Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is now the second longest-serving justice in history, overtaking someone who was nominated by President Abraham Lincoln. Thomas' tenure as of Thursday tops 34 years. The only justice with a longer tenure is William O. Douglas. Thomas will overtake Douglas in 2028 if he remains on the court — and there's no sign he plans to retire anytime soon. Thomas was confirmed in 1991 after contentious hearings that included sexual harassment allegations he denied. More recently, Thomas' acceptance of luxury trips has raised ethics questions. Thomas has nevertheless gone from near-silence at oral arguments to asking the first questions and penned a landmark ruling expanding Second Amendment rights.

The Supreme Court's conservative majority sounds skeptical of state laws that allow the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, a target of President Donald Trump. The court heard arguments Monday in a case from Mississippi that also could affect voters in 13 other states and the District of Columbia, which have grace periods for ballots cast by mail. An additional 15 states that have more forgiving deadlines for ballots from military and overseas voters also could be impacted. A ruling is expected by late June, early enough to govern the counting of ballots in the 2026 midterm congressional elections. The court challenge is part of Trump's broader attack on most mail balloting.

President Donald Trump will use his State of the Union speech to defend his agenda. On Tuesday, he returns to the House chamber days after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping tariff policy. Trump has blasted the justices who ruled against him. Some justices may skip the speech to avoid a confrontation. Democrats also plan a quieter approach after last year's signs and heckling. Some Democrats say they will not attend. Trump also faces voter anxiety about consumer prices and immigration enforcement.

The Supreme Court has opened its new term. The court Monday rejected more than 800 pending appeals, including a challenge by Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's imprisoned ex-girlfriend. In its first arguments, the court also appeared to be inclined to rule against a criminal defendant from Texas in a case about the constitutional right to a lawyer. A major thrust of the next 10 months is expected to be the justices' evaluation of President Donald Trump's claims of presidential power. Pivotal cases on voting and LGBTQ rights also are on the agenda. On Tuesday, the justices will hear arguments over bans passed by many states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.

The federal judiciary is warning that Congress is not providing enough money for judges' security, at a time of escalating threats and chilling efforts at intimidation. More than five dozen judges handling lawsuits against the Trump administration are receiving "enhanced online security screening" that typically includes scrubbing their personal information from the internet. That's according to two federal judges appointed by Republican presidents and writing in a letter on behalf of the judiciary in a letter to congressional appropriators. President Donald Trump, senior aide Stephen Miller and billionaire Elon Musk have railed at judges who have blocked parts of Trump's agenda, threatening impeachment and launching personal attacks.

A federal appeals court says it is "shocking" that The Trump administration claims it can't do anything to free Kilmar Abrego Garcia from an El Salvador prison and return him to the U.S. A three-judge panel from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday unanimously refused to suspend a judge's decision to order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her instruction to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return. Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, who was nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan, wrote that he and his two colleagues "cling to the hope that it is not naïve to believe our good brethren in the Executive Branch perceive the rule of law as vital to the American ethos."

Chief Justice John Roberts agreed Monday to pause a midnight deadline for the Trump administration to return a Maryland man mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. The administration appealed to the Supreme Court after a judge ordered the administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States by midnight. The administration has previously acknowledged he should not have been deported, but argued the government has no way to get him back from El Salvador.

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court for permission to resume deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law, while a court fight continues. The emergency appeal Friday follows a rejection of the Republican administration's plea to the federal appeals court in Washington. A panel of appellate judges left in place an order temporarily prohibiting the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. President Donald Trump invoked the law for the first time since World War II to justify the deportation of hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force. A lawyer representing the migrants calls use of the wartime authority "unlawful."

A federal appeals court won't lift an order barring the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law. A split three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a March 15 order temporarily prohibiting deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. President Donald Trump's administration has deported hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force. The Justice Department appealed after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg blocked more deportations and ordered planeloads of Venezuelan immigrants to return to the U.S. That did not happen.