Neil Gorsuch

Rule Changes

Wrote for the 6-3 majority

Three weeks before his release, Louisiana prison guards handcuffed Damon Landor to a chair and shaved off the dreadlocks he had grown for nearly 20 years. He had handed them a court ruling saying his faith protected his hair. A guard threw it in the trash.

Updated Jun 23

Rule Changes

Author of the dissent

Terry Pitchford has sat on Mississippi's death row for nearly two decades. On May 28, 2026, the Supreme Court threw out his conviction and ordered the state to start over, ruling 5-4 that the prosecutor's jury selection violated his constitutional rights.

Updated May 28

Rule Changes

Expressed skepticism about Chevron's arguments

A Louisiana jury ordered Chevron to pay $745 million in April 2025 for wrecking coastal wetlands through decades of oil drilling. Now the Supreme Court will decide if that verdict stands.

Updated May 20

Rule Changes

Lead dissenter in Bowe v. United States

The Supreme Court just handed federal prisoners a major win, ruling 5-4 that they can challenge their convictions repeatedly—something most courts have blocked for decades. Michael Bowe, serving 24 years for armed robbery, asked to revisit his case based on new legal precedent. The Eleventh Circuit said no. On January 9, 2026, the Supreme Court said yes, declaring that a key provision of the 1996 anti-terrorism law applies only to state prisoners, not federal inmates.

Updated May 20

Rule Changes

Dissented separately in Supreme Court decision

The Supreme Court told President Trump he can't send National Guard troops to Illinois. The 6-3 decision on December 23 marks the first time the modern court has blocked a president from federalizing state Guard units over a governor's objections. Trump claimed protests at an ICE facility in suburban Chicago constituted a rebellion, and the court wasn't buying it.

Updated May 16