coming hours and days will be decisive. If Bolsonaro’s movement also wins the presidency, the result will create a high-risk situation for Brazilian sovereignty and democracy. The enormous challenges posed by such an outcome would require the left to reexamine, in depth and with a genuine willingness to engage in self-criticism, its political projects—or its lack of them—and its practices. But would that mean we are condemned to the long winter of far-right hegemony that some analyses are beginning to forecast? It is far too early to say, suggests a recent text by Álvaro García Linera, the thinker who served as vice president of Bolivia under Evo Morales. His central hypothesis is that this political current will prove short-lived. At a moment when the entire world is once again talking about sovereignty and protecting national economies, the far right offers a stale, recolonizing neoliberalism. Its submission to the United States is as blatant and pathetic as Flávio and Eduardo Bolsonaro’s overtures to Donald Trump. Its project amounts to something like every man for himself: greater inequality, capitalism without limits, devastation, and supremacism. Will it work? In the United States, just two years into his second term, Trump himself is reaching record levels of unpopularity and may be on the verge of losing Republican control of both the House and Senate in November. Every new beginning is difficult. Whatever the outcome of the second round, the defeats of October 4 show how profoundly the Brazilian left will have to rethink and rebuild. But just as it would be foolish to underestimate the seriousness of its mistakes, it would be equally foolish to conclude that rebuilding a political project is no longer possible. History has not ended. The times are moving faster than ever. Originally published in Portuguese by Outras Palavras. English translation by Eric Blanc; I’ve added the subtitles. More We can’t stop the far right at home or abroad without a revitalized labor movement, which is yet another reason why you should become a sustaining supporter of the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) — one of US labor’s pivotal bright spots. Relatedly, Jacobin published a short piece of mine reflecting on a decade of Bernie Sanders inspiring a whole new generation of young worker organizers.
Lancaster businesses remove skill games in days up to Supreme Court’s deadline
On Thursday afternoon, an employee of K&S Games wheeled three skill games out of House of Pizza in downtown Lancaster. The machines, which generated significant revenue for House of Pizza
Norman residents appeal OU arena TIF plan to Oklahoma Supreme Court
Opponents of Norman's new arena have taken their fight to the state's highest court, warning of \
Nonpartisan state Supreme Court elections are being put to the test in Montana
Montana’s voters are set to decide a ballot proposal that would enshrine nonpartisan judicial elections in the state constitution.
U.S. Supreme Court lets Hastings name change remain
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge by Serranus C. Hastings’ descendants to the removal of his name from San Francisco’s 148-year-old law school.
US Supreme Court Won't Speed up Democratic Challenge to FCC Political Ad Policy, for Now
By John Kruzel WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Siding with Republicans, the US Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Federal Communications Commission to avoid for now a judicially imposed deadline in a Democratic challenge to the agency's new political advertising policy. With November midterm ...
Supreme Court passes on Chicago parking-ticket case, but two justices sound alarm
The high court declined to hear a challenge to Chicago's policy of confiscating cars over unpaid parking tickets, but two justices raised serious constitutional concerns.
U.S. Supreme Court sides with transgender prisoners for now
The justices denied the administration’s emergency request to enforce restrictions on gender-affirming care in federal prisons.
John Turley: Who pays for American politics? (Opinion)
In January 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court issued one of the most consequential and controversial campaign-finance decisions in modern American history. In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Court
Whiskey rebellion over 1868 law on home distilleries heads to the Supreme Court
When John Ream got into brewing beer at home nearly two decades ago, starting out was as easy as opening the kit his wife bought for him as a gift.
US Supreme Court won't speed up Democratic challenge to FCC political ad policy, for now
Siding with Republicans, the US Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Federal Communications Commission to avoid for now a judicially imposed deadline in a Democratic challenge to the agency's new political advertising policy.
Kagan says supreme court conservatives have made US political system ‘a nightmare’
Liberal justice says recent decisions on redistricting and campaign finance have undermined democracy and polarized US even more
Two High Courts Grapple With Climate Accountability
Last week marked a watershed moment for climate accountability in two country’s highest courtrooms. In a landmark decision, the High Court of Australia ruled in favor of climate action in MACH Energy Australia v. Denman. Simultaneously, across the Pacific, the United States Supreme Court convened to
Samuel Alito's gift to Democrats
The justice's refusal to retire deprives Donald Trump of a Supreme Court vacancy ahead of likely blue midterm wave