Supreme Court Vacates Bannon Conviction, Rules on Conversion Therapy in Major Week of Decisions

The US Supreme Court vacated an appellate ruling upholding Steve Bannon's contempt of Congress conviction on Monday, remanding the case to the DC Circuit for consideration of the DOJ's pending motion to dismiss the charges, potentially clearing the former Trump strategist after he served four months in prison last year. This move highlights ongoing tensions over executive branch authority in prosecutions tied to congressional probes. Shifting to a controversial ruling, the Court sided 8-1 with therapist Kaley Chiles in Chiles v. Salazar last Tuesday, striking down Colorado's ban on conversion therapy practices as a violation of free speech and professional rights, despite widespread medical condemnation of the approach—a decision critics say undermines state regulation of harmful medical practices and echoes past precedents on patient safety. On a lighter note, Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke to about 1,700 listeners at the University of Kansas' Lied Center on Tuesday evening, urging courage to change bad laws through people power and protests, emphasizing that policies are made and unmade by citizens unafraid to act. Meanwhile, oral arguments continue shaping debates, like reflections on the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause not being frozen in 1868 amber but adaptable to modern contexts, such as exclusions for children of temporary or unlawful visitors. Today, the Court faces a new emergency request to block Ohio election officials from actions in a voting dispute. In related state news, Chris Taylor won election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, a victory celebrated by the ACLU of Wisconsin for bolstering abortion access and voting rights protections. Thanks for tuning in, listeners—please subscribe for more updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.