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Nina Totenberg

@ninatotenberg.bsky.social

22K followers 11 following 45 posts

NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent

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Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · 1d

#SCOTUS Justice Anthony Kennedy, who stepped down from the court in 2018, earned a reputation as the court’s “swing justice,” bc his vote was so often determinative. But in an interview with NPR, he says, “ the cases swung, not me.”

www.npr.org/2025/09/27/n...

'The cases swung, not me': Ex-Justice Kennedy reflects on a changing Supreme Court

In an interview with NPR to be aired in October, Kennedy said he is "very worried" about America today.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · 1d

Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired from #SCOTUS in 2018, is worried about this country. In an NPR interview the Reagan appointee warns that “Democracy is not guaranteed to survive.”

www.npr.org/2025/10/13/n...

Former Supreme Court Justice Kennedy's new memoir is unusually revealing

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who stepped down from the court in 2018, has written a book about his life on the court and off. It's far more revealing than most books written by justices.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · 7d

#SCOTUS seems skeptical of limits on conversion therapy for minors during yesterday's oral arguments

www.npr.org/2025/10/07/n...

Supreme Court seems highly doubtful of limits on conversion therapy for minors

The court appeared ready to invalidate laws in some two dozen states that bar therapists from practicing a version of therapy that seeks to change a teenager's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · 20d

Humility is being the answer to a jeopardy question —for a second time—and none of the contestants knowing who you are

youtube.com/watch?v=AMeN...

@jeopardyofficial.bsky.social

Ari Shapiro on Listening | Category | JEOPARDY!

YouTube video by Jeopardy!

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · 22d

#SCOTUS upholds Trump firing of FTC Commissioner on shadow docket. Kagan dissents for 3 court libs. “Our emergency docket should not be used, as it has been here, to transfer govt authority from Congress to the Prez & thus to reshape the nation’s separation of powers.”

www.npr.org/2025/09/22/n...

Supreme Court allows Trump to fire -- for now -- remaining Democrat on FTC

At issue is whether the president has the authority to dismiss the heads of those agencies that are protected by Congress.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Sep 9

#SCOTUS agrees to hear Trump tariff case in November

www.npr.org/2025/09/09/n...

Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to some of Trump's sweeping tariffs

The tariffs have become a flashpoint, with two lower courts declaring them illegal, and the president asking the Supreme Court for reversal as soon as possible.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Sep 8

#SCOTUS opens the gates for ICE raids to restart in LA and temporarily bars the reinstatement of the sole remaining Democratic member of the FTC www.npr.org/2025/09/08/n...

Supreme Court okays ICE raids in LA and the firing of an FTC member

The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to resume immigration raids in Los Angeles. Chief Justice John Roberts also temporarily barred lower courts from reinstating a member of the FTC.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Sep 3

Trump won most of last term’s #SCOTUS cases, but most were on Shadow Docket and temporary. Now the chickens are coming home to roost & we will see what the court thinks on a truckload of cases it can no longer kick down the road.
www.npr.org/2025/09/03/n...

Trump administration policies make their way to the Supreme Court

From tariffs to the use of the National Guard in states and the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans -- many of the Trump administration's policies are winding their way to the Supreme Court.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jul 24

#SCOTUS: In two days, two more unsigned court orders on emergency docket. Only one directly involved granting a Trump wish. www.npr.org/2025/07/24/g...

www.npr.org/2025/07/23/n...

Supreme Court blocks rule that blocks Voting Rights Act for now

The order guarantees voters, at least for now, the ability to sue to enforce rights guaranteed under the landmark 1965 law.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jul 9

#SCOTUS blocks Florida's law banning undocumented people from crossing into the state. www.npr.org/2025/07/09/n...

Supreme Court blocks part of Florida's immigration law

Immigrant rights organizations sued the state arguing that its new law conflicts with federal immigration law, and under longstanding Supreme Court precedent, states must bow to federal law in the eve...

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jul 8

#SupremeCourt upholds, for now, Trump plan for major govt reorg that would kill many programs authorized by congress and eliminate hundreds of thousands of federal jobs. www.npr.org/2025/07/08/n...

Supreme Court allows Trump to resume mass federal layoffs for now

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was appointed to the court by President Biden, dissented.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jul 3

#SCOTUS agrees to review two cases next term testing state laws banning transgender girls and women from women's sports.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jul 1

At the #SupremeCourt it's all over, but it's not. www.npr.org/2025/06/30/n...

