“The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review lower court decisions that blocked efforts in two states to end public funding to Planned Parenthood, refusing for now to get involved in state battles over abortion rights,” the Washington Post reports.

The cases did not touch on abortion itself, but three justices who said the court should have accepted the cases said that was the reason the court declined to get involved.

CNBC reports Republican-appointed justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh sided with their liberal colleagues.

Walter Shapiro: “A rational president, who had just bludgeoned Brett Kavanaugh onto the supreme court, would not jeopardize the long-awaited conservative majority by picking a fight with Chief Justice John Roberts. But rationality has never been Donald Trump’s strong suit when it comes to dealing with the judiciary.”

“According to an estimate by the Washington Post, the Trump administration has been overruled in more than 40 federal court decisions. While correlation does not imply causation, it does suggest that Trump’s constant bleats and tweets about biased judges represent an odd strategy to tilt the scales of justice.”

“As of Thursday morning, President Trump was still ruminating on a rare upbraiding from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, continuing attacks against the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and calling it ‘a complete & total disaster,'” NPR reports.

Tweeted Trump: “It is out of control, has a horrible reputation.”

He insisted judges “know nothing” about security and safety issues along the border and alleged they are “making our Country unsafe.”

President Trump hit back at Chief Justice John Roberts after the leader of the Supreme Court rebuked the president over his criticism of “Obama judges.”

Tweeted Trump: “Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges,’ and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country.”

He added: “It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an ‘independent judiciary’ but if it is why are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned.”

Chief Justice John Roberts “is pushing back against President Trump’s description of a judge who ruled against Trump’s new migrant asylum policy as an ‘Obama judge,'” the AP reports.

“It’s the first time that the leader of the federal judiciary has offered even a hint of criticism of Trump, who has previously blasted federal judges who ruled against him.”

A federal judge has blocked a Mississippi state law that sought to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, while issuing a stinging rebuke of “controlling” male lawmakers who “gaslight” the public into believing they care about women’s health, CNN reports

Said Judge Carlton Reeves: “As a man, who cannot get pregnant or seek an abortion, I can only imagine the anxiety and turmoil a woman might experience when she decides whether to terminate her pregnancy through an abortion. Respecting her autonomy demands that this statute be enjoined.”

“The Supreme Court is allowing a trial over the decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census to go forward over the Trump administration’s objection,” Politico reports.

“More than a dozen states and big cities, among others, have sued over Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ decision to add a citizenship question to the census for the first time since 1950.”

“The lawsuits argue that Ross acted improperly and that the question will discourage immigrants from participating, diluting political representation and federal dollars for states that tend to vote Democratic.”

New York Times: “The closed-door ‘training academy’ was aimed at a select group: recent law school graduates who had secured prestigious clerkships with federal judges. It was organized by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group that has played a leading role in moving the courts to the right, and it had some unusual requirements.”

“‘Generous donors,’ the application materials said, were making ‘a significant financial investment in each and every attendee.’ In exchange, the future law clerks would be required to promise to keep the program’s teaching materials secret and pledge not to use what they learned ‘for any purpose contrary to the mission or interest of the Heritage Foundation.'”