The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear several important cases in the new year, including cases related to TikTok, age verification on pornographic websites, and taxpayer funding for family planning.
The Supreme Court has issued major decisions this past semester, including on presidential immunity, the administrative state, efforts to remove President-elect Donald Trump from state ballots in 2024, and the entanglement of government censorship. Although the cases scheduled for next year are not as far-reaching, the justices are expected to rule on several high-profile issues as early as 2025.
Nationwide TikTok ban
Early in the new year, justices are expected to consider legislation that would ban the popular social media platform nationwide. TikTok has declared a state of emergency. application In mid-December, it asked its Chinese parent company ByteDance to suspend legislation that would force it to withdraw from the platform or face a Jan. 19 ban.
in court easySenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote that the Chinese Communist Party’s direct control of apps poses a “clear national security threat” and that the legislation would “mine American data through algorithmic curation.” and the deployment of destructive enemy propaganda.
But TikTok argued in its filing that the law would “shut down one of America’s most popular speech platforms the day before the presidential inauguration.”
The justices quickly set oral arguments in the case for Jan. 10, but President Trump asked the justices in a filing Friday to block the law from taking effect.
In President Trump’s brief to SCOTUS seeking an indefinite extension of the TikTok ban, Trump warns of grave risks to free speech by allowing the U.S. government to ban social media platforms. He said there was a danger of turning the United States into Brazil, where judges simply ban all opinions and opinions. People they want. 🇺🇸🇧🇷 https://t.co/zLCOYqpYp5 pic.twitter.com/LYELmpRvW2
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 30, 2024
How to check age in porn
The law will be put to the test in another major case going to trial on January 15th. passed 19 states require age verification to access online pornography. The Texas law directly at issue in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton requires websites that publish “sexual content that is harmful to minors” to verify that users are 18 years of age or older. It is mandatory.
The Free Speech Coalition, an advocacy group representing online porn distributors, claim The law also impedes adults’ ability to engage in “constitutionally protected expression.” (Related: Former addict explains why porn consumption is epidemic)
In March, Pornhub completely disabled access to its Texas website in response to the law.
Most children today have been exposed to pornography by the age of 13, and many report being exposed to violent pornography. According to According to research from Common Sense Media. Teens are often accidentally exposed to online pornography.
3 totally shocking facts about the porn industry and all the harm it causes 🧵
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 25, 2024
Religious tax exemption
Catholic Charities’ application for a religious exemption to opt out of Wisconsin’s unemployment program and enroll in the Episcopal Church of Wisconsin Unemployment Benefits Program (CUPP) was denied. Wisconsin Supreme Court supported The decision found that Catholic Charities’ work with the poor was not a “typical” religious activity.
The state court’s ruling “forces government agencies and courts to reconsider the religious decisions of religious groups,” Catholic Charities argued in its paper. petition.
supreme court agreed The lawsuit is expected to be filed in early December, and will likely be heard in the spring. (Related: SCOTUS conservatives appear ready to support ban on child gender reassignment, but justice is the only wild card)
Defunding planned child support
The state’s ability to restrict Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood will be considered this spring.
In 2018, family planning systems and patients sued South Carolina over the state’s decision to exclude abortion providers from receiving Medicaid funds for family planning services.
Planned Parenthood organizations maintain that Medicaid recipients have the “right to choose to receive health care from qualified and willing health care providers.” The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Planned Parenthood Act in March.
“Taxpayer dollars should never be spent on facilities that profit from abortion,” wrote John Bursch, senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). statement After the suit is admitted. “Pro-life states like South Carolina should be free to decide that Planned Parenthood and other organizations that promote abortion are not eligible to receive taxpayer funds through Medicaid.”
Other notable decisions
The Supreme Court is expected to rule by July on cases it has already heard, including the Biden administration’s “ghost gun” rule and the Food and Drug Administration’s refusal to approve flavored e-cigarettes.
In December, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a major case challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender reassignment procedures for minors, which would affect similar laws in nearly half of the states. It will be.
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