The Supreme Court will soon hear cases on social media censorship, gun control and abortion

By Kelsey Dallas

At the halfway point of its current term, the Supreme Court has several blockbuster argument sessions in its rearview mirror, including a battle over former President Donald Trump’s right to appear on 2024 ballots.

But some of the biggest debates are yet to come as the justices barrel toward their traditional June 30 deadline for releasing opinions.

In the weeks ahead, the court will consider censorship on sites like Facebook, FDA guidelines for an abortion-inducing pill and a number of other thorny issues.

Here’s what you need to know about the most notable cases on the Supreme Court’s schedule for February and March:

Ohio v. EPA

Consolidated with: Kinder Morgan v. EPA; American Forest & Paper v. EPA; U.S. Steel Corp. v. EPA.

Oral arguments: Wednesday, Feb. 21.

Key question: Can the Environmental Protection Agency implement its plan to reduce ozone pollution while lawsuits challenging it play out?

Lower court rulings: Lower courts have not yet ruled on whether the EPA’s plan can take effect permanently. In these four cases, state officials and companies affected by the proposed air quality rules are challenging a D.C. Circuit ruling saying the plan can take effect at least temporarily.

Why it matters: The Supreme Court’s ruling will likely hint at how the justices feel about the EPA’s actions, giving court watchers a sense of whether the plan will survive the legal challenges and how much authority the EPA will have in the future to combat air pollution.

Moody v. Netchoice

Consolidated with: Netchoice v. Paxton.

Oral arguments: Monday, Feb. 26.

Key question: Can states — specifically Texas and Florida — regulate social media sites’ content moderation policies?

Lower court rulings: The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Texas’ law, which aims to prevent social media sites like Facebook and X from basing content moderation decisions on the views a user is promoting. But the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked most of Florida’s similar policy from taking effect.

https://www.deseret.com/2024/2/19/24022671/biggest-supreme-court-cases-schedule