Supreme Court Showdown: Key Rulings Loom on Agency Powers, Privacy Laws

The US Supreme Court has granted review in two key cases with major implications for federal agencies and privacy laws. In a dispute over the FCC's authority to fine major wireless carriers like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint nearly $200 million for sharing customer location data without consent, the Court will decide if the agency's in-house enforcement proceedings violate the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial. This follows a circuit split and the Court's prior strike-down of similar SEC procedures, with a ruling expected by June 2026 that could limit agency powers on consumer data privacy. Separately, the justices agreed to hear Salazar v. Paramount Global to clarify who counts as a "consumer" under the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act, addressing whether it covers subscribers to non-video content like digital newsletters from video providers.

On the litigation front, President Trump's team submitted filings in his appeal against E. Jean Carroll, seeking to overturn a $5 million judgment for sexual abuse and defamation from 2023, with the Court set to review the petition on February 20. Meanwhile, lower courts continue checking executive actions, including the Supreme Court's interim order blocking deportations under the Alien Enemies Act without process, denial of a stay on National Guard deployments in blue states, and uniform injunctions against a birthright citizenship order now headed to the justices. In Louisiana v. Callais, arguments loom that could undermine Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, potentially diminishing Black political power.

No new opinions or emergency docket actions have emerged in the immediate run-up, keeping the term focused on these high-stakes grants and ongoing clashes with the administration.

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