&Quot;Supreme Court&Quot;

Did the U.S. Supreme Court refuse to hear a case about "sexual orientation discrimination" involving Rachel Levine, the Biden Administration's assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)? No, that's not true: The Supreme Court website did not show any record of such a decision. The story originated from an account on Facebook linked…

Does a social media post include an authentic photo of former New Mexico Magistrate Judge Joel Cano standing pantsless in flip-flops with Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, the Venezuelan man he is accused of hiding from U.S. immigration officials? No, that's not true: The original image, in which Cano is fully clothed, was included with documents filed March 28, 2025, in federal court…

Did former Congresswoman Liz Cheney write an open letter to the Democratic Party in April 2025, saying "I need more from you"? No, that's not true: The viral letter appeared in a Facebook group called "Liz Cheney/Adam Kinzinger Against Trump", which may have caused the confusion. The earliest available version was posted to that group by a user named Pru…

Did Wisconsin run out of ballots in Republican-leaning "red areas" on the day of the State Supreme Court election on April 1, 2025? No, that's not true: The shortage affected only the City of Milwaukee, election officials told Lead Stories. In the last three federal elections, the city supported Democratic candidates. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Did the U.S. Supreme Court rule in a case titled "Moore vs Alliant Credit Union" that mortgages and fiat currency are illegal? No, that's not true: There was no such case in front of the Supreme Court and therefore, no such ruling. A person named Zachary Moore was involved in a lawsuit against his mortgage company and lost the case,…

Did a Mississippi state senator file a bill in a sincere attempt to bar men from masturbating? No, that's not true: Bradford Blackmon said he introduced Senate Bill 2319 to highlight what he described as "double standards" in laws affecting men and women. Blackmon said in a press statement, "When a bill has been filed that would regulate what a…

Does U.S. law allow for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be extradited to Russia? No, that's not true: A notoriously unreliable website that published a story about Putin supposedly demanding such an extradition did not offer any named sources or specifics regarding alleged charges. Lawyers who specialize in extradition told Lead Stories that there's no legal basis to send an American…

Did President Joe Biden err in saying "end of quote" during his farewell address on January 15, 2025, as some social media posts suggested? No, that's not true: Speakers often say "end of quote" to show they've finished quoting someone else. Biden has used this phrase in his speeches before to clarify things. Public speaking experts told Lead Stories that…

Does President-elect Donald Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship mean four of his children wouldn't be considered United States citizens? No, that's not true: Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Barron Trump's father is a U.S. citizen. Thus, all four children would have qualified under Trump's 2024 stated plan that "at least one parent will have to be…

Does a video authentically show American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Chase Strangio arguing that 2-year-olds should receive gender-affirming medical interventions? No, that's not true: A video on social media misrepresents what he said about gender-affirming care, which is typically about juveniles and involves decisions made by doctors and families. His statement on CNN was specific to adolescents -- not toddlers.…