Two Decisions Delivered Today

By Lottie Watts

The Supreme Court delivered two decisions from the bench today.

They read opinions in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board and in Planned Parenthood v. Rounds. Both were 5-4 decisions.

In Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, the justices decided in favor of the petitioner, represented by Brett Pugach, and struck down a voter identification law in Indiana. Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion and was joined by Justice Breyer, Justice Stevens, Justice Ginsberg and Justice Souter.

The statute placed an undue burden on voters, Justice Kennedy said.

In dissent, Justice Alito said that he voted in favor of the state’s rights.

In Planned Parenthood v. Rounds, Justice Breyer wrote the opinion and was joined by Justice Kennedy, Justice Stevens, Justice Ginsberg and Justice Souter. The decision was in favor of the respondent, represented by Marlene Goldenberg, and declared § 7 of South Dakota House 1166 as unconstitutional. Thus, the court upheld the judgment of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Compelled speech is prohibited under the first amendment,” Breyer said.

Breyer said that the statement that the fetus is a whole and separate being is ideological and declared the entirety of the South Dakota statue to be unconstitutional.

In dissent, Scalia said that the decision ignored precedent and that the decision in Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and that the court should make all efforts to correct it.

The remaining decisions, Boumediene v. Bush and Medellin v. Texas, will be delivered from the bench Thursday.