In a highly charged session, the U.S. Supreme Court has witnessed a series of notable events, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson delivering oral dissents from the bench. On June 27, 2024, Chief Justice John Roberts presided over the courtroom, with all justices present.
Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the court’s opinions in Ohio v. Environmental Protection Agency and Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, providing succinct summaries owing to the complex nature of the cases. Chief Justice Roberts followed with the opinion in Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, explaining the entitlement to a jury trial under the Seventh Amendment for securities fraud defendants.
In a pointed dissent, Justice Sotomayor criticized the majority decision, asserting that it undermines the proper functioning of government. She emphasized that “Do not mistake judicial hubris with the protection of individual rights,” specifically calling out the court’s failure to act as a neutral arbiter. Joining her dissent were Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Justice Jackson, delivering her first oral dissent, condemned the court’s ruling regarding the emergency abortion care cases in Idaho v. United States. She argued that delaying a decision puts pregnant individuals in precarious situations, criticizing the court for its inaction.
Chief Justice Roberts brought the session to a close without specifying if the next day would be the court’s last opinion day. However, an informal announcement later added Monday, July 1, as another scheduled opinion day, though the final date remains undetermined.
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