Supreme Court Conservatives Reward Powerful with More Power - Alliance for Justice

Supreme Court Conservatives Reward Powerful with More Power

Press Release

Issues

Environment, Executive Power & Civil Liberties, Persons With Disabilities


Press Contact


Zack Ford
[email protected]
202-464-7370

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 20, 2025 – This morning, the Supreme Court issued six new opinions, and a prevalent theme from the conservative majority was handing those with power even more power while gutting legal protections for those most vulnerable.

In FDA v. R.J. Reymolds Vapor Co., the Court made it easier for tobacco companies to sue the FDA when it does not approve its products. Now, even simple retailers can sue if they think they might profit from selling such products, regardless of their impact on people’s health. This is likely to allow the tobacco companies to forum-shop their cases to the ultra-conservative Fifth Circuit, where they are more likely to succeed.

In McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates, Inc. v. McKesson Corp., the Court continued its campaign against federal agencies, formalized in last year’s Loper Bright decision, by ensuring lower courts are not bound by how an agency interprets the laws it enforces. As Justice Kagan noted in dissent, this will allow an end-run around enforcement of the many rules that protect our health and well-being and “undermine the stability and efficacy of administrative programs.”

In Diamond Alternative Energy, LLC v. EPA, the Court made it easier for fuel producers to challenge the EPA on California’s vehicle emissions regulations. As Justice Jackson explained in her dissent: “This case gives fodder to the unfortunate perception that moneyed interests enjoy an easier road to relief in this Court than ordinary citizens.”

And in Stanley v. City of Stanford, the Court undermined the Americans with Disabilities Act by ruling that a retiree could not sue over a change in the retirement benefits she rightfully earned simply because she was no longer a current employee. In a particularly fiery rebuke, Justice Jackson noted in her dissent that the conservative majority appears to have a penchant for “finding” exactly the answers it wants in ambiguous language to secure its desired outcome, regardless of what Congress actually intended.

Alliance for Justice President Rachel Rossi issued the following statement:

“The Supreme Court’s conservative majority is, as ever, dedicated to warping the law to ensure that the richest and most powerful forces in our country can get their way at the expense of the rest of us. The liberal justices have taken to calling out this practice repeatedly in their dissents, highlighting how the majority gaslights us by ignoring clear readings of the laws. It is beyond troubling to see this Court strip retirement benefits from a disabled firefighter after the fact and to weaken critical regulations that protect our health and wellbeing. As we face so many other threats to our basic way of life, we must not lose sight of an unethical Supreme Court whose justices frequently benefit from serving up more victories for their rich friends. We will continue to fight to prevent those in power from abusing that power — including the justices of the Supreme Court.”