Latest news from the Supreme Court's rulings
- The Supreme Court delivered its final opinions of the term today with a pair of major cases involving an evangelical Christian web designer who wants to be able to refuse to work on LGBTQ weddings and challenges to President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program.
- In the student debt case, the justices struck down Biden's long-delayed program, which would have allowed eligible borrowers to cancel up to $20,000 in debt and was estimated to cost more than $400 billion. The program has been blocked since the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary hold in October. About 43 million people were eligible to participate.
- The court also ruled in favor of the web designer, Lorie Smith, who opposes same-sex marriage on religious grounds. She sued the state of Colorado in 2016 saying she would accept customers planning opposite-sex weddings but reject requests made by same-sex couples wanting the same service. Smith argued that, as a creative professional, she has a free speech right to refuse to undertake work that conflicts with her views.
- After issuing today's rulings, the justices released a list of cases for the next term.
- Catch up on yesterday's rulings on affirmative action here.
Biden moves quickly in effort to reassure young voters on student loans
The White House couldn’t risk looking flat-footed.
After the Supreme Court scrapped Biden’s plan to ease the student debt burden, he moved quickly Friday to reassure core Democratic voters that he’ll find a way to make good on a signature campaign promise.
Within minutes of the court’s 6-3 ruling, the White House released a statement saying that Biden is “not done fighting yet” and had “prepared for this scenario.” After learning about the ruling from top aides, Biden met privately with them to consider next steps, White House officials said.
Later in the afternoon, he rolled out new plans that the White House said would ensure financially “vulnerable” borrowers who miss payments through the end of September 2024 are not considered delinquent. He also announced new repayment options that would be made available to borrowers.
Biden announces new efforts to provide student debt relief
Biden announced new steps aimed at helping borrowers repay student loans after the Supreme Court invalidated his debt relief plan.
The president outlined new repayment options that would be available to millions of borrowers, as well as his administration’s plan to provide broader relief.
The president said that once student loan repayments begin on Oct. 1 — after a three-year pause that began during the Covid pandemic — borrowers will have the opportunity to enroll in a temporary 12-month “onramp repayment program” that will remove the threat of default.
“During this period, if you can pay your monthly bills, you should,” Biden said in brief remarks from the White House. “But if you cannot, if you miss payments, this onramp will temporarily remove the threat of default or having your credit harmed, which can hurt borrowers for years to come.”
Biden lowers income-based loan payment cap
Biden said that student loan borrowers will be required to pay a lower percentage of their income under new policies in response to the Supreme Court striking down his loan cancellations.
Previously, a borrower could be required to pay up to 10% of their disposable income. Going forward, that level will be lowered to 5%.
Biden announces a 12-month student loan forbearance program
Biden condemned the Supreme Court’s student loan decision in his address to the nation, calling it a "mistake" and "wrong."
He said he would create a temporary year-long onramp repayment program. The pause will end, but Biden said for a year, borrowers who miss payments will not be subject to penalties or being reported to credit agencies.
During the speech, he also touted how the administration has already made progress in addressing student debt and education affordability.
Biden criticized Republican officials, saying they could not bear the thought of providing relief for working and middle-class Americans.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona stood next to Biden during the remarks but did not speak.
Youngest House member says WH must 'find other ways' to forgive student debt
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., the youngest member of Congress, said that the student loan decision “doesn’t strike down the president’s ability” to forgive student debt, but rather “the way he was doing it.”
“Now it’s just going to be incumbent upon the administration to find other ways to do it and other laws to look at other mechanisms," he said in an interview on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" Friday. "We’ll continue to push the president to do it."
The issue of student loan forgiveness and how Biden responds to the ruling “will play a big role” in his popularity with younger voters, Frost said.
Liberal lawmakers call for SCOTUS reform
Progressive lawmakers are calling for a variety of Supreme Court reforms. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif., have both advocated for expanding the court, which Biden reiterated yesterday he does not support.
"This not democracy," Lee tweeted. "Expand the court."
Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Mark Warner, D-Va., reiterated calls to establish a code of ethics for the court.
"The time is long overdue for the Supreme Court to do what every other branch of the judiciary does," Sanders said in a press release. "They must establish a code of ethical standards so that justices cannot secretly accept lavish financial gifts from billionaire patrons."
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., called on Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito to resign, and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., tweeted that he would reintroduce a bill to create term limits for justices.
RFK Jr. criticizes Biden for failing to get Congress to pass student loan relief
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is challenging Biden in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary, tweeted that the Supreme Court's ruling on student loans is "unfortunate" but called it "the predictable result of Biden’s failure to bring Congress together on this issue of crucial importance to young Americans."
He said that if elected, he would pressure Congress to provide "meaningful" student debt relief and reduce the cost of education.
Biden to speak on student debt at 3:30 p.m. ET
Biden will deliver remarks on the student loan ruling at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.
Biden says on student debt ruling is 'wrong'
President Biden called the court's decision on his student loan forgiveness program "wrong."
He said in a statement he would "stop at nothing to find other ways to deliver relief to hard-working middle-class families" while touting his administration's accomplishments.
"While today’s decision is disappointing, we should not lose sight of the progress we’ve made — making historic increases to Pell Grants; forgiving loans for teachers, firefighters, and others in public service; and creating a new debt repayment plan, so no one with an undergraduate loan has to pay more than 5 percent of their discretionary income," he said.
Biden also said Republicans were hypocritical, arguing that they “had no problem” with forgiveness for pandemic-related loans to businesses.
"But when it came to providing relief to millions of hard-working Americans, they did everything in their power to stop it," he said.
Sen. Fetterman goes after 'partisan' court in fiery statements
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is out with some fiery statements about today's Supreme Court decisions.
“It is becoming crystal clear that some of these Justices are laser-focused on doing the bidding of their rich donors who fly them on their private jets, take them out on their mega yachts, and buy their families’ homes in sweetheart deals," Fetterman said in a statement shared by his spokesman.
“Our government has spent TRILLIONS to bail out the big banks and the CEOs who crashed our economy," Fetterman said in another. "Our government cancelled MILLIONS in pandemic loans for Members of Congress. Yet SCOTUS is saying we cannot cancel some of the student loan debt for working people.”
He also tweeted that the ruling in the web designer case is "despicable" and "an embarrassment for our country."