Topic: John Roberts (Chief Justice)

Sotomayor hearings begin with debate over judges' role

Senators drew the battle lines early in confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court nominee.

Chief Justice John Roberts, film critic?

After 19 years, Souter and the Supreme Court part, with poetry

As the New Englander retires, he and Chief Justice John Roberts exchange warm letters of farewell – and a few verses of Robert Frost.

Supreme Court strikes a compromise to save landmark voting law

Civil rights activists praise the court for not throwing out a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Supreme Court: More districts can sue to bail out of Voting Rights Act

The court did not strike down the law Monday, as some experts had expected, but it opened the door for jurisdictions to free themselves from one of the act's key provisions.

Supreme Court to convicts: No constitutional right to DNA testing

Conservative majority opinion limits prisoners’ chances to prove innocence.

Convicts have no constitutional right of access to DNA evidence, Supreme Court says

In a 5-4 decision involving a rape case in Alaska, the court leaves the issue to states.

GOP's new Sotomayor strategy: Attack Obama

As a senator, Obama voted against Justices Roberts and Alito on the basis of their ideology, Republicans say. Why can't we do the same? they ask.

Supreme Court: Judges must step aside when there's perception of bias

The 5-to-4 decision, involving a justice on the West Virginia Supreme Court, establishes a broad, new constitutional standard.

Opinion: Flags of caution over Sotomayor

Does she really think a judge can't be objective?

Obama picks first Hispanic Supreme Court justice

In nominating Sonia Sotomayor, the president cited both her judicial experience and her compelling personal story.

Opinion: The emptiness of Obama's pragmatism

Policy devoid of clear ethical theory creates a nation without principle, and a nation without principle is a nation on stilts.

Court ruling could protect top Bush officials from terror lawsuits

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a suit holding FBI Director Robert Mueller and former Attorney General John Ashcroft responsible for wrongful detention of Muslims after 9/11.

Classic review: The Nine

Jeffrey Toobin examines the nine personalities that sit on the nation's highest court.

Supreme Court weighs fairness of landmark voting rights law

Justices heard arguments Wednesday about whether a provision of the Voting Rights Act unfairly discriminates against jurisdictions in 16 states.

Supreme Court disappoints a bumbling bank robber

His mandatory sentence for a gun crime applies, justices find, though the weapon discharged by accident.

Supreme Court backs FCC crackdown on swearing on television

In a 5-to-4 ruling, the top court upheld the regulator's 2004 decision to hold broadcasters liable for the occasional expletive.

Reverse-discrimination case splits Supreme Court

Justice Kennedy appears to be the tiebreaking vote on whether New Haven, Conn., discriminated against white firefighters.

Top court clips police authority to search cars

Supreme Court limits warrantless police searches to instances when an officer or evidence is in danger.

'Regular Joe' plays a key White House role

As vice president, Biden is yin to Obama’s yang. But he’s definitely no Cheney.

Federal judges take their own case to court – for more pay

The Constitution bars Congress from reducing a judge’s pay. But Congress has excluded judges from receiving promised inflation adjustments in six of the past 16 years.

US Supreme Court holds to narrow interpretation of the Voting Rights Act

Critics say the ruling on 'crossover' districts could reduce the political clout of minorities.

High Court sides with musician in ruling against drug company

In a case involving a professional guitarist who lost an arm when injected with an antinausea drug, the justices said state consumer protections can go beyond federal regulations.

Roberts, Obama, and the myth of the 'split verb'

An errant adverb on the Capitol steps makes news

Biden to Chief Justice Roberts: I'm sorry