Balls & Strikes
@ballsandstrikes.org
A nonprofit media outlet for progressive, bullshit-free commentary about courts, judges, and the legal system they uphold. Run by @jaywillis.net.
The Fifth Circuit exists largely to make the law say whatever extremely wealthy corporations want it to say
The Fifth Circuit’s Latest Labor Law Rulings Are a Gift to Elon Musk
Some of the largest corporations in America are supporting SpaceX’s challenge to the National Labor Relations Act. Here’s how working people are responding.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:38 PM
The Fifth Circuit exists largely to make the law say whatever extremely wealthy corporations want it to say
It takes a Republican president preparing to nuke the global economy to prompt the Republican justices to even consider enforcing the law against him
Trump’s Plan to Nuke the Global Economy Prompts Conservative Justices to Remember That the Constitution Exists
The Court has no problem facilitating the disappearance of civil rights. Shareholder value is a different story.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:26 PM
It takes a Republican president preparing to nuke the global economy to prompt the Republican justices to even consider enforcing the law against him
The Supreme Court's conservatives are slowly getting comfortable with showing their transphobia in public
The Supreme Court’s Latest Shadow Docket Ruling Reeks of Ugly, Casual Transphobia
Once again, the six-justice conservative supermajority rides gallantly to the rescue of their very favorite president.
ballsandstrikes.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:12 PM
The Supreme Court's conservatives are slowly getting comfortable with showing their transphobia in public
The purpose of the major questions doctrine is to allow Republican judges to veto Democratic policies they don't like
The Conservative Justices Are Keeping the Major Questions Doctrine For Themselves
The six-justice conservative supermajority can both strike down Trump’s tariffs and preserve its power to veto future Democratic policies it doesn’t like.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:52 PM
The purpose of the major questions doctrine is to allow Republican judges to veto Democratic policies they don't like
Alito with the most honest description of textualism we've ever seen
Sam Alito Forced to Briefly Contemplate the Crushing Weight of His Intellectual Bankruptcy
On Monday, the justice came agonizingly close to acknowledging how freely self-described textualists set aside the text when they find it inconvenient.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Alito with the most honest description of textualism we've ever seen
Let's unpack the casual transphobia in the Supreme Court's latest pro-Trump shadow docket opinion
The Supreme Court’s Latest Shadow Docket Ruling Reeks of Ugly, Casual Transphobia
Once again, the six-justice conservative supermajority rides gallantly to the rescue of their very favorite president.
ballsandstrikes.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Let's unpack the casual transphobia in the Supreme Court's latest pro-Trump shadow docket opinion
Wow, look at that, that's all it took
Trump’s Plan to Nuke the Global Economy Prompts Conservative Justices to Remember That the Constitution Exists
The Court has no problem facilitating the disappearance of civil rights. Shareholder value is a different story.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Wow, look at that, that's all it took
The Supreme Court's tariffs case should be an open-and-shut major questions doctrine case. It won't be
The Conservative Justices Are Keeping the Major Questions Doctrine For Themselves
The six-justice conservative supermajority can both strike down Trump’s tariffs and preserve its power to veto future Democratic policies it doesn’t like.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM
The Supreme Court's tariffs case should be an open-and-shut major questions doctrine case. It won't be
The conservative justices have plenty of ways to get rid of Trump's tariffs, while preserving their unreviewable power to veto the acts of future Democratic presidents
The Conservative Justices Are Keeping the Major Questions Doctrine For Themselves
The six-justice conservative supermajority can both strike down Trump’s tariffs and preserve its power to veto future Democratic policies it doesn’t like.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
The conservative justices have plenty of ways to get rid of Trump's tariffs, while preserving their unreviewable power to veto the acts of future Democratic presidents
He came so close to getting it
Sam Alito Forced to Briefly Contemplate the Crushing Weight of His Intellectual Bankruptcy
On Monday, the justice came agonizingly close to acknowledging how freely self-described textualists set aside the text when they find it inconvenient.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:45 PM
He came so close to getting it
Even the Supreme Court's conservatives don't like the prospect of Trump destroying the global economy
Trump’s Plan to Nuke the Global Economy Prompts Conservative Justices to Remember That the Constitution Exists
The Court has no problem facilitating the disappearance of civil rights. Shareholder value is a different story.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Even the Supreme Court's conservatives don't like the prospect of Trump destroying the global economy
Look at this mean realize in real time that he's full of shit and everyone knows it
Sam Alito Forced to Briefly Contemplate the Crushing Weight of His Intellectual Bankruptcy
On Monday, the justice came agonizingly close to acknowledging how freely self-described textualists set aside the text when they find it inconvenient.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Look at this mean realize in real time that he's full of shit and everyone knows it
The most important question in the Supreme Court's tariffs case is the most important question in every Supreme Court case these days, which is, how willing are the conservative justices to give Mister Trump everything he wants
