Conservatives Gain Despite Fifth Circuit Setbacks at High Court

The most conservative US appeals court still managed to push the law further to the right incrementally despite repeated smackdowns from the Supreme Court.

Even as it has reversed or vacated six out of nine Fifth Circuit decisions so far, the justices undercut the Securities and Exchange Commission’s ability to enforce its laws and rejected a federal ban on bump stock devices, which make semi-automatic rifles fire like machine guns.

Those tracking the rulings said that while the federal appeals court didn’t have a winning record before the justices this term, the Supreme Court has remained somewhat receptive to rulings ...