⚖️ Judicial Branch |
Supreme Court Opinions |
-
In the case of Delligatti v. United States, the Supreme Court decided whether causing harm or death by not acting (like not helping someone in danger) counts as using physical force in a crime. The Court ruled 7-2 that it does count as using physical force, meaning that if someone causes harm by not acting, they can still face serious charges. Justices Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, and Barrett agreed with this decision, while Justices Gorsuch and Jackson disagreed. The majority explained that intentionally causing harm, even by doing nothing, still involves using force against another person. The dissenting opinion argued that the law should only apply to actions, not inactions, and that the law’s wording does not support including omissions. This ruling means that future cases could hold people accountable for serious crimes even if they didn’t directly harm someone but instead failed to act when they had a duty to help. Read full document →
-
In the case of Thompson v. United States, the Supreme Court decided whether a law that says you can’t make false statements to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) also includes statements that are misleading but true. The Court ruled 9-0 that the law only covers statements that are actually false, not just misleading. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the main opinion, and Justices Alito and Jackson agreed but added their own thoughts. This decision means that in the future, people can only be charged under this law if their statements are proven to be false, not just misleading. The Court explained that “false” means “not true,” and they pointed out that other laws use the word “misleading” when they want to include those types of statements. This ruling will affect how similar cases are handled in the future, making it harder to convict someone for statements that are misleading but not outright false. Read full document →
|
|
|
