Recent supreme court decisions

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has exempted Reliance Communications chairman Anil Ambani from personally being present in the top court in a contempt case filed against him by Ericsson over unpaid dues worth Rs 550 crores. A bench comprising Justices R.F. Nariman and Vineet Sharan had on Monday said in open court that they would not exempt Anil Ambani from personally appearing in court. But in a written order that is available now, the court has exempted him from appearing at the next date of hearing. "Personal appearance" dispensed with, the order says. Court orders as they are dictated in open court are usually in line with orders later vetted, signed and made public. But sometimes, judges after discussions, do change the order as they deem fit. This is rare but not unusual in judicial annals. Justice Nariman had said he would not dispense with the requirement under law that requires a person to be personally present in court when a contempt plea was being heard … [Read more...] about Reliance Communications chairman need not appear for contempt case hearing, says Supreme Court

A group opposed to Harvard’s affirmative action policy asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to take up its lawsuit challenging the use of race in higher education admissions decisions. The conservative-backed group Students for Fair Admissions urged the justices to hear its appeal in a suit alleging that Harvard’s policy illegally discriminates against Asian American applicants. If the 6-3 conservative court agrees to hear the case, it could tee up a landmark showdown over whether colleges can promote on-campus diversity by considering the racial makeup of its student body. ADVERTISEMENT In its petition, Students for Fair Admissions asks the court to overturn Grutter v. Bollinger, a 2003 decision in which the Supreme Court upheld the right of college admissions boards to factor in applicants’ race in order to benefit minority groups and enhance diversity. “Grutter’s core holding — that universities can use race in admissions to pursue student-body diversity — is plainly … [Read more...] about Supreme Court asked to hear challenge to Harvard’s race-based admissions policy

WASHINGTON - In a significant defeat for former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to step in to halt the turnover of his tax records to a New York prosecutor. The court's action is the apparent culmination of a lengthy legal battle that had already reached the high court once before. Trump's tax records are not supposed to become public as part of prosecutor's criminal investigation, but the high court's action is a blow to Trump because he has for so long fought on so many fronts to keep his tax records shielded from view. The ongoing investigation the records are part of could also become an issue for Trump in his life after the presidency. Trump has called it "a fishing expedition" and "a continuation of the witch hunt — the greatest witch hunt in history." The Supreme Court waited months to act in the case. The last of the written briefs in the case was filed Oct. 19. But a court that includes three Trump appointees waited through the election, … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Will Not Halt Trump Tax Record Turnover

close Video Biden sets up commission to study Supreme Court 'reforms' Fox News contributors Marc Thiessen and Ari Fleischer argue whether 'reform' means 'court-packing', on 'The Story' Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas, on Thursday reintroduced legislation designed to preserve the independence of the Supreme Court , including a constitutional amendment that would require the Court be comprised of nine justices. The constitutional amendment has drawn support from a range of Republican cosponsors including Republican Sens. Mike Braun of Indiana, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Marco Rubio of Florida, Todd Young of Indiana and Rick Scott of Florida. The second proposal would prevent the congressional passage of legislation to add more justices to the high court. "As my Democrat colleagues brazenly discuss expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court, this legislation and constitutional amendment ensures we prevent either party from wielding the … [Read more...] about Ted Cruz introduces measures to prevent expansion of Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Reliance Communications ’ ( RCom ) plea for more time to pay Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson , dealing a big blow to the debt-ridden company, which could now be dragged back into insolvency proceedings. RCom now needs to pay Ericsson Rs 550 crore by December 15, failing which the insolvency order against the company will be revived, said senior advocate Anil Kher who represented Ericsson. The Swedish firm would then also revive its contempt of court plea against RCom chairman Anil Ambani who has given a personal guarantee for a timely payment to the equipment maker. “RCom on Thursday prayed for additional time saying that the telecom department is yet to grant the no objection certificate (NOC), which had led to the delays. However, we pointed out that this was the operator’s last opportunity to pay Ericsson and the apex court had in its previous order made it clear that there would be no further extensions,” said Kher. If … [Read more...] about Supreme Court dismisses RCom’s plea for more time to pay Ericsson dues