U.S. Supreme Court to determine if Texas woman, accusing USPS of mail discrimination based on her race, can file a lawsuit
From Race-Based Mail Discrimination Case to Gun Rights for 18-Year-Olds: SCOTUS Decisions Unravel
The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has taken a dive into some heated topics this week, tackling both a race-based mail discrimination case and the rights of 18-year-olds to carry handguns.
Let's talk about the first one. Lebene Konan, a realtor and licensed insurance agent, has been at loggerheads with the US Postal Service (USPS) over allegations that her mail was intentionally withheld due to her race. Konan owns two rental properties in suburban Dallas, Texas, and claims that the local USPS refused to deliver her mail for two to three months after they changed the lock on her post office box. Konan suspects this happened because the carrier and postmaster didn't fancy the idea of a Black person owning the properties.
The question before SCOTUS now is whether the exception in a 1946 law for mail loss or miscarriage due to negligence applies to Konan's situation. A lower court dismissed the case, but the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision, green-lighting the lawsuit to continue. The Biden administration has appealed the decision, while the Trump administration defends against the suit.
SCOTUS is set to hear arguments in the fall, with a decision expected next year. If Konan prevails, it could open the floodgates for a slew of lawsuits against the USPS.
On a different note, SCOTUS also declined to revive Minnesota's ban on people under 21 carrying handguns. The case stems from a unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that the 2003 law violated both the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. Minnesota appealed the decision, arguing that a recent Supreme Court decision softened the historical standard courts must consider when weighing the constitutionality of gun regulations.
With more than 30 states and the District of Columbia having similar regulations, the question of how far governments can regulate guns for those under 21 is part of a broader debate sparked by a landmark 2022 decision that made it easier for Americans to carry guns in public. The 8th Circuit ruled that Minnesota's ban had no adequate historical analogue, but a subsequent Supreme Court decision appeared to alter the analysis lower courts should apply when reviewing the constitutionality of gun laws.
In summary, SCOTUS is currently evaluating a case alleging race-based mail discrimination by the USPS and has declined to revive Minnesota's ban on 18- to 21-year-olds carrying handguns. Both cases are significant and have far-reaching implications for different aspects of American life. Stay tuned!
- The case of Lebene Konan, a realtor and licensed insurance agent, accusing the USPS of race-based mail discrimination, is now before the Supreme Court (SCOTUS), with the question of whether an exception in a 1946 law applies to her situation.
- The Biden administration has appealed the decision made by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, while the Trump administration defends against the suit, and a decision is expected next year.
- In a separate matter, SCOTUS declined to revive Minnesota's ban on people under 21 carrying handguns, a decision that could have implications for the debate surrounding gun regulations for those under 21 in more than 30 states and the District of Columbia.
- Both cases, one involving alleged race-based mail discrimination and the other centered around gun rights for 18-year-olds, demonstrate significant implications for diverse aspects of American life and politics, with policy-and-legislation and general-news closely following their progress.