Trump Will Always Ask the Supreme Court For More
The conservative justices have repeatedly demonstrated their willingness to reshape executive power to fit their favorite president’s agenda.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 5, 2025 at 12:45 PM
The most important question in the Supreme Court's tariffs case is the most important question in every Supreme Court case these days, which is, how willing are the conservative justices to give Mister Trump everything he wants
Look at how happy Republican politicians are that Republican judges are about to give them what they want
Republican Politicians Are Already Celebrating the End of the Voting Rights Act
Supreme Court justices often claim that their work is technical and nonpartisan. The reactions from the politicians who stand to benefit from their work tell a different story.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 4, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Look at how happy Republican politicians are that Republican judges are about to give them what they want
The right's war on the availability of medication abortion is moving to a different Trump judge
A Brand-New Trump Judge Will Hear the Right’s Latest Attack On Medication Abortion
In a Trump-stacked federal judiciary, conservative activists don’t need Matt Kacsmaryk to find a receptive audience.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 4, 2025 at 7:26 PM
The right's war on the availability of medication abortion is moving to a different Trump judge
A classic case of almost saying the quiet part out loud
Sam Alito Forced to Briefly Contemplate the Crushing Weight of His Intellectual Bankruptcy
On Monday, the justice came agonizingly close to acknowledging how freely self-described textualists set aside the text when they find it inconvenient.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 4, 2025 at 5:31 PM
A classic case of almost saying the quiet part out loud
One of Trump's brand-new judicial appointees is going to hear the right's latest attack on medication abortion
A Brand-New Trump Judge Will Hear the Right’s Latest Attack On Medication Abortion
In a Trump-stacked federal judiciary, conservative activists don’t need Matt Kacsmaryk to find a receptive audience.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 4, 2025 at 3:05 PM
One of Trump's brand-new judicial appointees is going to hear the right's latest attack on medication abortion
Where does "threatening journalists who ask questions of public officials by ominously invoking their relationship with the White House" fall on the fascism spectrum
Republicans Really Don’t Want Journalists Talking About How They’ve Captured the Courts
Conservative judges love talking to friendly media outlets. They don’t like talking to anyone who might actually try and hold them accountable.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 4, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Where does "threatening journalists who ask questions of public officials by ominously invoking their relationship with the White House" fall on the fascism spectrum
So the good news is that Matt Kacsmaryk isn't in charge of the medication abortion case anymore. There is also bad news.
A Brand-New Trump Judge Will Hear the Right’s Latest Attack On Medication Abortion
In a Trump-stacked federal judiciary, conservative activists don’t need Matt Kacsmaryk to find a receptive audience.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 3, 2025 at 11:49 PM
So the good news is that Matt Kacsmaryk isn't in charge of the medication abortion case anymore. There is also bad news.
Do you want to play a game
Trivia: Can You Spot the Fake Horrific William Rehnquist Quotes Among All These Real Horrific William Rehnquist Quotes?
The fun part about this game is that even if you get the answers right, you’ll still be upset afterwards.
ballsandstrikes.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Do you want to play a game
Republican judges don't view themselves as accountable to anyone
Republicans Really Don’t Want Journalists Talking About How They’ve Captured the Courts
Conservative judges love talking to friendly media outlets. They don’t like talking to anyone who might actually try and hold them accountable.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 3, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Republican judges don't view themselves as accountable to anyone
The reason the Supreme Court is "political" is that politicians are deeply about how it decides cases
Republican Politicians Are Already Celebrating the End of the Voting Rights Act
Supreme Court justices often claim that their work is technical and nonpartisan. The reactions from the politicians who stand to benefit from their work tell a different story.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 3, 2025 at 6:13 PM
The reason the Supreme Court is "political" is that politicians are deeply about how it decides cases
Trump's tariff case at the Supreme Court is just his latest request that the justices bend the law to mean what he wants it to mean
Trump Will Always Ask the Supreme Court For More
The conservative justices have repeatedly demonstrated their willingness to reshape executive power to fit their favorite president’s agenda.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 3, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Trump's tariff case at the Supreme Court is just his latest request that the justices bend the law to mean what he wants it to mean
Part of being a lawyer in the DOJ under Trump is not acknowledging facts that Donald Trump doesn't like
No One In Trumpworld Is Allowed to Be Honest About January 6
The fastest way to lose your job as a Trump-adjacent lawyer is to acknowledge facts he doesn’t like to hear about.
ballsandstrikes.org
October 31, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Part of being a lawyer in the DOJ under Trump is not acknowledging facts that Donald Trump doesn't like