As the dawn of the New Year approaches, the Supreme Court is gearing up to preside over a series of significant cases.
Among these are cases concerning the popular social media platform TikTok, age verification for adult websites, and the allocation of taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood.
According to Conservative Daily News, the Supreme Court's previous term was marked by landmark rulings on presidential immunity, the administrative state, attempts to exclude President-elect Donald Trump from 2024 state ballots, and government involvement in censorship. Although the upcoming cases may not have the same broad implications, they will nonetheless address several contentious issues in 2025.
Early in the year, the justices will deliberate on a law that could potentially outlaw TikTok nationwide. In mid-December, TikTok submitted an emergency application, imploring the court to suspend the law. This law mandates that ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, divest from the platform or face a ban effective from January 19.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an amicus brief, stated that the Chinese Communist Party's direct control over the app constitutes a "clear national-security threat." He further explained that the law aims to prevent the "mining of American data and deployment of subversive enemy propaganda through algorithmic curation."
TikTok, on the other hand, contended in its filing that the law would "shutter one of America's most popular speech platforms the day before a presidential inauguration." The justices have scheduled oral arguments for the case on January 10, with Trump urging them in a Friday filing to prevent the law from taking effect.
Another pivotal case slated for January 15 examines laws enacted in 19 states that necessitate age verification for accessing online adult content. The Free Speech Coalition, an advocacy group representing online adult content distributors, argues that the law also hinders adults' access to "constitutionally protected expression."
In response to the law, PornHub, a major adult content platform, completely blocked access to its website in Texas in March. A study by Common Sense Media reveals that most children today encounter pornography by the age of 13, often inadvertently and sometimes involving violent content.
In another case, Catholic Charities' request for a religious exemption to opt out of Wisconsins unemployment program and enroll in the Wisconsin Bishops Church Unemployment Pay Program (CUPP) was denied. The organization argued in its petition that the state court's ruling "forces agencies and courts to second-guess the religious decisions of religious bodies." The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in early December, with proceedings likely to take place in the spring.
The question of whether states can limit Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood is also on the spring docket. In 2018, Planned Parenthood and a patient sued South Carolina over its decision to exclude abortion providers from receiving Medicaid funds for family planning services. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Planned Parenthood in March.
John Bursch, Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), stated after the case was granted that "taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund facilities that make a profit off abortion." He further argued that "pro-life states like South Carolina should be free to determine that Planned Parenthood and other entities that peddle abortion are not qualified to receive taxpayer funding through Medicaid."
By July, the Supreme Court will issue rulings on cases it has already heard, including the Biden administrations "ghost guns" rule and the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) refusal to approve flavored e-cigarettes. In December, the court heard arguments for a major case challenging Tennessees ban on sex change procedures for minors, a ruling that will affect similar laws in nearly half of the states.
Login