The Supreme Court has created an endless summer of work for itself

The court closed its latest term on Friday, but it will still be working on a steady stream of emergency appeals in the coming weeks and months.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 27

#SCOTUS rules for Trump in birthright citizenship case, except it doesn't. www.npr.org/2025/06/27/n...

Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions in birthright citizenship order

The decision issues some limits on the power of federal judges to universally block President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship, asking lower courts to reconsider their rulings.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 26

#SCOTUS Dark times for Planned Parenthood. www.npr.org/2025/06/26/n...

Supreme Court upholds South Carolina's ban on Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood

The Supreme Court allowed South Carolina to remove Planned Parenthood clinics from its state Medicaid program, even though Medicaid funds cannot generally be used to fund abortions.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 26

The "supreme irony" of today's Supreme Court Planned Parenthood decision

NPR @npr.org · Jun 26

BREAKING NEWS: The Supreme Court allowed South Carolina to remove Planned Parenthood clinics from its state Medicaid program, even though Medicaid funds cannot generally be used to fund abortions.

Supreme Court upholds South Carolina's ban on Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood

The Supreme Court allowed South Carolina to remove Planned Parenthood clinics from its state Medicaid program, even though Medicaid funds cannot generally be used to fund abortions.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 25

#SCOTUS prequel on @whyy.org whyy.org/episodes/sco...

US Supreme Court to make decisions before end of term - WHYY

As the court nears summer recess, some of its biggest cases, like birthright citizenship, age verification for online pornography, religious opt-outs in schools, remain. We’ll preview those and discus...

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 23

#SCOTUS in unsigned, unexplained order allows Trump admin to deport individuals not to countries where they come from, but to any place in the world that will take them w/o notice or an option to be heard. www.npr.org/2025/06/23/g...

U.S. Supreme Court allows -- for now -- third-country deportations

A federal judge had previously said people must get at least 15 days to challenge their deportations to countries they're not originally from.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 18

CJ Roberts, writing for conservative supermajority, upholds bans on gender affirming care for minors in roughly half the states. Sotomayor suggests the standard he used would have upheld state bans on interracial marriage.

NPR @npr.org · Jun 18

JUST IN: The Supreme Court upholds Tennessee law that bars gender-affirming care for minors.

Supreme Court upholds Tennessee law that bars gender-affirming care for minors

At issue was a Tenneessee law that bars minors from accessing gender-affirming care as they transition from their sex assigned at birth.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 16

#CrunchTime at the Supreme Court with one third of the docket remaining to be decided
www.npr.org/2025/06/16/n...

Supreme Court faces new headwinds with roughly two weeks left in the term

Some 20 cases remain to be decided—about a third of the total argued cases--many of them the most important of the term. But the shadow docket — with its own list of cases — looms over the other opini...

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 12

#SCOTUS unanimously rules for a disabled Minn. teenager denied equal school time to accommodate her disabilities.
www.npr.org/2025/06/12/n...

Unanimous Supreme Court makes it easier to sue schools in disability cases

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the unanimous opinion, with Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writing se...

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 11

#SCOTUS press corps waits in vain for a reply from chief justice on live streaming opinion announcements from the bench.

www.npr.org/2025/06/11/n...

Supreme Court press corps asks chief justice to live-stream court's opinions

The press corps' letter was sent to the chief justice a year ago, but there has been no response.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 11

#SCOTUS now livestreams oral arguments but still resists same for opinion announcements.

NPR @npr.org · Jun 11

The press corps' letter was sent to the chief justice a year ago, but there has been no response.

Supreme Court press corps asks chief justice to live-stream court's opinions

The press corps' letter was sent to the chief justice a year ago, but there has been no response.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 6

#SCOTUS grants DOGE access to Social Security Administration records over Jackson Dissent. Jackson: "once again this Court dons its emergency responder gear, rushes to the scene, and uses its equitable power to fan the flames rather than extinguish them."

www.npr.org/2025/06/06/n...

Supreme Court grants DOGE access to confidential Social Security records

The order, for now, overturns actions that limited DOGE's access to sensitive private information. In a separate case, the court said DOGE did not have to share internal records with a watchdog group.

Nina Totenberg @ninatotenberg.bsky.social · Jun 6

#SCOTUS issues emergency order, for now, giving DOGE team unfettered access to intensely personal social security records.

NPR @npr.org · Jun 6

JUST IN: The order, for now, overturns actions that limited DOGE's access to sensitive private information. In a separate case, the court said DOGE did not have to share internal records with a watchdog group.

Supreme Court grants DOGE access to confidential Social Security records

The order, for now, overturns actions that limited DOGE's access to sensitive private information. In a separate case, the court said DOGE did not have to share internal records with a watchdog group.