The Supreme Court upholds free preventive care, but its future now rests in RFK Jr.’s hands

The justices ruled that a key preventive health task force has authority because it is appointed by the Health and Human Services secretary. Some experts worry that RFK Jr. could politicize it.

Kristefer Stojanovski, Assistant Professor of Social, Behavioral and Population Sciences, Tulane University • conversation
July 2, 2025 ~9 min

Supreme Court upholds childproofing porn sites

Kids face risks online, but whether and how the law can protect them is a thorny issue. The Supreme Court weighed in to say states can try with age-gating – essentially requiring ID at the online door.

Meg Leta Jones, Associate Professor of Technology Law & Policy, Georgetown University • conversation
June 27, 2025 ~8 min


Supreme Court rules that states may deny people covered by Medicaid the freedom to choose Planned Parenthood as their health care provider

The ruling limits the rights of Medicaid patients to choose their own health care provider. It could have consequences far beyond South Carolina.

Sonia Suter, Professor of Law, George Washington University • conversation
June 27, 2025 ~10 min

3 years after abortion rights were overturned, contraception access is at risk

Increasing limits on abortion are boosting demand for contraception. But access to family planning is shrinking in many states, and access to highly effective forms of contraception is at risk.

Carol S. Weisman, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Public Health Sciences, Penn State • conversation
June 23, 2025 ~9 min

Supreme Court changes the game on federal environmental reviews

For lawyers, industry, advocates and the courts, environmental review after the Eagle County decision is not just a new ballgame. It is a new sport.

J.B. Ruhl, Professor of Law, Director, Program on Law and Innovation, and Co-director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program, Vanderbilt University • conversation
June 3, 2025 ~11 min

Despite Supreme Court setback, children’s lawsuits against climate change continue

Dating back centuries, a legal principle declares certain natural resources must be protected by the government for present and future generations to benefit from.

Alexandra Klass, James G. Degnan Professor of Law, University of Michigan • conversation
May 2, 2025 ~10 min

Stripping federal protection for clean water harms just about everyone, especially already vulnerable communities

These aren’t abstract problems. They’re happening right now, in real communities, to real people.

Jeremy Orr, Adjunct Professor of Law, Michigan State University • conversation
April 22, 2025 ~9 min

Federal laws don’t ban rollbacks of environmental protection, but they don’t make it easy

Some restrictions prevent loosening of existing environmental standards for clean air and water. Other rules can be changed – though only through a challenging and multistep democratic process.

Stan Meiburg, Executive Director, Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability, Wake Forest University • conversation
April 21, 2025 ~10 min


Lawsuits seeking to address climate change have promise but face uncertain future

In the battle to slow climate change, local and state governments, as well as citizens, have taken to the courts. Their results have varied, but the cases keep coming.

Hannah Wiseman, Professor of Law, Penn State • conversation
April 18, 2025 ~11 min

How and where is nuclear waste stored in the US?

The decades-long struggle to find a permanent place to dispose of nuclear waste will continue, probably for many years to come.

Gerald Frankel, Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University • conversation
April 14, 2025 ~8 min

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